Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 1, 1995, Winnipeg, Manitoba B2 Winnipeg free november 1995 after the t t who will Lead pm new Leader faces task of keeping up sovereignty drive by Don Macdonald Canadian press Montreal Jacques Parizeau came within votes of achieving his dream of Quebec Independence on monday night but now he says its time for someone else to take up the Parizeau leaves his successor a separatist movement that faces an Uncertain the narrow referendum result blocks the drive to ind Epen but also confirms that support for separation has never been Lucien Bouchard is the parti quebecois obvious dream replacement but his future was also Throwr into doubt by mondays will he want to abandon his bloc quebecois in Ottawa will he want to take Over a govern ment that is facing Tough budgetary cuts does he have the heart to continue in Public life after mondays defeat there Are other prospective candidates waiting in the wings if for whatever Rea decides to take a Deputy Premier Bernard Landry and Treasury Board president Pauline Marois Are two Veteran Pequi stes who ran for the party leadership to succeed Rene Levesque in the pair Are stalwarts of both the government and the sover eight is the Challenge for whoever takes Over the pm will be How to maintain the gains separatists made during the referendum Campaign and push the yes Over the top in in convinced that its going to happen very Parizeau said at his news conference yes Parizeau movement faces Uncertain but its support has never been analysis i would be very sur prised being so close to the that years would pass with nothing but political commentators say its unlikely the pm will be Able to rapidly move to another Quebec Law Doest allow two referendums on the same subject in the same mandate of a the current pm mandate would normally run until 1998 or the pm could change the Law but Quebe cers Are unlikely to be in any mood for another bruising referendum Campaign close on the heels of mondays which left the province split Down the people Are tired of this referendum which has been going on for a Long said Rejean a Laval University political and it will be difficult to recreate the momentum that Sovereign lists had in this political scientist Pierre Fournier added the people have to be convinced that another referendum is justified or else there will be a Fournier believes separatists can do nothing but wait to see what emerges from the rest of Canada in the coming if Ottawa and the other provinces fail to come up with a package of constitutional and administrative the advantage will swing Back to separatist he if nothing there Fournier the separatist movement could also gain strength from the departure of the unpopular Parizeau and his replacement As Quebec Premier by pm Vic president Monique Simard signalled yesterday that separatists would wait for fed eral offers and then counter attack in Hopes of recreating momentum for sovereignty among the Ball is in their Simard numerically Parizeau May be right ethnic vote Prono but premiers swipe a Nono referendum results by Donald Mckenzie Canadian press Montreal Premier Jacques Parizeau May have been mathematically Correct when he put much of the blame for the yes sides referendum loss on the ethnic Hes not the first separatist politician to have made embarrassing comments about the eth Nic Community but that Doest mean prejudice is widespread in the Sovereign list we were beaten by Money and the ethnic a crushed Parizeau told his crestfallen sup porters monday night after the no sides Victory by percentage about eight per cent of Quebec electorate Are considered to be from ethnic although it is impossible to determine How they voted results from the Montreal Ridings where they Are concentrated Sug Gest that most maintained their federalist leaning tendencies to push the no Side Over the some people interpreted Parizeau Post referendum swipe at ethnic groups As a Clear sign that the Quebec separatist movement is a Haven for that May be too much of a Gen gained credibility the parti quebecois has gone to great lengths in recent years to win Over cultural communities to its the pm has gained some credibility with ethnic groups but is still viewed As an ethnocentric party by people who feel More attached to who announced yesterday he will step Down in Decem Ber As Premier and pm also blamed big business for the referendum prominent including heavyweights such As Bombardier chairman Laurent blasted Parizeau and his sover eight is cohorts during the Campaign and warned of the negative consequences of Parizeau comment about ethnics could be damaging to the Sov Erie Antist cause in the Long a lot of people feel the Way he said Dan president of the Black coalition of Hes supposed to help defuse this kind of talk but As pre he promulgates this it legitimizes the the premiers remark was the latest in a string of embarrassing gaffes that have waylaid the Sov Erie Antist bloc quebecois Leader Lucien Bouchard triggered a political yes a breakdown of the five francophone 83 anglophone 19 neither French nor English up storm a few weeks ago when he told a Sovereign list gathering that Quebe cers were one of the White races having the fewest Bouchard did not Issue an out right apology but admitted his Choice of words was no win revives ghosts Chretien must tread carefully on the constitutional minefield by Jim Brown Canadian press Ottawa the constitutional goblins Are threaten ing to break Loose Jean who won Power by refusing to talk about the Constitution and promising to Bury the ghosts of Meech Lake and Char is in the process of resurrecting it want Chretien the prime ministers hand was forced in the closing Days of the Quebec referendum by the need to offer some kind of renewed federalism to pry voters Loose from the Sovereign list and even As he confirmed yester Day that he has begun consulting provincial Chretien seemed reluctant to take the if theres something that can be and with the agreement of the Well do he but he added i dont intend to put on the table a Long discussion of constitutional there Are a lot of changes in Canada that can happen without touching the con pull put until now Chretien has preached a flexible federalism in which administrative Power sharing agreements can be struck with the provinces without a full fledged constitutional that is still the route favored by several premiers and More vociferously by Reform Leader Preston who thinks Ottawa should simply pull out of areas like social welfare and but during the referendum Chretien raised two issues that Are Tough to solve through the Normal political channels distinct society status for Quebec and a veto for the province Over future jurisdictional if he does try to reopen the Constitution to Deal with those Chretien will Likely try to keep the debate Short and tightly among his options Call the first ministers together and try to address Quebec issues without opening the door to a Host of other claims ranging from aboriginal rights to social programs to Senate Start the Ball rolling by passing a Resolution in parliament affirming Quebec the proposal could later be ratified by any province that wanted to do if enough sign it would be in the the aim would be to at All a free Orall in which provinces and interest groups table a never ending series of everybody says that the says Allan a political scientist at the University of Alberta in Edmonton and adviser to pre Mier Ralph but its not Clear How to do once it gets out there its a subject of general its no longer a government Only another problem its not Clear Why a separatist government in Quebec would agree to any Deal with especially in the atmosphere of uncertainty sparked by Premier Jacques Parizeau sur prise decision to step its More say that the pm would adopt a strategy of then blame Ottawa for the failure of natives Brace for increased tensions by Dennis Bueckert Canadian press Ottawa some aboriginals fear this weeks referendum defeat could aggravate their already troubled relationship with the francophone majority in they Are disturbed by what they consider racist attitudes that surfaced during the theres going to be increased tension Between Quebec nationalism and native nationalism in predicted Gerald a Mohawk political scientist at Mon trials Concordia were starting to see there is an eth no nationalist and sort of racist element to the whole Sovereign list he said in an interview the intent of the parti quebecois and the nationalist program has been exposed As one of imposing culture and imposing the Lan Guage and the will of French canadians on various ethnic said Billy two an elected chief of the Mohawk Council at said he would have preferred a yes Victory because it would have cleared the our concern is that we will have an axe hanging Over our head for the next five or seven years As Quebec and Canada argue about what goodies Canada is going to offer Quebec to stay in he said Ottawa has Little to offer Quebec except land and jurisdiction Over Indian Ter i feel they should have got a yes and we would have lanced the now its just going to but Ovide Gran chief of the Assembly of first welcomed the from my a narrow Victory for the no Side is Good for first it Means were still looking at the Prospect of a United but with the Mission to change its not a vote for things to remain the its a vote for the inuit and Cree in Quebec held their own referendums and came out overwhelmingly in favor of staying in the mohawks remained officially Saul president of the Union of Indian said native groups Are Dis Tinct we Are Indian nations that have distinct cultures and spiritual looking for a route Here is How prime minister Chretien could Start the process of recognizing Quebec As a distinct society commons Resolution Liberal government could pass a Resolution recognizing Quebec As distinct and ask other provinces to do the it would not be bind merely a Public expression of support for the action so far some provinces have already sup ported Quebec As a distinct Ontario and Nova Scotia have passed resolutions recognizing que becs distinct character in new Brunswick legislature agreed to vigorously support Quebec As a distinct Newfoundland called for a constitutional amendment making Quebec a Dis Tinct society because of its culture and Legal constitutional Resolution constitutional change by passing constitutional it the Corn if 1 Dren with a fire Fasci nation canadians indulged their Constitution Al pyromania again this except they almost got observers agree everyone wants to break the but what Are we like without it and can we shake it i dont answers John a sociology pro Fessor at University in Montreal who keeps an Eye on Canadian pop were locked into its Basic to the coun try it also affects the Way canadians interact with one Rosanne Kleinman lived in Montreal until the last referendum in 1980 when she and her family moved to the United partly out of fear of Quebec she remembers going to dinner parties in her adopted country and marvelling at the Lack of political conver almost Felt they americans were Many canadians Are will ing to accept that mondays referendum Means More constitutional but most dearly want the Mon key off their while outsiders now con Sider constitutional wrangling As Canadian As Many canadians questioned yester Day viewed it More like hav ing their Teeth drilled occasionally necessary and always Len a Doorman at Toronto King Edward says Hes resigned to More constitutional i guess they have to he they Shoul Dve done it right the last Louise a Winnipeg theatre said Shes sick and tired of the constitutional but she cant see an end in i think were so Many diverse people that Well never ;