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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Quebec Separatists’ Have Their Bluff Called Canada’s Prime Minister Extends Major Concessions

Anne Swardson And Charles Trueheart Washington Post

Four weeks after a strong pro-independence vote in Quebec nearly broke apart the Canadian federation, Prime Minister Jean Chretien Monday offered Quebec significant concessions, including recognition of the French-speaking province as a “distinct society.”

His proposals effectively called the bluff of Quebec’s separatist leaders, who now must either oppose measures they have favored in the past or accept Chretien’s offer. The Chretien initiatives, which he said were undertaken “in a spirit of partnership,” also seem likely to raise objections in the rest of Canada.

The proposals are direct responses to some of the concerns that separatists say drive them toward independence, but they also offer fewer changes than many Quebecers say they require to make them choose Canada over separation. Chretien’s changes would not be enshrined in the Canadian constitution, as many Quebecers wish, but instead would be enacted by the House of Commons or by both houses of Parliament.

The prime minister’s announcement came less than a month after Quebec’s voters rejected separation by the razor-thin vote of 50.6 percent to 49.4 percent. Chretien, who had successfully campaigned for election in 1993 by promising to stay away from the Quebec issue, pledged in the last desperate days of the referendum campaign that he would “deliver the changes that are necessary” to Quebec.

His unexpected announcement in essence throws the initiative back to Quebec Premier Jacques Parizeau, who will leave office at the end of the year, and especially to Lucien Bouchard, leader of the separatist bloc in the Canadian Parliament and Parizeau’s presumptive successor.

“Mr. Parizeau and Mr. Bouchard warned Quebecers during the referendum campaign that a vote in favor of Canada would lead to a show of force and an attempt to strip Quebec of its powers; that is totally false,” Chretien said in announcing the measures Monday afternoon. By introducing these changes, he said, “I am following up on the commitments I made to the Quebec population during the referendum campaign.”

Chretien’s offer seemed designed not to convert hard-core separatists, but to appease the 30 percent or so of Quebec voters who are “soft nationalists,” whose opinions on separation depend on the economy, the prevailing mood and the options the rest of Canada seems to be offering. A recent poll showed that as many as 54.8 percent of Quebecers would vote yes to separation were a referendum held today.

“The leaders all will be staking out their positions (on the new Chretien package), but what will the people say?” asked Quebec pollster Jean-Marc Leger, who conducted the new survey.

The proposals are:

A resolution in the House of Commons recognizing Quebec as a “distinct society,” so that no law could be passed by the Commons that appeared to contravene that notion.

Changes in the way the Canadian constitution is amended that will effectively allow Quebec to veto any revisions. Amendments could be vetoed by any of four regions, of which Quebec by itself would be one.

Reversion to the provinces of power over job training, an issue dear to Quebec leaders because it helps them control the educational system.

Michel Gauthier, one of the leaders of the separatist Bloc Quebecois in the federal Parliament, said of the distinct society offer: “In our opinion, it’s nothing at all.” And the manpower-training proposal “is a disaster,” he said. “Even the federalists in Quebec won’t buy this.”

Because of the sizable majority Chretien’s Liberal Party enjoys in the House of Commons, passage of the measures is highly likely. Opposition is expected to emerge elsewhere in Canada, however, not only in Quebec, but in the West. There, the public is opposed to any legislation granting special status to Quebec.