Sunday, April 15, 2007

21st Century belongs to all Canadians

I was just watching Les Coulisses du Pouvoir avec Daniel Lessard on Radio-Canada SRC Ontario, the interview with Raymond Chrétien got me thinking, Québécois never wanted federalists traditionally. Any type of a Chrétien, whether Uncle Jean or Nephew Raymond, is not welcomed in la Province du Québec as the old style federalism of Pierre E. Trudeau and the 20th Century has died and perhaps not just in that lone province. Since 1887 as Leader and 1896 as Prime Minister, Wilfrid Laurier (of erroneous "The 20th Century will be the Century of Canada" quote fame) began the modern Grits on a winning combination by alternating between leaders of deux nations/two solitudes origin. But has the new century now changed this old tradition, made it null, the English with King, Pearson and Turner, the Francos with St. Laurent, Trudeau and Chrétien, especially with the change of guard in 2003 as Leader and 2004 as Prime Minister, like Laurier last, making Paul Martin the change to the convention. I figured then, but thought perhaps simply wrong, that Martin was neither English from the Eastern Townships nor Franco from Windsor and Ottawa, but rather both. So where does that leave Stéphane Dion, simply that he is a Franco Grit Federalist of the 20th Century, in a province where they don't need either federally as they already have one provincially. His best polticial bet here would be to take the inevitable loss to Stephen Harper's Conservatives, who are going to get another minority government, lose many seats in his own home province to both the Bloc and Tories (yet surprisingly win more elsewhere) and hope Justin Trudeau is willing to give him one more spin around town as the third time for Harper will not be the charm. Whoever that next Liberal to run after the next election, has the best chance to win, as this 21st Century is neither the Conservatives nor the Liberals - it's the Canadians!