Rebutal of passport issue: Yes, it is POSSIBLE that Québec for a short time MIGHT continue to use Canadian passports and money, BUT... they would also pay their share of the national debt, THUS they would be essentially paying for what they would receive.

Rebutal of loss of French by minorities outside of Québec issue: No, this is absolutely not possible. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, of which we have here a copy if anyone would like to look at it, expressly forbids the limitation of minority language rights and these rights are exempt from the nothwithstanding clause of the Charter, meaning that it is impossible for them to be revoked or modified! Ottawa would not even attempt to limit minority language rights because they know that they would face overwhelming public outcry. In addition, there is already a strong enough establishment of French outside of Québec that could continue to support itself without the help of Québec. For example, New Brunswick is 30% francophone and has a billingual provincal government. There are many established organizations that promote the use of French outside of Québec such as the Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincale and the Société de Radio Canada. As well, because Ottawa would be obligated to maintain friendly relations and to cooperate with Québec, they would also be obligated to maintain support for the French language. It would even be possible for Québec and Canada to devise a sort of agreement in which they decide to protect the minority rights of anglophones in Québec and francophones in Can.

Rebutal of Loss of Anglophone Rights in Qué: No, because of possibility of agreement with Ottawa to protect these person’s rights.
OR

This would be no different than the rights of Portuguese, Italians, Pakistani, etc. living in Toronto being compromised as they are today because Ontario is an English province as Québec would be an unilingually French country.

Rebutal of Breaking Constitution Argument: As already stated, Québec would not be breaking the Constitution as there is nothing in the Constitution that prevents them from leaving Canada. Self-determination is a right. Québec only wants to protect its unique cultural identity to prevent the assimulation that many Acadiens are enduring. As our esteemed collegue Nicole pointed out last class, Acadiens speaking French has dropped by 50% in the last few years. Québec is simply trying to avoid the same disasterous fate.

Rebutal for Failed Economy and Loss of Trade Arguement: It would be absolutely impossible for this result to happen. Québec and the other Canadian provinces are codependent in terms of trade; therefore, upon separation, despite any hurt feelings or resentment that may linger, it would be inevitable that trade would continue as it is now.

First of all, 40% of all of Ontario’s exports go to Québec. Ontario could not afford to cut off trade relations with Québec because there is no other market to which they could sell their products. The US, for example, already has trade partners for all their needs well established with other countries.

As well, Québec produces many products which the rest of Canada couldn’t live without. Québec is on the leading edge of the software and computer-related industries. They are also major producers of milk products, hydro-electric power, industial products, and might soon be connected to all of Canada by the natural gas pipeline.

Other Interesting Points:

1) Separation would elimate the current problem of economic waste by Ottawa caused by inter-provincial jealousy. Example: Presently, when Ottawa gives money to Québec for a certain reason, other provinces, such as B.C. or Alberta or the Maritimes, also immediately ask for the same grants of money simply because Québec already received it, even though this couuld be because of a certain problem or need unique only to Québec. And this same scenario applies vice-versa also. The separation of Québec would thus be cost-effective measure for Ottawa in that it would save quite a bit of money by not giving out grants three or four times more than necessary.

2) Joseph Howe: Québec is NOT the first province to try to separate from Canada. In fact, the first province to attempt this was actually Nova Scotia in the 1890’s. Joseph Howe, one of our former Prime Ministers, wanted Nova Scotia to leave the Dominion of Canada. They didn’t actually do this, but maybe if we had done it we would have remained one of Canada’s richest provinces as we were at that time. Why should Québec be forced to make the same mistake that we did?

c.1996 pantagruelle.geo@yahoo.com