Sure, they’re a nation

It's about time.

Somebody had to break the political and mental logjam: Quebec is different and constitutes a nation within a country.

It's been said - by a Tory prime minister, no less. The Tories had pondered that issue back in the Robert Stanfield years - “deux nations�? it was back then.

In his short tenure, former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin circled the issue - sort of - when he allowed Quebec constituted a distinct society, and then proceeded to give that province certain increased powers in an increasingly asymmetric federalism.

Don't forget the Meech Lake and Charlottetown constitutional issues that had everybody so upset a couple of decades ago.

What a waste of time and bad will.

So, Prime Minister Stephen Harper wisely put forth the proposal Quebec be recognized as a “nation�? within a united Canada.

It's simple, yet says so much. It recognizes a fact of life; it clears the air. Even Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe has to speak favourably of the proposal. Though he still mumbles something about independence - after all, that's his job (so he thinks).

Under the current Tory government, which will likely tend toward more decentralization than others have, the Quebec government already stands to gain in provincial powers - education, culture, education, health.

The prime minister's motion also gets Liberal leadership contender Michael Ignatieff off the hook in his campaign utterances on Quebec being a “nation�? in the non-independent sense.

Ignatieff has written on such things in the past - his Blood and Belonging: Journeys into the New Nationalism being a work I like to refer to every so often.

Here in Nova Scotia, we have had a number of smaller “nations�? for centuries. It hasn't always been smooth sailing, but we all live and work together for the common good.

Looking at photos of groups of workmen in the steel industry, for instance, you see visible minorities, such as African Nova Scotians; then you read the names and figure out the various ethnic groups - Acadians, Scots, Irish, Anglos, Poles - and even the religious affiliations. Each group has had its circles, traditions, history, even language - sometimes even neighbourhoods.

Wearing a kilt and playing bagpipes, celebrating Kwanza, speaking French or Gaelic or Micmac, or celebrating a common event among yourselves doesn't hurt anyone else. But, given the relatively small size of our province and those communities, being a “nation�? is a bit much to consider.

Let's not forget Newfoundland once formed its own entity - a dominion within the Empire - and damned near starved to death doing it.

Quebec is bigger, its economy more developed, with a larger population, too. though it has a dominant group, traits have developed through the interaction of different groups - not just francophones - over the centuries. Its inherent French language and distinct legal system and inward view make it more so a “nation�? than most other provinces.

It appears to mean so much to some Quebecois to have this out in the open, to be part of accepted life, to no longer be a bitter concern to those whose business it really isn't. Again, remember Meech Lake and Charlottetown. For others in the province, it may have created more of an appetite for something closer to independence - whatever that means.

In reality, it's up to them.

If being a “nation�? within a united country isn't enough for Quebec and its people, what then?

We as a country have to take a serious, non-emotional look at what Canada without Quebec would be like: socially, economically, internationally.

Russia downsized in recent years. France went though the process in the early 1960s, before President Charles DeGaulle cut Algeria loose after winning a bitter counterinsurgency and counter terror campaign in the territory. France immediately went on to claim its position as an influential economic and military middle power.

Aggravating a province's population by denying what has been obvious for decades has been unwise. It is time to get rid of this dinosaur of a problem. Paul Martin made the first moves; Michael Ignatieff set up the play; the prime minister scored.

Hopefully, it comes in time for all of us to carry on being Canadians, working to build our economy and common interests.