Lead buried

A remarkable detail I didn't notice when I first read about Buzz Hargrove's semi-endorsement of the Bloc Quebecois:

Labour leader Buzz Hargrove says Conservative Leader Stephen Harper's attitude toward the provinces is essentially a separatist approach.

"If you devolve all the powers to the provinces, what do you have left? His view of the country is a separatist view," Hargrove said as he campaigned alongside Paul Martin.

He said Quebec voters should choose the Bloc Quebecois over the Conservatives.

"Anything to stop the Tories."
[...]
Hargrove was with Martin in a southwestern Ontario restaurant as the Liberal leader wooed NDP votes. [emphasis added]

Andrew Coyne has compiled even more damning quotes from the 2004 campaigns, in which Hargrove actually encouraged Quebecers to vote for the Bloc.

Imagine, if you will, a situation in which Stephen Harper was campaigning in Alberta, and he shared a stage with some wingnut who preached the gospel of Western separation. I'd expect Harper to very publicly denounce the separatist right then and there - and I'd certainly expect the freaking Prime Minister of Canada to immediately disassociate himself from a supporter who praised a Quebec separatist party. In this case, if Martin said anything, good for him. But there's no indication of that in the CP story, and as of this writing, there's nothing about it on the Liberal website.

Then again, should we really be so surprised? After all, if you believe Canada is nothing more than a vehicle through which generous social programs can be delivered - in other words, Liberal Party policy since 1965 or so - you probably believe these essential elements of Canadian identity are worth destroying Canada to save.

Posted by damian at January 18, 2006 01:21 PM | TrackBack