Wall’s feelings on Quebec echo Diefenbaker’s

As a dyed-in-the-wool conservative, Brad Wall is hardwired to oppose anything Liberal — especially anything Trudeau Liberal.

Many have simply written off Wall’s criticism of the Energy East pipeline cancellation and the role he says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government played in the decision as pure partisan politics.

Armed with arguments on Energy East’s economic viability, detractors of both Wall and Regina-based federal Conservative Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer have been particularly quick to latch on to this notion.

Such criticism grew even more harsh after Wall had the audacity to raise the spectre of Western alienation he says will rise because of not only the cancellation, but also things like the glee former federal Liberal cabinet minister and Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre demonstrated following Energy East’s demise.

But those who have known Wall will recognize how the notion of a national pipeline and the frustration over its cancellation go beyond the hardwired politics to his core beliefs as a western conservative.

Wall supported both the Meech Lake and Charlottetown accords under former prime minister Brian Mulroney and the Quebec-as-anation-within-a-nation notion put forward in the years under Stephen Harper.

But in his waning days in political life, Wall questions whether these were naive views that only produced constitutional compromises that grew into economic compromises to Quebec.

“They have manifested themselves in economic policy (like the) NEP (National Energy Program from the late 1970s), Energy East, Bombardier (cash bailouts for the Quebecbased company) and CF-18 procurement (moved from Winnipeg in the 1980s),” Wall wrote in an email Monday. “These are not all direct nods to Quebec, of course, but, they are usually more controversial — even divisive.

“For many in the regions, it is hard to see them as anything but further instalment payments that may not usher Quebec out of the country but most definitely contribute to the perception of two Canadas.”

Many will recognize this language as coming from former Progressive Conservative prime minister John Diefenbaker’s “One Canada.” And some will see this as an outdated national view (although the same might be said for Trudeau’s notion of a bilingual Canada). But for a prairie populist like Wall, weaned on Diefenbaker’s legacy, it remains gospel.

“There must be no compromise with Canada’s existence as a nation,” Wall wrote, quoting Diefenbaker executive assistant Thomas Van Dusen’s summation of Diefenbaker’s “One Canada.”

“Opting out, two flags, two pension plans, associated states, two nations and all the other baggage of political dualism was ushering Quebec out of Confederation on the instalment plan. He (Diefenbaker) could not accept any theory of two nations, however worded, because it would make of those neither French nor English second-class citizens.”

Wall said there can be no ushering Quebec out of Confederation on an instalment plan.

“Sometimes the instalment payments, are, well, payments,” Wall said in the email. “$11 billion of the $18-billion (annual transfers/ equalization) payment goes to Quebec. $11 billion goes to the second most populous province in Canada with a 400-year-old economy and significant hydro resources.”

Even provinces that find this patently unfair fear raising this “for fear of the response from Quebec,” Wall said.

“I have now sat at the table of premiers more times than I ever dreamed that I might have that honour,” Wall wrote. “My experience is that these women and men are earnest, highly intelligent, patriots, for whom I have a great deal of respect.

“Yet so few are prepared to question the longstanding/still current and inexorable march to two Canadas. That is, if we have not already arrived there. We live in the country where it has become ‘prohibitus’ to express regional concerns.”

Wall argued it’s “absurd” to be considered “disloyal to my country” for speaking on behalf of those who elected him.

“Dief ’s view of Canada is not lost on so many Canadians,” he said. “It is not lost on me.”