To Dream the Impossible Dream
There’s something about an election that brings out the best and worst in politics. It also brings out, to be polite, the occasional electoral fringe element. This has to be the case with Hans Mercier, a.k.a. The “Man from La Mancha,” or in his case The Man from the Beauce.
Mercier is the leader of the newly formed Parti 51. This is not to be confused with the earlier version of the same party that ran eleven candidates in 1989. Mercier’s version was registered in 2016 in anticipation of this year’s voting fest and so far has only four candidates with the hope of getting another ten to jump into the fray before the actual vote.
The party’s platform is simple. Mercier and his friends want Quebec to separate from Canada. They don’t, however, want to create a new country but would, if elected, immediately seek to join the great U. S. of A. This is where the “fringe” thing kicks in. Like Don Quixote in the musical, Mercier is out to “dream the impossible dream” tilting at political wind mills while he tries to “reach the unreachable star.” On second thought, the reference to The Man from La Mancha is probably a bad analogy. Mercier’s efforts could probably be better compared to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
According to Mercier, he’s both a separatist and a federalist. It’s just that being in Quebec he longs to be free of Canadian restraints, while as the 51st state he would be a happy part of the American federal system. Why he feels the American system would be any different than the Canadian one remains to be seen. He does offer some hints in the party platform.
According to Mercier, joining our neighbour to the south and waving the Stars and Gripes instead of the Maple Leaf Forever would immediately give us a stronger dollar and presumably make going to Old Orchard Beach that much cheaper. He doesn’t point out, however, that everything from our salaries to the minimum wage would drop as well because of that same stronger dollar. There’s also access to a bigger market for our products, an idea he touts without discussing the increased competition from producers in the other 50 states.
Another interesting claim is that, as part of the U.S., we would somehow have “. . . a real role to play in international decisions.” Considering that President Trump doesn’t even allow his Secretary of State or his Secretary of Defense any role in international decisions it’s hard to understand how Quebec would grab a seat at the table. Then again, Quebec’s population is just short of that of Virginia and we all know how crucial Virginia is in setting America’s foreign policy.
Mercier also waxes poetic about the U.S. being a “perfect model for what is needed to reinforce states that are free and democratic and at the same time preserve the culture and specificity of member states.” I suppose he’s right. Just look at Louisiana’s French population. Two hundred and fifty years or so after becoming part of the republic they’ve still managed to keep Cajun cuisine, zydico music and the Mardi Gras. If that’s not cultural preservation what is?
In an effort to ease potential voter’s concerns Parti 51 has published an extensive information sheet that answers such questions as, How would you protect French? Would there be more guns? What happens if Quebec changes its mind about being the 51st state? Now, I haven’t read the brochure in detail but it strikes me, given American history, the reply to the above would be “You wouldn’t. Yes. And tough luck.”
Mercier also ducks the elephant in the room; would Quebecers actually be better off with Donald Trump running things? This is a man who thinks foreigners, particularly those who don’t speak English, are for the most part rapists, drug dealers and welfare cheats. The man hates supply management, public health programs, a free press, women’s rights, wilderness conservation and probably blue cheese. The only thing The Donald would likely welcome, given his diet, is access to good poutine.