Quebec’s version of Canada is much older than 150

As Canadians celebrate the 150th birthday of their federation, Quebecers find it difficult to commemorate with the same enthusiasm as their compatriots in the rest of the country.

Indeed, because Quebec has not yet signed the Constitution, one must realize that the Quebec nation is still not officially part of a federation in which even the most federalist Quebecers feel “exiled.” This is why Premier Philippe Couillard rightly took advantage of this historic opportunity to embark on a wide-ranging dialogue on Quebec’s place within Canada.

Surely, one man alone will never be able to impose his views on the future of Quebec and that of the other provinces. In that sense, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s immediate dismissal of the idea was quite regrettable.

But as we saw during this week’s annual meeting of the premiers, it won’t stop this important discussion from taking place. Even Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall admits it is perfectly reasonable for Quebec to want to sign the Constitution after 35 years.

If Quebecers are ready to integrate into the great Canadian family, however, they wish to do so with honour and dignity. And, of course, they remain free to choose their future. Trudeau must therefore understand that if Canada continues to refuse to give Quebec its rightful place in the federation, Quebecers will unfortunately have no alternative but to take their destiny into their own hands.

Fortunately, Trudeau has demonstrated in the past that he knows how to readjust his positions when he realizes he has made a mistake. We should recall, for instance, that he finally endorsed the House of Commons’ motion recognizing the existence of a Québécois nation within a united Canada, after being fiercely opposed to such recognition.

This is all to his credit. But if Trudeau does not know how to grasp the hand offered by Couillard, he will miss a crucial rendezvous with history. The history of Canada and Quebec will continue to be written, with or without him.

In fact, the time has come to celebrate the openness that characterizes our country by recognizing the multicultural but also the multinational nature of a Canada that is composed of diverse cultures, clearly, but one that is also composed of diverse nations and multiple First Nations. In these times of reconciliation, Quebecers and their Indigenous compatriots must take their rightful place in our country, both historically and constitutionally.

While sovereignists still dream of an independent republic, Quebec federalists will continue to fight to reaffirm their contribution to our common Canadian history. As such, it is not the 150th birthday of Canada that federalist Quebec nationalists celebrate this year, because their Canada is much older than that.

Indeed, it is not because Parliament informally recognized the Québécois nation in November 2006, only 37 days after the Quebec wing of the Liberal Party of Canada voted a resolution along the same lines, that Quebecers celebrated the 10th anniversary of their nation last year.

The reason is simple: the Quebec nation is much older than Parliament’s motion. Similarly, Quebec’s informal position in the Canadian federation does not allow us to fully commemorate the 150th birthday of a Canada that originated more than 480 years ago, when Jacques Cartier took his inspiration from the Iroquois word “Kanata” to inaugurate Canada in 1535.

Until the Quebec nation officially takes its place in the Canadian federation, and sees its recognition enshrined in the Constitution, federalist nationalists in Quebec will not forget that Canada, their Canada, also involves the history of Aboriginal people, French Canadians and Quebecers.

Happy 482nd birthday, Canada!