West can show Quebec how to win with Ottawa
New approach ends fed-bashing, treats national leaders as allies
For decades, nationalists in Quebec served as a model for many western Canadians seeking greater leverage in federal politics. Now, perhaps, the West can provide a model for Quebec as nationalists of all stripes rethink the future in light of the Parti Québécois’s pounding in the recent provincial election.
In the past, western Canadians looked upon Quebec nationalists with of envy and frustration. Quebecers, it seemed, had it all: a separatist movement that held the federal government’s feet to the national-unity fire, disproportionate strength in the federal public service, special treatment across a wide range of federal programs, generous wealth transfers through equalization, and a virtual lock on Canada’s national leadership running from Pierre Trudeau in 1968 to Paul Martin in 2006.
As a consequence, the nationalist movement became the foil for regional discontent, particularly, but by no means exclusively, for the small handful of western separatist parties that sprang up in the West. To mix metaphors, Quebec provided the tool kit for those trying to wring more favourable treatment out of the government of the day. Within that kit, the threat of separatism was the most powerful tool.
Western Canadians therefore closely followed events in Quebec, always on the lookout for examples of leverage that might be employed in the West. This interest was not reciprocated, as few Quebecers felt they had anything to learn from the economic and political transformation taking place in the West.
Now, however, the defeat of the PQ and a weakening grip on Canada’s political agenda and government might well convince Quebecers it is time to turn their attention west, where a new model for the Canadian federation has been emerging.
Regional economic success has come in large part through abandoning Ottawabashing and instead coming to see the federal government as an indispensable ally in the uncertain global economy.
It is Ottawa, not provincial capitals, that will drive success (or failure) with respect to the new international trade agreements that are transforming the global economy. Although the New West Partnership has opened some trade doors, it is Ottawa that will play a central role in opening Asian markets.
And it is the Canadian brand, not the Manitoba or Alberta brand, that has the greatest appeal globally. It is Ottawa, not the provinces, that will ultimately set the tone and details for our fragile economic relationship with the U.S.
Ottawa will also have to play a critically important role if western Canadians are to establish an enduring partnership with Aboriginal Peoples that recognizes common objectives on economic prosperity and environmental sustainability.
None of this is to suggest that Ottawa has been unflagging or always successful in promoting western Canadian interests. At the same time, it is clear that the old federal model pursued by Quebec nationalists of all stripes, a federal government stripped of effective powers and left only to redistribute wealth, won’t serve Canadian interests in the future.
We need a federal government that keeps its eye on the economy, that avoids dabbling in provincial social policy and is determined that Canada succeed in the continental and global economies. This is the path western Canadians have been trying to carve out, and their efforts warrant close attention in Quebec.
Finally, the West and Quebec share a mutual challenge that goes to the very heart of Canada’s current economic dilemma: How do we build a technologically advanced economy on the foundation of resource extraction? Here both bring a great deal of experience to the table.
Just as western Canadians looked to Quebec in the past, now is the time for Quebecers to look to the West.