Quebec sovereigntists see fundamental rift with Alberta separatists - BERITAJA

With conscionable days earlier Alberta’s ballot connected an independency referendum, longtime Quebec sovereigntists are distancing themselves from the occidental province’s separatists.

Question 10 of 10 connected Monday’s referendum ballot asks whether Alberta should stay successful Canada aliases if the authorities should commencement the ineligible process to clasp a subsequent, binding referendum connected separation.

Advance polls opened Tuesday and tally until Saturday.

Quebecers whitethorn person a consciousness of déjà vu aft voting connected a akin mobility successful 1980, erstwhile René Lévesque’s Parti Québécois asked whether the state should statesman negotiations to time off Confederation. Nearly 60 per cent of Quebec voters were against Lévesque’s proposal.

A 2nd referendum followed successful 1995, narrowly won by the “No” side. But ardent sovereigntists spot profound differences successful the 2 movements.

Marie-Anne Alepin, president of the Société St-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal, a salient Quebec nationalist group, believes Alberta is utilizing the threat of separatism arsenic leverage successful negotiations pinch Ottawa. She sees the referendum arsenic a intends of unit alternatively than a genuine desire to shape a country.

“They want a bigger domiciled wrong Canada and we want to leave,” she said. “They want much power complete their lipid and state … we don’t want pipelines.”

But that hasn’t stopped immoderate leaders successful the Alberta separatist activity from claiming communal cause.

Quebec elected the PQ — which has promised a 3rd independency referendum — to a number authorities connected Oct. 5, starring figures successful the Alberta separatist activity to rally down premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and state him a imaginable ally.

“Quebec rejected the position quo today,” wrote columnist Cory Morgan — a founding personnel of the Alberta Independence Party successful 2001 — connected societal media aft the PQ’s victory. “Alberta could do the aforesaid successful 2 weeks by choosing to nonstop a connection pinch Option 2 connected Question 10.”

Alberta separatist Jeffrey Rath besides took to societal media the time aft the provincial election, saying that “for the first clip successful history, Alberta Independence will person the support of the elected authorities of Quebec.” He besides congratulated St-Pierre Plamondon and “the state of Quebec.”

The two, on pinch lawyer Keith Wilson, lamented that Quebec’s quest for independency is seen arsenic morganatic while they opportunity Alberta separatists are sneered at.

During a sojourn to Calgary past year, St-Pierre Plamondon said he would admit an independent Alberta should the state ballot to separate. Rath said he met pinch the PQ leader during that visit.

But while they judge successful the antiauthoritarian process of a referendum, galore Quebec sovereigntists do not place pinch the Alberta separatists.

Former PQ leader Jean-François Lisée did not mince words erstwhile asked about Monday’s referendum.

“It’s mostly a discarded because conclusion is certain,” he said. “There’s really thing overmuch to summation from watching the Alberta independency movement, isolated from possibly antagonistic lessons.”

It’s a emotion shared by different sovereigntists.

Louise Harel, who was a PQ curate during Quebec’s 1995 sovereignty referendum and later served arsenic interim leader of the party, agrees pinch Lisée. Both opportunity the Quebec and Alberta sovereigntist movements are fundamentally different.

In their view, Quebec sovereigntists are motivated to sphere their taste and linguistic identity, while Alberta separatists are motivated by the system and governmental libertarianism. They besides spot a desire for Alberta to get person to the United States, while Quebecers are wary of talk of assimilation.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has many times said she is against secession, while PQ leaders person openly called for sovereignty.

“In Quebec, the thought is to springiness a unsocial humanities federation successful North America, which … has valiantly resisted assimilation, the powers it needs to past successful a globalized world,” said Harel. “But location is nary specified rumor of personality aliases civilization successful Alberta.”

While sovereigntist Quebecers besides consciousness economically disadvantaged wrong Canada, Lisée said, the sentiment isn’t astatine the halfway of the movement. He besides stressed that Quebec’s sovereigntist parties person historically been social-democrat, while the activity successful Alberta seems tied to conservatism.

Daniel Turp, a Université de Montréal rule professor who represented some the Bloc Québécois and the PQ, sees differences successful the referendum process itself. Quebec’s 2 independency referendums included a azygous mobility connected sovereignty.

As a result, location were wide mobilizations from some federalist and sovereigntist factions for weeks.

Public support for independency besides varies wide betwixt the 2 provinces.

On the eve of the 1995 referendum, nationalist sentiment was divided evenly successful the polls. Three days earlier Quebecers formed their ballots, Canadians from crossed the state made their measurement to Montreal to impulse them to ballot against independence.

Poll aggregator 338Canada shows little than 25 per cent support for Alberta to time off Canada arsenic of Oct. 11.

“There hasn’t been a love-in successful Alberta yet,” Turp said. “Maybe we’re not arsenic worried because the polls show the action to stay will win.”

More than 90 per cent of registered voters formed a ballot successful the 1995 referendum, which federalists won pinch 50.58 per cent of the vote.

“That’s the benignant of elector turnout you spot successful countries wherever voting is mandatory,” said Harel. “I would beryllium highly amazed if elector turnout successful the Alberta referendum were the same.”

But the sovereigntists do not cull the Alberta separatist activity entirely. All 4 said they sympathize pinch the desire for autonomy and self-determination.

“If Alberta were to ballot yes, and past Ottawa would say, ‘well, you can’t leave,’ we will beryllium connected the broadside of Alberta,” said Lisée.

Harel added that while she does not spot ideological similarities betwixt separatists successful Quebec and Alberta, the antiauthoritarian process must beryllium respected. She said that the Alberta referendum could springiness legitimacy to the 1 promised by the PQ.

Asked if they interest that a nary ballot connected Monday could impact the PQ’s promised referendum, each 4 said no.

Alepin believes the 2 movements are excessively different for Albertans to power Quebecers’ appetite for sovereignty.

Meanwhile, Lisée predicts that “the conclusion of the yes broadside successful Alberta will beryllium a antagonistic but very insignificant facet successful (Quebec’s) referendum debate.”

If Alberta stays wrong Canada, Turp believes the state whitethorn beryllium inspired by Quebec’s attack to negotiating much autonomy pinch Ottawa.

“And past they could shape a 2nd referendum, for illustration we did,” he added.