Harper Pursues His Majority In Quebec's New Heartland (Tories Look To Rural Quebec For Future Alert)

National Post ^ | 8/1/2008 | L. Ian MacDonald

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The travelling summer fair was already here when the political circus rolled into this town that time forgot, just west of Quebec City.

But there were 1,500 people waiting at the local arena for Stephen Harper, a show of strength arranged Wednesday evening by Jacques Gourde, the sitting Conservative MP for the riding of Lotbinière-Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, 30 km west of South Shore Levis, where the party’s national caucus met over the last two days. The former Bloc Québécois member, Odina Desrochers, whom Gourd defeated in 2006, was among the friendly faces in the rural crowd.

The road to a Conservative majority runs through towns like this, off Highway 20 between Quebec and Montreal. It’s the new Conservative heartland, on both sides of the St. Lawrence, from west of Quebec City to Labrador on the North Shore and the Gaspé on the South Shore. There are about half as many voters as in Toronto’s 416 area, but half again as many seats in Quebec’s 418 area. With the Conservatives’ emergence as the competitive federalist alternative to the Bloc, it’s the biggest prize in play on the entire electoral map of Canada.

These rural voters are just as receptive to Harper’s core message on crime, taxes and agriculture as the voters are in the small towns of Ontario and Alberta. Harper’s threat to the Bloc is his appeal to these Quebec voters as autonomists, not sovereignists. And there was no mistaking his pitch on Wednesday night: “The true nationalists love Quebec without wanting to break up the Canadian federation,” he declared. “The true nationalists don’t want to destroy, they want to build.” It was Harper’s biggest applause line in a rather long-winded 40-minute speech, bringing the sweltering crowd to its feet.

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Its no accident Stephen Harper's Conservatives chose a small rural town west of the Quebec capital of Quebec City, for their summer caucus retreat. For its in rural Quebec that the Conservatives hope to get to a majority government in the next federal election. There are a lot of conservative-minded voters outside the Quebec City-Montreal area in French Canada. They could be the key in the next election.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

If there is similarity to the US the rural types are likely to be more religious than the city folks, and therefore more amenable to such social conservatism as the Conservative Party may support.

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Best line of Stephen Harper's stemwinder:

“I give you my word that as long as I’m Prime Minister, there will be no new taxes.”

Read my lips, no new taxes.

Right on, right on Prime Minister! Give Dion and the Liberals hell!

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Nextrush]

These people come from territory that supported the Union Nationale Party in Quebec provincial elections. Back in pre-1970 times the party was powerful. Its longtime leader Premier DuPlessis who died in 1959 was hated for being conservative and Catholic.

Today they are supportive of the non leftist pro capitalist ADQ Party in provincial elections.

In national elections of the 1950’s through the 1970’s these regions also provided support to the Social Credit Party in national elections. Social Credit was known for its conservative social views.

[max americana]

I’m orginally from BC, Western Canada and although we in Western Canada hate the province of Quebec for cursing us with the “Equalization Payments” bribe money so they won’t “secede in the near future”..you are somewhat correct.

The urban areas of Montreal you can compare to San Fran or Seattle: too gay, too arrogant and too congested. Head out to the rural areas outside of Quebec City.

Unfortunately, they are the most hard core French speakers in the country so Harper has to communicate to them in French, yet both parties have an affinity to conservative issues. When I say French speakers, they are the ones who want to secede from Canada and like the Stasi, take away ALL English.

As a matter of fact, in Montreal, 80% of signs are in French but once you get out of the city limits, you almost won;t find a sign in English.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Unfortunately, they are the most hard core French speakers in the country so Harper has to communicate to them in French, yet both parties have an affinity to conservative issues.

Canada is an example to us down south of the border that multi-lingual nations can be difficult to manage, since the language barriers often divide otherwise natural allies. However, you have to do what you can with the nation you live in.

[max americana]

>Canada is an example to us down south of the border that multi-lingual nations can be difficult to manage, since the language barriers often divide otherwise natural allies. However, you have to do what you can with the nation you live in.<

You don’t have to convince me about language barriers. I now reside in Los Angeles and everytime I order a cheeseburger, they give me chalupa.

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In French Canada, the population is split between sovereignistes, who want outright independence and federalists, who want to stay in Canada but have a considerable amount of autonomy for the province. Independence is more of an aspiration than its a reality. Quebec can't really survive without a connection to the outside world and its surrounded on all sides by Canada. Its a debate that may never be completely settled but in Quebec at present, the political momentum favors the federalists.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

everytime I order a cheeseburger, they give me chalupa

MMMMMMMMMMMMM! Chalupas!

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Harper is bilingual and the official policy of the federal government is bilingual - everything in both English and French. Only one region of Canada is predominantly French speaking but the country was founded by two peoples. There's none of the antagonism that's evident in Belgium. There aren't two separate linguistic political parties and French speakers have the same opportunies as English speakers in national life. The word Canadian has the same meaning in either language.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

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They can but America was founded as a nation with a single language. Other countries have different circumstances. What works for them doesn't necessarily work for us and vice versa.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

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Those views never died out and tradition is making something of a comeback in Quebec. Its still the most leftist province in Canada and its quite amazing Conservatives are even competitive there nowadays. For almost a century, it was a Liberal Party Of Canada bastion.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[max americana]

I was still a wee kid in Vancouver BC when in 1994, Quebec was within 5,000 votes of separating from Canada, It was THAT close.

The Federalists have the rest of the country by the cajones, judging the previous 2 anti-American PM’s in Martin and Chretien (God, I hated those times)...and they were BOTH from Quebec, so Americans have to understand the power base of Canada. The road to majority goes THROUGH QUEBEC. Period.

Well, bragging aside: before I immigrated to the US, I was one of the Conservative Party organizers in Vancouver. Vancouver is the most anti-US city (and most pro-Socialist city) in Western canada, so be prepared what to expect if you ever head down here in 2010 for the Olympics. Now helping Stephen Harper win the rural BC areas was easy. Performing logistics and accompanying him through Vancouver, was like being Secret Service to George Bush while campaigning in Berkeley. Yeah, that bad.

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The urban areas in Canada are all left. The suburbs lean left too but they can be grabbed by either side in a closer election. Small towns and rural areas are dependably conservatives. In Canada, most of the population lives in a narrow strip of land along the U.S border. For such a vast country covering the northern half of North America, its home to only 32 million people. Half of them live in Ontario and Quebec and most of the rest live in Vancouver.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Impy]

Why does the rest of Canada want Quebec to stay so much?

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English Canada would like to do without Quebec. But that's not really possible regardless of how Quebec's status is resolved. In the 1840's, the British through the Durham Report and the subsequent Act Of Union, proposed the gradual assimilation of French Canadians into English Canada. That went nowhere and in 1867, the French Canadians were given their own separate province again - along with a guarantee of language equality. But nothing was settled. And to this very day, in one of those strange ironies of Canadian politics, Quebec's signature remains missing from the Constitution.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Impy]

"English Canada would like to do without Quebec. But that's not really possible regardless of how Quebec's status is resolved."

How come? Economic entanglements?

[max americana]

In essence, yes. The Conservative Party won 67% of the rural areas back in 2006 (yeah, the Party made me do a Powerpoint presentation to our BC chapter), and as of early 2008, Harper still have very favorable poll #’s. Even higher than Martin’s was when Cretin’(Chretien) left office.

Do NOT discount Alberta. They are the only province who are US-friendly, pro-capitalist, and they are the ONLY province that does NOT pay Eqaulization, HST to Canada. In short, they don’t want to “pay tribute to Quebec”.

PLUS, that’s where PM Stephen Harper and the rest of Conservative Team live. Another note: that’s also where the Western Separatist movement (to join the US) is strongly located as well.

[max americana]

>Why does the rest of Canada want Quebec to stay so much?<

Western Canada from BC to Alberta were clamoring for 1994 to actually happen. The Confederation of Canada was actually bamboozled by Quebec’s whining that it needs “money” to stay. Hence, the GST was born. So every province (except for Alberta) has to pay a GST as “tribute” for bribing Quebec’s “special treatment” to stay in the Confederation.

PLus, if Quebec actually separated? It would’ve CLEARED the country of $5 billion in cost to keep having both English AND French signs and literature, as a result. There are at least 7 French CBC in every major city, and western Canadians don’t care about them...except when they show French films with lots of nudity in it.