Martin's Comment Will Only Hurt Liberal Fortunes in Quebec

Mr. Martin replied by saying that Mr. Duceppe will begin a process that will lead to another referendum, "a process that will end the country of Canada that generations of Quebeckers built with other Canadians - a country that is envied throughout the world."

Martin has once again fed fuel to the fire for the separatists in this election campaign with this ridiculous statement. The provincial government in Quebec is a Liberal leader (Jean Charest), the most federalist premier in my lifetime and that of many others, and the Bloc does not have the legitimate authority to begin the process leading to a referendum in the province of Quebec. Bosclair is at least two years away from being able to contest an election, and by then there is no certainty whatsoever that he will be the one to lead the Parti Quebecois back to power; then, and only then, can the road to a new referendum begin. Martin is playing his national unity card, unfortunately nobody told him that a joker doesn't count.

He is playing right into the separatists' hands with these types of statements. Instead of giving Quebeckers a reason to vote for the Liberals, he is lending credence to the Bloc and the separatists, essentially handing them the great majority of the province's 75 electoral seats as well as providing legitimacy to the Bloc's attitude that "50 percent plus one" of the popular vote constitutes the prime victory for the Bloc.

For the life of me, I cannot fathom why Martin is doing this. These scare tactics simply do not work and they will not win over Quebeckers who are already upset with Martin and the Liberals for the sponsorship scandal. It is truly unfortunate that the Conservatives do not have a legitimate establishment in Quebec so that federalists in that province can have an alternative to the Liberals without turning to the Bloc to get their interests recognized.