It was a harrowing night for many as eyes were glued to the screen or listening to the results of the referendum coming. You could feel the tension and the excitement every time your side, your vote’s, percentage points went up. Even seeing a .01-per-cent change gave you that “oh-my-god, no!” tension or “Yes, a chance by god!” adrenaline surge. Even if you hadn’t voted in Quebec’s $60-million dollar (figure is from an unreliable source) referendum, you knew you were standing at a crucial crossroads in history. Surely at least a historical footnote.
Crees, Inuit and Montagnais had their own referendums and overwhelmingly voted against the inclusion of their peoples in the PQ sovereignty dream without their consent. You may have voted in your own.
Now you were listening to last-minute rhetoric from commentators and the interviewing Josie/Joanna/Jacques/Johnny-on-the-spot reporter at “political party headquarters.” At times babbling on as they had their chance to impress Canada with their journalist skills. Most of this coverage was redundant and boring compared to the excitement of a close race grabbing hold of you. My mother was phoning around talking about the race as it happened.
No matter what happened it was apparent that it would be a different world the next day. With the polls that close throughout the race anything else was unthinkable.
Unfortunately, the unthinkable wasn’t as hard as we all thought when listening to Jacques Parizeau blame the loss on the rich and people of a different ethnic background. Forgotten by a lonely ditchside was the battered concept of equality and democracy for all. It was all too clearly a message of “us” against “them.”
It brought back all too vividly Bouchard’s “white babies” remark and Le Hir’s questioning of whether or not Native peoples ever had a civilization before the Europeans arrived.
I know a lot of separatists and I have to wonder how these other people got to the top of the heap. Separation in the minds of most of the sovereignty movement is not about these types of statements. For them it is simply a righting of wrongs. Nothing more and nothing less.
In view of this, it is indeed disappointing and disturbing to see and hear the messages top separation leaders are sending. Already in Montreal I hear of things happening. Anger plays a big part and people are finding they have been made targets. The other premiers were shocked and perhaps not as reconciliatory as they first were. Ethnics are starting to look over their shoulders. Some of the negative and racist messages got through and it’s a damn shame to see the friction between the perceived differences.
Montreal has stories of running battles between yes and no forces, Jews have been hassled, etc. In the Cree Territory, long friendships have been strained as we hear some francophones blaming Crees for the “loss of their country.” Twelve-year-old Mohawk hockey players were called “savages” and spit on in a recent hockey tournament in Laval, ensuring that the hate will survive another generation…
All sides will have to work hard to correct this latest image of us-versus-them.
It did show one thing, though. The Aboriginal peoples’ referendum results and the Quebec political districts populated by ethnics which voted 90 per cent or more “yes” were not stupid. They could sense the hidden animosity of the PQ political leadership. With Parizeau’s remarks, their fears were confirmed and validated. A dream of an independent Quebec was not in their best interests.
Most people I have talked to are not unhappy to see Parizeau go. The ex-El Presidente’s good-bye and lack of an apology left a long cold wind travelling the halls of sovereignty.
