Abroad

Montreal In a State’s Bosom

The victory of Pierre Trudeau in the Canadian elections, and especially in the Province of Quebec, where his Liberals swept the boards, in no way diminishes the problem of French separatism, which his short-lived predecessor Joe Clark had no time to deal with. As things stand now, Quebec Premier René Lévesque still plans a referendum in April on his widely touted idea for “sovereignty-association” of French Canada with the rest of the country, meaning that Quebec would have complete control of its economic affairs while sharing political control with Ottawa. The election was contested mainly on budgetary and energy issues. But the problem of a divided country and how to make its very distinct parts work together will remain the overriding challenge to Trudeau’s new government. French nationalism has become the most obvious, as well as the most awkward, symbol of this division. Trudeau’s French origins make him popular in the eastern part of the country where the French live, but it is a popularity which may prove a political milestone in any truly national attempt to settle the fate of Quebec. What Lord Durham said of Canada in 1840 is still valid: “I found two nations warring in the bosom of a single state.”