Word: trudeau
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...stigma attached to French-speaking Québecois who opposed the referendum. Said Ryan after the votes were counted: "I think we have rediscovered how very much we love this country. We are proud to be Quebeckers and at the same time proud to be Canadians." Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau also campaigned effectively against Lévesque's proposal by advocating the alternative of change within Canada's federal system. Just before the vote, Trudeau won a standing ovation at a rally in his home town of Montreal by promising that he would interpret a non vote...
...irony after the referendum is that the citizens of Quebec may have undercut their bargaining power by voting No. Both sides have said they are dissatisfied with the status quo; a No vote still carried the stipulation that Quebec's position within confederation be modified. But when Trudeau convenes a conference with the ten provincial premiers, he will face enormous difficulties in reaching a consensus. The stances of the various premiers are dictated by regional demands, and Trudeau will have to confront a host of competing interests. Amid a swirl of centrifugal forces, Quebec's referendum vote may will lessen...
...Trudeau delivered the most impassioned speeches of his lengthy career in an effort to undermine the PQ's initiative. He said he would under no circumstances--Yes victory or otherwise--negotiate sovereignty-association. Himself a bilingual Montrealer and the only politician in Quebec with greater than Levesque, Trudeau pledged to reconstruct Canada's archaic, watery constitution. For his part, Levesque appealed to solidarity, and fostered engroupements, community-level organizations designed unity. The touchy and emotional issue split families right down the middle. As one middle-aged No voter said, "I don't discuss the situation over dinner with my children...
...Trudeau must skillfully avert a very real tragedy; if, as Levesque explained to his adherents in his remarks the night of the defeat, the returns indicate a "willingness to give federalism another chance," then that opportunity must not be squandered. Trudeau cannot allow the focus of constitutional discussion to center on the oil-rich West--more specifically, on the booming province of Alberta, which has not shown any inkling of wanting to share its wealth with poverty-stricken regions such as the Maritimes. Many Albertans hoped for a Levesque victory last week, feeling it would facilitate their claims for greater...
Perhaps even more frightening for Canadian federalists is Trudeau's probable departure from politics within a few years. Despite the resentment felt by many segments of the population, most Canadians realize Trudeau is the only figure capable of forging some sort of federalism agreeable to all parties. And Levesque captured a solid majority of the younger vote and the university students, despite dropping 96 of Quebec's 110 seats. The image of Levesque being showered with applause in a small, sweaty arena on the night of his most significant failure may yet return to haunt Canadian federalists...