Show i Secession In i n Canada Encouraged by French President President President Pres Pres- ident Charles residents residents residents res res- of Quebec are making noises of late about secession from the federal federation which is Canada LED BY various separatists they believe French culture the French language and F French r e n c h religion must enjoy an in independent independent independent in- in dependent state in which to properly predominate i Separatists currently are not overwhelmingly strong strong esti esti estimates mates vary on both sides of twenty per cent But they are active and growing and seem to be moving Into a vacuum because of weakness of the Liberal Party In Quebec THE NATIONALISTIC nature of their appeal is century Europe of course but then nationalism properly fanned can be heady medicine And no doubt there have been t Irritations rr l U over the last hundred hundred hun hun- 1 dred years stemming Ir from 0 m traditional ties with England and the English crown EVEN THE most dedicated opponents of separatism concede concede concede con con- cede that special status should be given Quebec greater au authority authority authority au- au given to the provincial I legislature and government e n t I etc But in secession opponents see the same old fight which erupted into war in the United States in 1861 when eleven states seceded from the federal federal federal fed fed- eral government They see it as a dangerous precedent and andas andas andas as an impractical econom economic i c cand and national defense step NEEDLESS NEEDLES to say the United States is concerned The prospect prospect prospect pros pros- of a oriented French-oriented na nation nation nation na- na tion to our north with an ever- ever present threat to friction or even war in Canada is not a welcome one One Ope can only hope that the I majority which must eventually eventual eventual- ly determine the outcome of the separatist campaign will cling to reason and practical thinking and not support the breaking up of Canada into two or more sovereign states |