The jury’s out on whether the charismatic new Bloc Quebecois leader is naïve, blindly principled or dangerous.
Yves-Francois Blanchet waded into his first scrum on Parliament Hill to shrug off any interest in helping create a happy united Canada.
Fair enough. Even though he gets a paycheque from Canadian taxpayers, his party’s defining goal is to break up the country.
But then he ignited the fuse on a stick of political dynamite and heaved it at Alberta by saying its oil-based economy wasn’t green enough to be worth helping.
This could be the musings of an inexperienced political mind who didn’t understand the national implications of his position. Or it could be a cagey first step by a national unity disrupter playing the long game to divide and conquer in the pursuit of eventual independence.
Having interviewed Blanchet Thursday, you get the feeling he doesn’t care if Alberta is inflamed by his view. He thinks forcing it off its oil addiction is the only way to make the province go green.
But it’s threatening to ruin a long and productive relationship – and Blanchet really should follow through on his plan to give the country an introductory tour.
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See Also:
(1) Jason Kenney shouldn’t take the Bloc bait, Blanchet can’t hurt Alberta
(2) Kenney fires back after Bloc leader shows little sympathy for Western alienation
(3) Alberta budget’s strengths are lessons for other provinces
(4) How Alberta pays Quebec’s bills: Four charts that show Alberta picks up the tab
(5) Would Blanchet go to Alberta to talk oil? ‘With pleasure’
