12 March 2010

Gilles Duceppe Responds to 'Warren'

On yesterday's Talk Canada with Stephen Harper, a certain 'Warren' asked the following question:

With regards to the Bloc Québécois party, how can we justify having so much of the federal vote controlled by what is essentially a provincial party? Sanctioned federal parties should reasonably represent all Canada, not just a single province. Warren, Red Deer.

The question prompted a response from Gilles Duceppe. Included was this:

[L]es Québécoises et les Québécois votent en majorité pour le Bloc Québécois parce qu’ils partagent le sentiment que les députés québécois des partis fédéralistes ne font que représenter les intérêts de leur parti au Québec. Ils jugent que le Bloc Québécois, au contraire, représente une voix efficace pour porter leurs revendications et leurs aspirations à Ottawa. [My emphasis]

I have the most respect for Duceppe of all the party leaders and I am most in line with Bloc policies.

I agree with Duceppe here. If the other federalist parties won't properly represent the interests of their constituents, then regional parties like the Bloc and the recently formed Atlantica Party are increasingly necessary. If the 'federalist' Liberal and Conservative parties won't implement the necessary democratic reforms to FIX this representation problem - reforms such as a proportional representation voting system - then more regionalism is what they'll get, not less of it.

I only wish that British Columbia had its own federalist party - or two. Clearly, Alberta has one. It's called the Conservative Party of Canada.

Perhaps 'Warren' forgot that?

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