Why Anglophone Quebecers should vote for the Bloc Québecois

Ok, so not to set the tone to be too political or anything, but I’m going to begin that way. This is something I've been thinking about lately.

Let me start by assuring you that I am not a separatist. I love Québec. Oh, yes. It is the best province in which to live if you are, like me, an amateur athlete and an independent artist. Housing is cheap, government funding for my various endeavours is generous, the culture is diverse and vibrant, and, most importantly, appreciated. As Katia likes to say, Québec is the only place in Canada where you can say you are a dancer and not have people think you are a stripper. Oddly, it is also probably the only place in Canada where stripper is a respected profession. See how good it is here? I am neither a dancer, nor a stripper.

Regardless, it is important to note that while most of this great Québequois living comes from the distinct (yes, distinct) culture of the place, it is mostly paid for by the rest of Canada. Québec does have some pretty high taxes, but in terms of transfer payments and government programs, well, Gilles Duceppe is doing a bang-up job of making sure Ottawa is as asymmetrical as possible, while he’s not plotting the demise of the country as a whole. Talk about eating the hand that feeds you…anyway.

So, Anglophone Quebecers are faced with an uneasy choice this January. Despite anger over the sponsorship scandal, and notwithstanding their party allegiances, les anglo-quebecois are looking at a two-horse race in most federal ridings. We can vote Liberal, and swallow what little pride we have left, or vote for the Bloc Québecois, and perhaps be forced to swallow a whole country. Or so Liberal strategists would have us believe.

Given the current system of voting, and the political reality in Quebec, there are only two choices in the upcoming election for the Quebecois voter: the Liberals or the Bloc. The Conservatives have been unable to create enough of a viable anti-Liberal option in La Belle Province to warrant votes, and the NDP, while their policies are agreeable to many Quebecers, can’t compete with the Bloc’s Quebec-first socialism. A vote for either of these two national parties may contribute to a Liberal victory, presumably something those potential voters would not be agreeable to.

It seems as though we are in for a run of minority governments, and so this is a good time to bring up the idea of a proportional representation system of voting—the main counter-arguments of instability and minority rule are already here; the change would be seamless.

In the meantime, Canadian voters must cast their ballots strategically in order to get the Parliament they desire. It seems to me the idea Parliament is a minority along the lines that we just had, though with a bit less Liberal power (i.e. they would have to work harder to work with the other parties). The best way for an Anglophone federalist to achieve this result is to vote for the Bloc Québecois in the next election.

Voters of either right- or left-wing stripe believe that the best government for Canada involves fewer Liberal seats, yet in Québec, fear of separatism drives us to throw the bums back in. But a stronger Bloc means fewer seats for the Liberals, and a stronger voice for the Conservatives (with whom the Bloc share ideas on decentralising Ottawa’s role with the provinces) and the NDP (with whom the Bloc share many ideas on social policy). Separatism aside, the Bloc is the ultimate umbrella party.

To be continued...