A little while ago I wrote about misconceptions regarding Québec separatism commonly held in the ROC, particularly about the difference between separatism and sovereignty. Now I would like to touch briefly on the reverse: misconceptions that Québécois hold about the ROC.
The first and most important misconception, I think, has to do with the concept of Two Founding Nations. This emerges in the articles I quoted in the above-linked post. Now, it is closer to reality to say that Québec is a nation given their definition of nation (which is another matter). So that part of the Two Founding Nations works. But the part that doesn't work is the that holds that there is a complementary nation called "English Canada". Many Québec nationalists (or autonomists) I have discussed with have been sometimes baffled by the Rest of Canada designation, finding it unwieldy for what they think is a simple concept: a cohesive unit of social awareness encompassing the English-speaking parts of the Canadian federation.
Viewing this as Two Founding Nations makes Québec nationalism almost costless, emotionally. Most Québecois like Canada, and while they do have a much greater identification these days as Québécois, they do have some brand loyalty to Canada, which is why even yes-ists by a good majority would rather stay in a reformed Canada than a separate Québec. But if they have to take Québec out of Canada, then they'd rather do it knowing that they'll be doing minimal damage. Time and time again I've heard them talk about how the ROC is a strong nation and that there is nothing to fear from Québec independence aside from obvious short-term consequences. But it isn't clear that the ROC has as much cohesion as they say without Québec.
The other reason why it is tempting to hew to the Two Founding Nations view is that it justified giving special status and powers to Québec that without giving them to every province (negating the purpose of the project). This is precisely the rock against which previous attempt to amend the work of 1982 have foundered. You will never get consent from enough provincial governments to recognize Québec as more special than they are, because every provincial government wants goodies, and wants to be able to use the excuse that Québec gets it as a reason to whine for them. And, really, populations in Canada outside of Québec are often also unwilling to see themselves as nonspecial...
In truth, the identity that most people in the ROC hold to is that of Canada. Canada, meaning one that includes an equal Québec. They don't identify with something that stops at the borders of Québec and restarts after it. So few ROCians know about Corneille. That's more a function of economics rather than willingness. Remove Québec and all bets are off. There really is no Other Nation for Québec to negotiate with as an equal. That nation vanished, or it exists at best in Southern/Eastern Ontario. So a basic premise of Québec nationalism is not well founded in the modern day, and an attempt to negotiate based on a Two Founding Nations concept will always be met with resistance. Since no one wants to be identified generically as the Other Nation.
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