You had to know there was going to be a huge backlash against Quebec as soon as that provinces’s opposition to Ottawa supporting an underwater power cable between this province and Newfoundland and Labrador was made public. The furor of that backlash is what’s surprising because it indicates people in this part of the country are growing tired of some of the political wind coming out of Quebec.
Late last week, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams and Nova Scotia Energy Minister Bill Estabrooks expressed their disappointment when it was learned that Quebec Premier Jean Charest wrote Ottawa to oppose federal funding for an undersea cable that will ship surplus power from Labrador across the Cabot Strait to Cape Breton.
While Estabrooks was a bit more diplomatic in his comments to the media, in true Williams style he fired at his neighbouring province accusing Quebec of showing “unmitigated gall” by objecting to a financing application for the subsea transmission line.
Estabrooks on the other hand encouraged Quebec to stick to its own business and stay out of the affairs of other provinces, to which Quebec’s justice minister, Jean-Marc Fournier, said his province was only looking out for its interests in showing its objection.
Quebec is saying it had to pay for its own transmission lines and can’t accept having Ottawa foot the bill for another province. While Quebec’s position may be a valid one, it has reopened old wounds with our federation and added to the perception that the French-speaking province will use the spectre of Quebec nationalism and sovereignty to get its way.
Unfortunately, all too often the federal government has placed Quebec’s interests ahead of others to avoid fanning those flames. Let’s just hope this is a time when cooler heads prevail and Ottawa makes a decision based on need - not political influence and the fears of upsetting Quebec nationalists.
