PQ leadership favourite and Steve Carell knockoff, Pierre-Karl Peladeau (PKP) raised eyebrows when he compared the 1982 signing of the Canadian Constitution to the imposition of communism in East Germany this week. The event, of course, comes just after German President Joachim Gauck met with Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard and said, “we are […] pleased your province never separated from Canada.”
On his Canadian tour, President Gauck discussed the importance of national unity, which seems rational. Somehow, the PQ wasn’t of the same mind. They immediately flipped over a proverbial, distinctly azure-coloured table (with fleurs-des-lis legs, of course).
Parti Quebecois spokesperson Carole Poirer openly vented her grievances. “I find it shocking,” she said. “It’s a comment that wasn’t necessary in the kind of speech he made here.” She’s right. When you speak to communities immersed in the business world, the last thing they want to hear about is that a stable country is essential to financial and entrepreneurial success.
Amidst the flurry, His Righteousness Pierre-Karl Peladeau took to the greatest medium of all time to convey his politically sensitive thoughts.
In his Facebook post (yes, Facebook), he passive-aggressively asked why President Gauck, an Eastern German who fought passionately against communism, would ever support Canada’s “imposition” of the 1982 constitution on Quebec. Repatriating our constitution was totally like the Yalta Conference at the end of World War II, right? Peladeau thinks so.
And my vision for Quebec is the exact opposite of communism, right?
Graham Hughes/The Star
Peladeau closed his statesman-esque speech by saying, “Monsieur le Président, ce n’est pas une province comme les autres que nous voulons mais un pays aussi riche que votre nation!” In translation: “Mr. President, it is not a province like the others that we want, but a country as rich as your nation.”
The good news is that Quebec will never be “like the others,” just like Newfoundland won’t be like Saskatchewan. The difference in that analogy, however, is that Newfoundland and Saskatchewan have visible signs of wealth and economic activity.
Alas, Quebec may be a long way from German efficiency, but at least it has a billionaire media magnate to showcase wealth instead.