Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 11:39:10 -0700 (PDT)
From: Chris <red-AT-iww.org>
Subject: AUT: autonomy and Quebec


does the current situation in Quebec mean anything to our understandings
of working-class autonomy (or lack thereof)? (I don't live in Quebec or
keep close with any movements there -- all I've heard recently is that the
May Day workers' march involved intense conflicts between the old sell-out
unions and various clusters of autonomist-style people  -- but here
goes...)

after reading the TV transcript below, I wonder if a hypothesis I'd heard
before is turning out to be correct -- that the meaning of (potential)
Quebecois independence would totally change if the collective difference
of the Quebec working-class was effectively marginalized and weakened. 

Before, the independence movement was full of general strikes and other
direct actions, at least some key aspects of which were *not* led by
vanguards (for instance within the now much smaller syndicalist union
federation).
Now, neo-liberal structural adjustment has the upper hand and the
in-the-streets assertions of (possibly) more 'for humanity against
capitalism' (definately "independent" if limitedly nationalist, maybe
autonomous?) ways of living in society appear to have vanished.
However, presumably majority working-class people polled (albeit a small
sample of only 1,000) are simply refusing to buy into anyone's plan.
Unfortunately, this means the status quo wins, including Quebec's latest
plan to "populate" Indigenous territories with settlers (democracy doesn't
work well enough for Quebec's ruling political forces: a vast majority of
votes cast in Indigenous territories on Quebec independence were against
it).

The terrain of conflict appears like a TV screen: apparently vivid, but
really quite shallow. (In fact, the terrain may not even be whole if
Quebec faces partition, or maybe it never was since Indigenous territories
are still there!) The focal point of class struggle that was the Quebec
independence movement is now the point on which "leaders" of various
groups are skewered given the significant lack of activity by the
constituents.

is this tentative analysis crazed, or what?

Chris

http://www.tv.cbc.ca/national/pgminfo/trans/current.html

Date: 970912
       Time: 22:00:00 ET - 22:26:00 ET
       CBC-TV THE NATIONAL
[...]
Title: Poll suggests support for Quebec separation has
       Guest: TOM KENNEDY, CBC Reporter
       LUCIEN BOUCHARD, QuebecPremier
       GUY LAROQUE, Pollster
       GILLES DUCEPPE, BlocQuebecois Leader
       STEPHANE DION, Min. Of IntergovernmentalAffairs
       LOUIS BALTHAZAR, Laval Univ. 

       PETER MANSBRIDGE: With provincial premiers gathering this weekend
to
       talk about national unity, a new poll suggests support for Quebec
separation has
       dropped. The poll published in "L'actualite" magazine surveyed
about a 1,000
       voters late last month. It asked whether they would give the Quebec
government
       a mandate to bring about sovereignty: 43 per cent said no; only 34
per cent said
       yes, 23 per cent were undecided. 

       MANSBRIDGE: The poll also suggests most Quebecers now believe the
       province could be carved up after separation. More from the CBCs
Tom
       Kennedy. 

       TOM KENNEDY: Before this poll was published, sovereignist leaders
       dismissed the partition debate as the ravings of extremists, not
even worth
       discussing. "Forget it" they said "it'll never happen federalists
are just trying to
       scare you. " 

       LUCIEN BOUCHARD / QUEBEC PREMIER: They're trying to load the dice,
       trying to do things like that. They're working on partitions,
working on new
       kind of fears in Quebec. 

       KENNEDY: But suddenly, the big bang. Today's poll showing that
       sovereignist support is slipping, and on partition, a surprise:
Quebecers were
       asked: "do you believe that (after sovereignty) regions of Quebec
that wish to
       remain part of Canada have the right to do so?" Sixty per cent say
yes. For
       many people here, the idea of carving up Quebec is abhorrent. But
it is also
       page one news and may stay there. 

       GUY LAROQUE / POLLSTER: At least until the end of this year, it's
going to
       be the main issue in constitutional debate. 

       KENNEDY: Within minutes of the poll being made public, its
defenders and
       critics were on television. Bloc Quebecois leader, Gilles Duceppe. 

       GILLES DUCEPPE / BLOC QUEBECOIS LEADER: It is not going to make
       decision, those are polls. But we have to fight back. That's the
most important
       lesson of all. 

       KENNEDY: And if they don't fight back, their worry is that voters
may begin
       believing sovereignty is too risky. That was Stephane Dion's
message. The
       federal minister also made the TV rounds. 

       STEPHANE DION / MIN. OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS:
       Quebecers, more than ever, see the difficulty to match secession
and democracy;
       and this helps them to consider that it may not be a good thing. 

       KENNEDY: Unity groups believe the poll results show that most
Quebecers are
       attached to Canada and that the premiers have a window of
opportunity. If they
       can agree on a significant recognition of Quebec's uniqueness, then
the battle is
       almost won. Louis Balthazar is a well-known political scientist. 

       LOUIS BALTHAZAR / LAVAL UNIV.: That would certainly make a good
       percentage of the population move towards a firm commitment to
Canadian
       federalism. 

       KENNEDY: But with all the attention the issue is getting and high
expectations,
       the cost of failure, he believes, is high. 

       BALTHAZAR: Even though the feeling in favour of sovereignty is a
little lower
       right now, it could be ignited again at any time, if nothing is
done. 

       KENNEDY: And if nothing is done, if the premiers fail, then the
Quebec
       government will pounce, saying that Canada is incapable of change.
Today's
       poll results show that Canadian unity may look pretty strong right
now, but
       there's virtually nobody in Quebec who believes the question is
settled. Tom
       Kennedy, CBC News, Montreal.



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