From: "julian samuel" <jjsamuel-AT-vif.com> Subject: The "brilliant" Premier of the province of Quebec, Canada Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2001 19:03:20 -0800 'Bitterness' is blamed for Sept. 11 Attacks on World Trade Centre were the result of peoples' failure to gain their freedom: Premier ALEXANDER PANETTA Montreal Gazette Monday, November 19, 2"At this point in human history, the future for nations shall be either libertarian or reactionary," Landry told delegates in closing remarks at this weekend's Parti Québécois convention. The destruction of the World Trade Centre resulted from the bitterness that can result when nations like Quebec fail to achieve their independence, Premier Bernard Landry suggested yesterday. The freedom of peoples and nations and their character is an indispensable condition for global equilibrium; otherwise, we will go from dominant imperialism and disappointment to deep bitterness. "Since the events of Sept. 11, if there is one conclusion to draw in relation to the project of Quebec sovereignty and the sovereignty and liberty of all people, that is it." To illustrate his point, Landry used the example of Catalonia - a region in northeastern Spain with its own language and political autonomy. "The future is Catalan or Taliban," Landry said, quoting what he said was a recent speech by former U.S. president Bill Clinton. "To follow our ideal of sovereignty, it's simply contributing to the progress of all humanity." Hubert Bolduc, Landry's press secretary, said the premier was not trying to make any link between the terrorist attacks and the sovereignty option. "You can't link the Quebec independence project with Sept. 11," Bolduc said by telephone. "You are making a story out of nothing." But after speaking with the premier last night, Bolduc added: "I don't really know what he meant to say. But one thing is certain: that's not what he wanted to say. Well, at least not the way it was interpreted." Terrorism Denounced Terrorism Denounced The attacks, which killed an estimated 4,500 people, were the work of a terrorist network spawned to fight U.S. influence in the Middle East and the perceived erosion of Islamic values. Landry has repeatedly denounced terrorism while offering his full support to the U.S. government in the wake of the attacks. He also plans to meet with New York Governor George Pataki and tour Ground Zero during a trip to New York City in two weeks. Speaking in French without notes, Landry also delivered his harshest remarks about federalism since the terrorist attacks. One recent poll suggested Quebecers felt more secure inside Canada since Sept. 11, and Landry has played down talk of sovereignty while remaining cautious when discussing the federal government. The premier has generally been guarded in his remarks about Canada since referring to the Maple Leaf flag as a "red rag" in January. He later said his remark was misinterpreted. But he adopted a harsher tone in a pair of speeches to PQ delegates. Yesterday, Landry said the Canadian union has regressed while the rest of the Western world has evolved. He said Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and federal Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion "embody the opposite of modernity." Meanwhile, he noted, British Prime Minister Tony Blair recognizes that Scotland and Wales are nations. "Why is Canada blocked, while England manages to recognize Scotland and Wales?" Landry said. "Why is the world evolving, while - on constitutional matters - Canada regresses?" He said his remarks were not directed against Canadian citizens, but at the federal government. http://www.canada.com/montreal/news/story.asp?id={E518ADB1-CE26-41F1-93D2-B4 C296ED45D7} --- from list postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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