Quebec and India: A tale of two elections and still more lessons for Sri Lanka

Rajan Philips-April 11, 2014

India has just started the five-week long ritual of its 16th national election. In Canada, the Province of Que ec last week had its one-da! election after less than a "onth of ca"paigning. #he outco"e of the Indian elections is widel! e$pected to e a defeat for the ruling Congress alliance and victor! for the opposition %&P alliance. #he results in Que ec were a huge surprise with the governing Parti Que ecois of 'rench Canadian separatists suffering a crushing defeat and the opposition Que ec (i eral Part! securing a spectacular victor!. #here is ver! little to co"pare etween the 'rench Canadian Province of ) "illion people and the "ass of hu"anit! that is India. *et there are co""onalities etween Canada and India as two reasona l! successful federal states and societies, and in the functional contain"ent of their internal national pro le"s. 'ederalis", separatis" and secularis" were wedge issues in the Que ec election, and the! are so ut for different reasons in the Indian elections. #he overdeter"ining issues, however, are the econo"! and jo s. Corruption was ig ti"e on the election radar in Que ec and is even "ore so in India. +long with ,ri (anka, Canada and India are long standing Co""onwealth "e" ers. ,oon after independence, ,ri (anka was a "odel state for ethnic co-ha itation and econo"ic potential in the Co""onwealth. Pierre #rudeau held up the -,tate of Ce!lon- acco""odating two languages and four religions as an e$a"ple for Que ec and Canada. #his was when #rudeau was a trenchant political critic and efore he won a seat in the 'ederal Parlia"ent and went on to eco"e one of Canada.s "ore fa"ous Pri"e /inisters. ,ri (ankans, or Ce!lonese then, did not know "uch a out Canada, and not enough a out India 0 ignorantl! laughing at their huge neigh or for its povert! and its 1nglish accent. ,i$t! !ears later, Canada and India are "ature success stories in their own wa!s, while ,ri (anka has the Co""onwealth Chair"anship to oast of, ut little else. 2ur cricketers, not the %oard of Control or ,electors, are a different stor! and their well-deserved and long-awaited success in %angladesh is dou l! sweet ecause unlike in past finals there were no Rajapaksa govern"ent poo ahs in 3haka to ask in our cricketers. glor!. Que ec and Canada #he defeat of the Parti Que ecois 4PQ5 does not "ean the end of the separatist ethos in Que ec, ut it is the worst set ack that the Que ec separatist "ove"ent has had since the PQ was

founded in 1678 and for"ed its first Provincial govern"ent si$ !ears later in 1676. #he real stor! here is the success of Canadian federalis" in containing the separatist aspirations within de"ocratic li"its and letting the people of Que ec the"selves to de"ocraticall! decide to sta! in Canada as opposed to pursuing the separatist option. #he first lesson for ,ri (anka could e that Canada has decided not to use constitutional arriers or "ilitar! force, to keep Que ec in Canada if its people wanted to leave Canada. +t the height of the separatist "ove"ent in the 16)8s, Pri"e /inister #rudeau "ade it clear that if Que ec de"ocraticall! chose to leave, Canada "ust not tr! to prevent it ! force. + proud 'rench Canadian he went on to sa! that he would continue to live in /ontreal 4Que ec.s "ain, and 9orth +"erica.s "ost 1uropean, Cit!5 even if Que ec were to separate. *et, it was #rudeau who al"ost single handedl! frustrated the separatist sche"e of his co"patriots. #he Canadian genius has een in giving the power and space to 'rench Canadian leaders to take the fight to the separatists in their own Province instead of turning it into a fight etween 1nglish Canada and 'rench Canada. #here have een two referendu"s in Que ec so far on the :uestion Que ec.s option of leaving Canada, first in 16)8 and again in 166;. %oth were called ! PQ govern"ents, and in oth instances the :uestion put to the people ! the PQ was not a clear choice, etween leaving Canada and not leaving Canada, ut a convenientl! confusing in- etween choice< separation, ut not full separation. #he PQ called it -sovereignt! association-, an arrange"ent in which the PQ told Que eckers that the! could have the est of oth worlds< the! could have a new countr! of their own without losing their Canadian passports and the Canadian currenc!. +part fro" the unclear :uestion, there was also the "atter of the kind of "ajorit! that would e considered ade:uate for part of a countr! to decide to go on its own. #he PQ of course insisted that a si"ple "ajorit! 4;8= plus one5 was de"ocratic and sufficient regardless of the gravit! of the :uestion. /ost others including Que ecers did not agree. #he fact of the "atter was that the PQ knew that it could not have the result it was hoping for with a clear :uestion and a clear "ajorit!. #he Clarit! +ct #he PQ lost oth referendu"s, the first 416)85 ! a wide "argin with Pri"e /inister #rudeau leading the federalist ca"paign, and the second 4166;5 ! the narrowest of "argins, with #rudeau in retire"ent. +fter the 166; referendu", then Pri"e /inister &ean Chretien and his Intergovern"ental +ffairs /inister ,tephan 3ion, oth 'rench Canadians, took a nu" er of steps to ensure that a clear :uestion and a clear "ajorit! will e re:uired for a valid referendu" not onl! in Que ec ut also in an! other Province. #hese re:uire"ents are included in the so called Clarit! +ct, which was enacted in >888 after a ,upre"e Court Reference in 166). In a fa"ous ruling that is known to constitutional scholars ever!where, the full ench of nine judges of the Canadian ,upre"e Court that included the Chief &ustice and two other judges fro" Que ec held as follows< Que ec cannot unilaterall! secede fro" Canada under international law. ?owever, if Que ec e$pressed a clear will to secede, the @overn"ent of Canada "ust enter into negotiations with Que ec. #he Parlia"ent of Canada has the power to deter"ine if the referendu" :uestion was clear enough to warrant negotiations. #he court left the :uantu" of "ajorit! to e decided ! legislators. #he Clarit! +ct has not specified a

"ajorit! siAe ut a super "ajorit! is understood to e re:uired. #he PQ and "ost Que ec politicians have rejected the Clarit! +ct ut the! know that the! cannot do things unilaterall! and that without a clear :uestion and a clear "ajorit! the! will not have an!one to deal with the" ilaterall!, or "ultilaterall!. +fter the passage of the Clarit! +ct, President Clinton in a speech in /ontreal, with the PQ Pre"ier listening fro" the audience, "ade it clear that the B, was in full agree"ent with the Clarit! +ct. /ore than the Clarit! +ct, glo al and generational changes along with the positive e$periences of Canadian federalis" have seriousl! da"pened the enthusias" for the separatist option in Que ec. Que ec has its Provincial govern"ent, and the political parties in Que ec are organiAationall! independent of the federal political parties, which is a crucial ingredient for the success of federalis" in Canada. +t the federal level, Que ec is assured of a proportion of seats in the federal ?ouse of Co""ons and the ,enate, and three of the nine ,upre"e Court judges are re:uired to e fro" the Que ec ench or ar. %ilingualis" is a fact of federal govern"ent life and this has "eant "ore opportunities for ilingual Que eckers 4proportionatel! "ore 'rench Canadians are ilingual than 1nglish Canadians5 to find federal govern"ent jo s. #he Que ec industr! in resources, "anufacturing and engineering has co"e of age and is internationall! co"petitive. Chile the push for separatis" is partl! due to these e$pansions and the organic confidence that co"es with the", the sa"e develop"ents provide the e$periential counter-push in support of federalis". #o the generation of Que eckers orn after 1678 and "aturing in the age of glo aliAation, referendu" "e"ories and sovereignt! de ates have eco"e irrelevant and anachronistic. #his is a "ajor worr! for the diehard PQ supporters "ost of who" were orn efore 1668. #he! know ti"e is against the" and that the! "ust have the ne$t referendu" sooner rather than later to have one last shot at their receding drea". #he PQ has een out of power fro" >88D to >81>, and for"ed a new "inorit! govern"ent after the >81> election that saw the Que ec (i erals sent ho"e packing on allegations of widespread corruption involving organiAed cri"e, govern"ent contracts, and contri utions to political parties ! winning contractors. #he PQ could have continued as a "inorit! govern"ent, ut it decided to go for a rush election to for" a "ajorit! govern"ent with the ulterior "otive of holding the ne$t referendu" during its tenure in office. #he PQ knew that an! "ention of a referendu" would drive the voters insane, and so it created a new wedge issue in the guise of a ,ecular Charter that would ar pu lic wearing of religious dress or s!" ols ! govern"ent e"plo!ees. It was a c!nicall! clever sche"e using the prete$t of secularis" and the su te$t of racis" and intending to "otivate the "ajorit! of 'rench Canadians to vote for the PQ. #he plo! ackfired when "an! leading Que eckers, including (ouise +r our, and new i""igrants attacked the proposed Charter. #he PQ also enlisted as one of its candidates Que ec "edia "ogul Pierre Earl Peladeau, a hugel! wealth! union asher, who pro"ptl! declared his intention to -"ake Que ec a countr!-. #he referendu" cat was out of the ag to the horror of voters, and the sight of Peladeau eing crowned as a leading PQ "e" er riled the trade unions who have een traditional supporters of the PQ. In the end, after eing too sure of its victor! at the start of the ca"paign, the PQ ended up losing the election

rather adl!. +nd the Province has a new Que ec (i eral Pre"ier in Philippe Couillard, a 9euro ,urgeon turned politician and a staunch federalist. /r. Couillard has won a strong victor! to for" a "ajorit! govern"ent and put the separatist specter in deep freeAe at least for the ne$t five !ears.
4#o e continued< India.s 16th 1lection and i"plications for ,ri (anka5