It's been often noted that in recent years, the Bloc Quebecois more or less ceased to be a serious separatist party, and instead seemed to have morphed into a left-wing party simply representing the interests of Quebec.
Of course, the Bloc was all but wiped out in the last federal election, as the NDP orange wave swept over Quebec. But more and more it looks as though the NDP didn't just replace the Bloc, they've essentially become them:
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's plan to give B.C., Alberta and Ontario fairer representation in the House of Commons divides the country, interim New Democratic Party leader Nycole Turmel said Wednesday.
(...)
"The approach of the Harper government is really divisive right now. It's not constructive, it's not nation-building," she told Postmedia News in an exclusive interview.
Turmel, whose past membership in the Bloc Quebecois raised questions this summer about her own commitment to federalism, also slammed the Harper government over its announcement Tuesday that it would add "royal" to the names of the Canadian navy and air force.
It's hard to see how the Bloc's position would be any different. How on earth is any of this divisive? If anything, it's the exact opposite: Alberta, BC, and Ontario are under-represented, and this plan to add seats is a way of fixing that. Not doing could fairly be described as divisive.
We also see the Quebec-centric NDP approach in Turmel's reaction to the announcement that the names Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy will come back into use. It's only divisive or controversial if your sole concern is the province of Quebec where the monarchy is much less popular. But the fact remains that we are a constitutional monarchy; the Queen is our head of state. Not liking that fact doesn't make it any less true.
Canada's system of government and Canada's system of democracy are not divisive. How sad that the NDP has been reduced to this sort of pandering.
UPDATE: Wow, even the Toronto Star gets it.
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