Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Young gun in constitutional law ready for national unity fun

As Camille Laurin was to René Lévesque and Louise Beaudoin was to Jacques Parizeau on the intergovernmental affairs, cultural development and language portfolio, so now is Alexandre Cloutier for the Pauline Marois administration, which prepares la belle province to begin its uphill fight to regain the right to separate from the Dominion. The bright Chicoutimite has never left the heartland of sovereignty, being the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, just as fervently as its Canadian Shield counterpart Cottage Country Central Ontario region next door is known for its federalism. A lawyer via a bachelor's from the University of Ottawa, a master's degree in public international law from Cambridge University, another master's from Université de Montréal with a doctor's degree from Université Laval both in constitutional law, Cloutier is cut out for the job.

Peter Penashue, the pointman for Stephen Harper, was elected President of the Innu Nation and served as Grand Chief of the Innu for half of his life. The only advantage for the federal Tories with him would be that, being from Innu community of Sheshatshiu, Newfoundland and representing the riding of Labrador, Peter can speak personally about how any physical and emotional separation from the rest of the Dominion would be for he and his people. However, due to his lack of legal expertise and education, Penashue would find himself buried under the amount of research, policy development and legal precedent strategies Cloutier would pull as a former Supreme Court of Canada clerk for the justices, despite also being the President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada in the cabinet.

Basic thought would likely bring Harper to the logical conclusion that an old time Reformer from Alberta, if one exists, or a deeply Red Tory from Ontario, preferably downtown Toronto or Ottawa, should take over the portfolio to prepare for an oncoming attack by the sovereignists. Both Marois and Cloutier are way ahead of their game, in Marois case likely already figuring out how to turn their minority into a majority by spring, but unfortunately the federal government in Ottawa is once again not taking Assemblée Nationale du Québec seriously. This lack of respect by Ottawa is unacceptable, as is the lack of recognition by its higher sibling in Toronto, repeating the federal Pierre Trudeau and Jean Chrétien years and provincial Bill Davis, Bob Rae and Mike Harris years of ignorance on the national question and hopefully will soon be enlightened.