Preparing for a "Yes" victory
Sovereignists
In the event of a "Yes" victory, Parizeau had said he intended to return to the
Quebec National Assembly within two days of the result and seek support for the
Sovereignty Bill, which had already been tabled.
[10]
In a speech
[11] he had prepared in the event of a "Yes" victory, he said a sovereign Quebec's first move would be to "extend a hand to its Canadian neighbor (sic)" in partnership. Parizeau said that he would then expect to negotiate with the federal government after a "Yes" vote. That negotiation failing, he would declare an independent Quebec.
[12]
On
October 27, Bloc Québécois leader Lucien Bouchard's office sent a press release to all military bases in Quebec, calling for creation of a Quebec military and the beginning of a new defence staff in the event of Quebec's independence.
[13] Bouchard declared that Quebec would take possession of Canadian air force jet fighters based in the province.
[14]
Federalists
Little planning was made for the possibility of a "Yes" vote by the Canadian federal government. Some members of the federal cabinet met to discuss several possible scenarios, including referring the issue of Quebec's independence to the Supreme Court. Senior civil servants met to consider the impact of a vote for secession on issues such as territorial boundaries, the federal debt and whether or not Jean Chrétien could remain the Prime Minister of Canada, as he was elected in a
riding in Quebec.
[15]
When asked about the possibility of Canada negotiating an economic partnership with an independent Quebec, then-
Reform Party Intergovernmental Affairs Critic and future Canadian Prime Minister
Stephen Harper told reporters "There is zero support outside of Quebec for this kind of thinking," and "The sooner that Quebeckers know this, the better".
[16]
Minister of National Defence
David Collenette made preparations to increase security at some federal institutions. He also ordered the military's
CF-18 aircraft out of Quebec, to prevent them from being used as pawns in any negotiating process.
[15]
First Nations
Traditional Cree and Inuit lands in Northern Quebec
In preparation for a "Yes" victory, aboriginal peoples in Quebec strongly affirmed their own right to self-determination.
First Nations Chiefs all articulated that forcing them to join an independent Quebec would violate international law. In the final week of the referendum campaign, they demanded to be full participants in any new constitutional negotiations resulting from the referendum.
[17]
The
Grand Council of the Crees in
Northern Quebec was particularly vocal in its resistance to the idea of being included in an independent Quebec. Grand Chief
Matthew Coon Come issued a legal paper titled Sovereign Injustice
[18] that sought to affirm the
Cree right to self-determination in keeping their territories in Canada.
On
October 24,
1995 they organized their own referendum asking the question:
"Do you consent, as a people, that the Government of Quebec separate the James Bay Crees and Cree traditional territory from Canada in the event of a Yes vote in the Quebec referendum?" 96.3% of the 77% of Crees who cast ballots voted to stay in Canada. The
Inuit of
Nunavik held a similar local vote asking
"Do you agree that Quebec should become sovereign?", with 96% voting No.
[17] First Nations communities were an important contribution to the tense debate on a hypothetical
partition of Quebec.