....... , Parizeau replied by saying, oh no, don't worry, Canada will still have to pay for it.
Seriously, he was a smart guy, but he really seemed to assume at times that his followers were all absolute idiots.[/QUOTE]
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Bigger fish in a smaller pond. By 1970, Quebec had grown as large as it was ever going to get - in North America - son in order to increase their personal power the biggest fish (separatist politicians) tried to decrease the size of the pond.
The British Empire made a big mistake after the Battle on the Plains of Abraham. They limited French-Canadian universities to training doctors, priests and lawyers, in an effort to limit the number of French-Canadians who might challenge British hegemony in business.
The Catholic Church responded by training second tier students to the priesthood. Catholic priests built Catholic schools, hospitals, orphanages, etc. until the church dominated civil administration in Quebec.
Third tier students (not very good at math and could not stand the sight of blood) studied law. Quebec soon produced a surplus of lawyers. When you suffer a surplus of lawyers, some of them become politicians. Quebec exported its surplus of lawyers to Ottawa.
So many French-Canadian lawyers became federal politicians that the standing joke said that any separation agreement would require Quebec to continue supplying Prime Ministers to Ottawa!
Hah!
Hah!
After the Quiet Revolution (1950s) separatist politicians got downright obnoxious, bullying minorities (e.g. Yiddish bookstores in Montreal) in their efforts to rewrite history and put themselves on top of the political pile.
Did I tell you about the times Quebec Provincial Policeman pulled me over - in front of my grandmother's house and refused to speak my mother tongue (English)? Half of my high school graduating class promptly moved out of province.
Separatist politicians may have won the political game, but they shot themselves in the foot financially.
Just as separatist rhetoric peaked during the late 1960s, major banks and insurance companies quietly moved their head offices from Montreal to Toronto. When Alberta oil boomed (circa 1980) big money moved on to Calgary.
"Sovereignty Association" was a pile-dream easily sold to hillbillies who did not understand global finance. Those hillbillies were easily convinced that they could simply turn off the electricity at the New York State border and watch the Anglo bastards freeze in the dark!
Hah!
Hah!
Those separatist hillbillies never comprehended that those hydro-electric dams were funded by major banks headquartered in New York City. When Chase Mannhattan Bank yells "Jump!" the USMC responds "How high sir?"
The USA would never have allowed Quebec to separate completely. The day after separation was announced, the United States Coast Guard would have seized control of the Saint Lawrence Seaway.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Airborne Regiment (backed by the 82nd Airborne Division) would have helicoptered on to seize key bridges.
Separatist politicians continue to rewrite history, re-naming towns and suppressing minorities. They want to party like its 1750, without all those pesky Hurons and Abenakis and Iroquois and Dutch fur traders and Scotsmen and Brits and Irish Catholics and Hollywood and ......