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ALBERTA AND QUEBEC HAVE MUCH IN COMMON
EDMONTON, April 26, 1996 – Quebec and Alberta share a sense of
alienation from Ottawa and "both feel that they are not heard on issues
which affect their identity". It is in such terms that the Minister for
Intergovernmental Affairs, Stéphane Dion, invited the people from both
provinces to engage in national reconciliation by getting to know each other
better.
"Both have had valid grievances against the federal government",
stated Mr. Dion, "but the parallel stops there" as voices of
provincial autonomy and this sense of alienation "have led to a strong
secessionist movement" in Quebec.
But the minister affirmed that while there have been legitimate grievances in
the past, "not all provincial grievances are valid".
Speaking to the subscribers of the Pearson Luncheon series in Edmonton,
Mr. Dion deplored that "reading the headlines and listening to many
provincial politicians, all over Canada, you might conclude that our federal
system is the worst in the world. So people believe this myth".
Mr. Dion then went on to list facts and figures that prove that, despite
problems, Canada as a federation is possibly, overall, the best country in the
world.
"It is not surprising that secessionists paint the situation darker than it
actually is", he said, since "they want to destroy Canada". But
he feels very upset "when people who believe in Canada do the same thing to
further their own parochial interests".
"Certainly, regional interest must be protected and promoted in a
federation. But this must be done without ever losing sight of what is best for
the whole country".
Rebalancing the federation
The "unity" minister went on to explain "a certain ideal of
government: the federal ideal".
"A way of expressing this, is as a balance of two principles: the principle
of solidarity, which holds that governments should work for the common good of
all citizens and all regions, and the principle of subsidiarity, which holds
that power should be exercised at the closest level possible to the
people".
"This balance between solidarity and subsidiarity, or autonomy, means that
as citizens and as regions within Canada we must be both independent and
interdependent", he explained.
Mr. Dion believes that federalism in Canada has allowed for the creation of
social programs and a system of equalization payments that ensure that all
citizens enjoy a comparable level of well-being.
He went to say on that Alberta, "one of the provinces that has contributed
the most to supporting solidarity between regions", deserves respect and
appreciation from all Canadians.
Mr. Dion praised Prime Minister Jean Chrétien who "probably knows more
about this country than anyone else in it", and whose approach to questions
of unity is not one of abstract constitutional visions but one of pragmatic,
concrete reforms. "He is open to almost any suggestion, if you can
demonstrate that it is practical and workable, and will improve the lives of
Canadians", he said.
In conclusion, Mr. Dion reaffirmed his belief that "by working together to
reform our federal system, we will come to realize how Canada's diversity in all
its forms -- its different regions, its multicultural heritage, its aboriginal
peoples, its linguistic duality -- is one of our strengths, and that federalism
is the system that allows diversity to come together in a greater unity."
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For information:Claude Péloquin
Press Secretary
(613) 943-1838
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