Harper Wins Historic Quebec Vote

As expected, Prime Minister Stephen Harper won a key vote in the House of Commons Monday night.

MPs from all parties overwhelmingly supported a motion declaring Quebec a nation within a united Canada, a controversial proposal put forward last week designed to blunt a Bloc Quebecois measure on the issue.

The vote was 266-16 in favour.

“I think tonight was an historic night,” Harper said after the vote. “Canadians across the country said `yes’ to Quebec, `yes’ to Quebecers, and Quebecers said `yes’ to Canada.

“In politics you take risks — that’s what we did — but national unity, national reconciliation are more important than any one party or than any one individual.”

Some Conservatives supported the motion despite being philosophically against it. They were towing the party line, a demand Harper has made clear is the one necessity if they want to keep their positions in the party.

But at least one didn’t. Tory Michael Chong couldn’t agree with the special status and resigned from cabinet before the vote Monday night. He’ll remain an MP.

“While I’m loyal to my party and to my leader, my first loyalty is to my country,” he made clear. “It is for this fundamental principle that I cannot support the motion recognizing the Quebecois as a nation.”

Chong served as both Intergovernmental Affairs Minister and the Minister of Sport. He was quickly replaced by York-Simcoe MP Peter Van Loan.

Several Liberals voted against the motion, including leadership candidates Ken Dryden and Joe Volpe.

Gerard Kennedy, who hopes to be the new Liberal leader next week, is the only one of the front runners who opposed the notion.

“It’s a wedge for future politics by Mr. Harper,” the Liberal candidate said hours before a vote on the matter.

“This is not a small thing – this is about the identity of the country. It should not be played games with and I will not go along with that.”

Kennedy challenged the motion, saying that the concept of a “nation” isn’t well defined.

“How will it inform our challenge to bring this country together when there are four or five interpretations possible?” he said.

“This puts us into word-smithing, into semantics, and it puts us into games playing that I think has harmed this country in the past and should not be part of a future.”

The former Ontario education minister, who doesn’t hold a seat in the House, is the only leadership contender not backing the motion – Ignatieff came out early in the campaign in favour of the idea, while Rae’s and fellow competitor Stephane Dion’s support of it has been tepid.