Harper won’t entertain Couillard’s constitution talks

QUEBEC – The Prime Minister’s Office says the Harper government has no intention of re-opening constitutional talks.

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A spokesman for Stephen Harper was reacting to Quebec’s premier‘s desire that his province sign the Constitution by 2017.

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Philippe Couillard first raised the matter during this year’s provincial election, and he did so again Saturday during an event in Quebec City that Harper also attended.

The two joined in marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sir George-Etienne Cartier, a French-Canadian statesman viewed as one of the Fathers of Confederation.

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Couillard says Cartier’s vision of a united Canada with “a strong Quebec identity” could serve as an inspiration in future constitutional talks.

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Harper didn’t take questions after the speech, but his spokesman says the government will continue to practice a federalism that respects Quebec and provincial jurisdiction.