Federalists, Quebec sovereigntists seek apologies after Duceppe speech

OTTAWA – Federalists and Quebec sovereigntists were both demanding apologies on Monday over a weekend speech by Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe which described Quebecers as "resisters" to Canada.

While Conservatives and Liberals quickly pounced on the remarks, suggesting Duceppe was linking Quebec to the French resistance to Nazi Germany, the Bloc leader suggested his opponents were going overboard with political correctness.

"I think this is plain stupid," Duceppe told reporters after the daily question period in the House of Commons. "In my speech, I was not talking at all about that period of history. I was talking (about) the fact that we’re resisting the federal system with all the decisions made against Quebec."

Duceppe had told reporters after his weekend speech that sovereignty could not be achievable without the work of resisters, as was the case for France during the war.

But he added that the weekend meeting, marking the 20th anniversary of the Bloc, opened with a tribute to Pierre Vadeboncoeur, a recently deceased union leader, who had also written about resistance. He said the Conservatives should apologize for suggesting that he was comparing Canada to Nazi Germany.

"I always said Canada is a great democracy. It’s a great country," Duceppe said Monday. "I don’t believe it’s mine. I want Quebec to be a sovereign country and I think this is just unacceptable (that) they’re trying to play on that word."

But Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis said Duceppe is the one who should apologize.

"For the average person, everyone knows what resistance means," said Paradis, who is also the Quebec lieutenant for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. "So this is what we deplore, and we must say this loud and clear."

NDP Deputy Leader Thomas Mulcair suggested that the Conservatives have fallen into Duceppe’s trap by attacking him to get attention when the Bloc has nothing new to propose.

"Duceppe is anything but subtle and is playing a game," said Mulcair. "He’s trying to bait people in the rest of Canada to attack him, so he can play his usual game of being the victim. That’s all this is about. (It) is Duceppe managing to sucker the Conservatives into the fight and then denying that he ever said the words."

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said the controversy also suggests that the goal of achieving sovereignty for Quebec is an empty project.

"He’s got nothing to say, so he starts engaging in these weird historical comparisons that everybody finds are kind of a poor joke," Ignatieff said.

"I’ve had the honour of actually meeting people who were real resistance – people who parachuted themselves into the dark to liberate their country. I mean let’s get serious here. It would almost be an insult to their memory if I were to take it seriously, but of course, you shouldn’t take it seriously."

But Duceppe said there are a lot of words that can be taken out of context.

"When we talk about the Quiet Revolution (in the 1960s in Quebec), was there a revolution in Quebec like the French Revolution?" he asked. "Come on. At some point political correctness will mean that we can no longer say any words."

With files from Kevin Dougherty, Montreal Gazette