In an episode of Happy Days, the popular 1970s sitcom, the Fonz was waterskiing in the bay. a shark was in the water and Fonzie* became airborne and skied over the fish.
It was after this episode was done that everyone, most notably the network executives, realized that the show was in decline and would not last very much longer. all hit television series reach the point where the writers simply run out of fresh ideas and the program begins to enter its final stages. When this happens to a program, the series is said to have "jumped the shark".
Has Canada jumped the shark? Have we now passed the point where Canada is headed towards an inevitable breakup? When Pierre Trudeau was prime minister and asked about Quebec separation, he answered that nothing lasts forever. He wanted to keep Quebec in Canada because he didn’t want to have to tell his grandchildren that Canada had broken up and that he was the prime minister when it happened.
Like Trudeau, Paul Martin is a believer in a strong central government. But Paul Martin is no Pierre Trudeau (he’s not even a Dan Quayle but I digress) — he is an extremely weak leader who might be able to talk the talk but is incapable of dealing with the provinces from a position of strength; something that is needed to hold Canada together.
Martin came up with the concept of asymmetrical federalism. This means nothing more than caving in to provinces that make demands that they should be treated differently than the rest of Canada. This is not a recipe for keeping the country strong and united. add this to the fact that separatism is on the rise in Quebec and a united Canada could be in for a rough ride. But support for the separatists in Quebec is gaining not because of a desire to separate but over anger at the provincial and federal Liberals, Quebecers only real other alternative to the PQ and the BQ. Quebeckers are fed up with Jean Charest’s lackluster performance and are angered at the sponsorship scandal to a degree that is not found in other provinces. But this practice of asymmetrical federalism is just as likely to result in the west’s separation from Canada. It seems at times, like most of the country want to go their separate ways.
Proof positive of the weakness of the Martin government is the fact that separation is not being made an issue of by Quebec or by the west but by the Liberals themselves. The possibility of Canada disintegrating is being bantered about for pure political partisan reasons. When the Conservatives and the Bloc stated their intentions to bring down the corrupt Liberal government for their own reasons, the Conservatives were accused of aiding the separatists. Scott Brison’s claims that the Tories are helping the separatist forces in Quebec are becoming as tiresome as his line about waiting for Justice Gomery to finish his work. aiding the separatist forces in Quebec is referred to so much by the Liberals that it pretty well ceases to have any meaning. The continuation of Canada as a nation is not as important as the continuation of the Liberal Party. The saving grace is that Paul Martin will not be around long enough for any part of Canada to actually leave the country. For this, Canadians can be grateful.
If there was indeed a "jump the shark" moment it occurred when Minister of National Revenue John McCallum, in a speech in Toronto, accused Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty, a fellow Liberal, of siding with the separatists. The Minister said that McGuinty’s attempt to get more money for his debt ridden province from the federal government who has accumulated massive surpluses was aiding the Quebec separatists. according to McCallum, what McGuinty was doing was "dangerous for Canada". Now Dalton McGuinty can be accused of a lot of things but attempting to break up the country is not one of them. This was not the panicking Paul Martin speaking. This was not a line that was fed to Scott Brison to repeat in Question Period over and over and over again. The accusations came from the former chief economist of the Royal Bank of Canada who although he is a Liberal politician, is a lot more sincere than Fearful Leader and many of his cabinet colleagues. The fact that someone like McCallum used the separation card against fellow Liberal McGuinty clearly illustrates that the possibility of the country breaking up is being used and misused by a federal government thinks that it is all just a game. If premiers like Dalton McGuinty are going to be accused of being or aiding separatists simply because they attempt to get better deals for their provinces then Canada as a nation will not last.
Then again, as Trudeau said; nothing lasts forever.
* The full name of the Fonzie character on Happy Days, was arthur Fonzerelli; obviously someone of Italian descent. Canada Free Press regrets any offence that this may cause Citizenship and Immigration Minister Joe Volpe.