Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe listens to a question during a news conference in Montreal on Sept. 14, 2010.Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press
As Gilles Duceppe travels to France, Spain and Scotland, he is looking to win allies and consolidate friendships that could one day help with the international recognition of an independent Quebec.
But the Leader of the Bloc Québécois is also pointing to the dismemberment of the former Yugoslavia to bolster arguments in favour of two key principles for Quebec sovereigntists: the indivisibility of the province and the need for a simple majority of 50-per-cent plus one in the event of another referendum.
The push is coming as the Bloc works with the provincial Parti Québécois to lay down the conditions for a vote on Quebec sovereignty that would, for the third time, shake up Canada. Quebec sovereigntists will face political and legal roadblocks in their efforts, but Mr. Duceppe is trying to proactively redraw the battle lines as he travels to Paris, Strasbourg, Barcelona and Edinburgh.
At every stop, Mr. Duceppe points to recent polls showing that the PQ could defeat the unpopular Charest Liberals in the next provincial election, with his own party destined to win a majority of seats in Quebec in the next federal vote. His message, which he also recently delivered in Washington, is that Quebec's political future remains up in the air.
"On this European tour, I will go to Catalonia and to Scotland to meet two nations that, like Quebec, are looking for a stronger say in their political future," Mr. Duceppe said in a statement that was issued while he was in Paris.
Mr. Duceppe added that he is working hand-in-hand with the PQ to "prepare the sovereigntist project as much as we can."
"Together, we will do everything to allow Quebec to become a sovereign country," he said.
The biggest controversies in the lead-up to a third referendum would be the rules under which the province could secede from Canada. The Supreme Court of Canada declared in 1998 that Canada would be obliged to negotiate the secession of Quebec if a clear majority of Quebeckers responded favourably to a clear question on secession.
The Chrétien government of the day interpreted the ruling as calling for a majority that would be higher than 50-per-cent plus one, which had been the accepted criteria in the 1980 and 1995 votes.
In his trip to Europe, however, Mr. Duceppe is pointing to cases such as Kosovo and Montenegro to defend the traditional positions of Quebec sovereigntists in favour of a straight majority, and against the partition of the Quebec territory. The Bloc is arguing that an independent Quebec could gain international recognition even over the objections of the Canadian government, and that there is no reason to change the requirements for a larger majority from past referendums.
Earlier this year, the UN's International Court of Justice approved the legality of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, while the European Union approved Montenegro's independence in 2006.
"Once Quebeckers have opted for their political freedom, we hope that France will accompany Quebec in its choices and welcome it among the free nations of the world," Mr. Duceppe said.
However, the Bloc's position is likely to be challenged, given that European precedents don't entirely bolster the sovereigntists' arguments.
Benoit Pelletier, a professor of law at the University of Ottawa, said the Bloc is pushing Quebec's perspective on the world stage, but that countries will also look to Ottawa's reaction and their own policies before making any call.
"The stronger and the more stable the majority, the more likely that the secession would be recognized internationally," Mr. Pelletier said.
The Conservative Party's Quebec lieutenant, Christian Paradis, dismissed the Bloc leader's international trip.
"As more and more Quebeckers want to move beyond the old constitutional debates, Gilles Duceppe is renewing his efforts in favour of a referendum that no one wants," said the Minister of Natural Resources in a statement.