Quebec premier speaks of Sept. 11, need for independence

QUEBEC – The destruction of the World Trade Center resulted from bitterness that can result when areas such as Quebec fail to achieve their independence, Premier Bernard Landry said.

“At this point in human history, the future for nations shall be either libertarian or reactionary,” Landry told delegates in closing remarks at a Parti Quebecois convention Sunday.

“The freedom of peoples and nations and their character is an indispensable condition for global equilibrium; otherwise we will go from dominant imperialism and disappointment to deep bitterness.

“Since the events of Sept. 11, if there is one conclusion to draw in relation to the project of Quebec sovereignty and the sovereignty and liberty of all people, that is it,” said Landry.

To illustrate his point, Landry used the example of Catalonia – a region in northeastern Spain with its own language and political autonomy.

“The future is Catalan or Taliban,” Landry said, quoting what he said was a recent speech by former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

“To follow our ideal of sovereignty, it’s simply contributing to the progress of all humanity.”

Hubert Bolduc, Landry’s press secretary, said the Quebec premier was not trying to make any link between the attacks and the sovereignty option in the sprawling province that forms much of Maine’s border with Canada.

Landry repeatedly has denounced terrorism while offering his full support to the U.S. government in the wake of the attacks. He also plans to meet with Gov. George Pataki and tour ground zero during a trip to New York in two weeks.

Speaking in French without notes, Landry also delivered his harshest remarks about federalism since the terrorist attacks.

One recent poll suggested Quebecers felt more secure inside Canada since Sept. 11, and Landry has played down talk of sovereignty while remaining cautious when discussing the federal government.

The premier generally has been more guarded in his remarks about Canada since referring to the Maple Leaf flag as a “red rag” last January. He later said the remark was misinterpreted.

But Landry adopted a harsher tone in a pair of speeches to party delegates during the weekend.

On Sunday, Landry said the Canadian union has regressed while the rest of the Western world has evolved.

He said Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Stephane Dion “embody the opposite of modernity.”

Meanwhile, he noted that British Prime Minister Tony Blair recognizes that Scotland and Wales are nations.

“Why is Canada blocked, while England manages to recognize Scotland and Wales?” Landry said.

“Why is the world evolving, while – on constitutional matters – Canada regresses?”

He said his remarks were not directed against Canadian citizens, but aimed at the federal government.

Earlier in the day, PQ members adopted a resolution calling for public hearings on sovereignty.

Support for sovereignty still hovered above 40 percent in recent polls but lagged well behind levels recorded in the mid-1990s. Surveys have also repeatedly showed most Quebecers do not want another referendum on the issue.

Landry told delegates Saturday the PQ would not abandon sovereignty to increase its appeal before the next election, which still is a few years away.

They also agreed that the government should “examine all democratic means” – including a referendum – to get a greater share of taxation powers from the federal government.