Canada's Prime Minister support for Kosovo recognition supports a prospective future unilateral declaration of Quebec independence

by Joe Hueglin

	North Kosovo. Map credit: Wikipedia.

There is ambiguity in English usage of the word "nation". It can denote both land area and cultural group. This ambiguity is in play in relation to the now officially recognized usage of the term la nation québécoise. Is it to mean the French-speaking inhabitants of the Province of Quebec, the descendants of those whose ancestors remained in North America after 1763, or all residents of Quebec?

In 1995 a majority of the "Quebec nation", in the second meaning of la nation Québécoise, voted YES in the referendum of that year. In the future an overall majority of voters in the Province of Quebec may vote in favour of the Province becoming an independent nation-state. In 1995 Quebec Premier Parizeau would have declared unilateral independence if he had received a majority. The possibility exists a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) may be proclaimed in the future.

Not a "precedent" in international law in the view of the Canadian government, its recognition of Kosovo's UDI is now, and will be in the future, cited as an "example" by other cultural minorities seeking independent state status for the lands they inhabit. It is now and will be referenced by Quebec separatists.

In Kosovo, as there would be in an independent État du Quebec, a cultural group that, while a minority overall, forms a majority in portions of the unilaterally declared independent state. In Kosovo Serbs are concentrated in a region in the northern part of Kosovo that has an ethnic Serb majority and is de facto part of Serbia, functioning largely autonomously from the remainder of the ethnic-Albanian -dominated Kosovo.

On 18 February 2008, the day after Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, the Serbian Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija declared it "null and void." Just as an independent État du Quebec would seek to maintain all of its existing territory so the Kosovar prime minister Hashim Thaci staunchly opposes any kind of parallel government for Serbs in Kosovo.

The future of North Kosovo is yet to be decided. The Serb majority-minority there will not accept being governed by the Albanian majority. That minority in Kosovo will continue to press for deciding its own fate.

Though hypothetical at present, and hopefully remaining so, should there be a majority vote in favour of recognition of an independent Quebec, whether termed "precedent" or "example," Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence will be cited.

It is argued here that should the Serbs of North Kosovo seek international support for remaining part of Serbia, rather than being separated from it by the decision of Albanians, Canada ought to be supportive.

Through doing so a second precedent would be established in the eventuality that l'État du Quebec be declared unilaterally. This would provide an example for portions of the present Province of Quebec to use for remaining an integral part of Canada.

About the writer:

Joe Hueglin is a former Member of Parliament and co-founder of the tory Progressive Canadian (PC) party.

Endnotes:

[1] Be intellectually honest: French Canadians are sociological nation. Québécois or Quebeckers are not. LINK

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