Charest thinks the Harper/Ignatieff resolution is more than purely symbolic, and will have real consequences, in the courts, within Quebec and internationally. As reported by Rheal Seguin in today's Globe & Mail:
"The recognition of Quebec as a nation within Canada is an important step for national unity and a sign of major progress for the province, Premier Jean Charest said yesterday in applauding Prime Minister Stephen Harper's initiative as "very good news" for all Canadians.
"The decision taken by the Prime Minister today and the vote in the House of Commons will be viewed in hindsight as extremely significant with regards to the unity of the country," Mr. Charest predicted.
The Premier said recognition by the House of Commons and the federal government will affect how courts interpret the province's laws and influence the way the international community views Quebec.
"It changes our place [in Canada]," Mr. Charest said. "It changes the way our laws are interpreted. It changes the way Quebeckers will see their future. Because the recognition of Quebec as a nation is a way for us to occupy the place that is owed us in Canada and elsewhere in the world. In my view it is a very significant gesture.""
Just the beginning of the consequences of Ignatieff's Folly ....
