Just back from a scrum held by Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe, held during the lunch break of a meeting today in Ottawa of the Bloc Quebecois caucus.
Duceppe had lots of interesting things to say on Afghanistan, the Throne Speech, and Quebec sovereignty. Some quick notes:
Afghanistan
“We supported the intervention back in 2002. We didn't change our mind on that. But we want to have a debate because we want to make sure that intervention … against terrorism is not limited to an armed intervention but … is a debate about foreign affairs, about international aid, about respecting certain treaties like the anti-personnel mines, to be sure also that Canada won't take prisoners and send them to Guantanamo — things like that. This is why we want a debate.”
Yesterday, I had asked Claude Bachand, the Bloc’s Defence Critic, about the suggestion Harper seemed to be making in Afghanistan, that a debate in the House would be divisive and would send a signal to the troops and to the international community that Canada is ‘soft’ about its commitment. “I strongly reject the fact that if we say we want a vote and a debate in the House, that we're not supporting the troops,” Bachand told me in a telephone interview from his riding in Saint Jean. “I say it's quite the contrary. We need a debate, a vote in the House to be more supportive of the troops.”
On several occasions over the last few days, Ujjal Dosanjh, who is the Liberal defence critic, has said the whole idea of a vote on troop deployment in Afghanistan comes from the Conservatives. It was, they point out, one of Harper’s campaign promises. [See electronic page 23 of the Conservative campaign platform under the section “Advancing Canadian values and interests on the world stage”] Today, Duceppe picked up on that theme: “I want Mr. Harper to say it clearly in the Throne Speech that from now on, after April 3, 2006, there will always be a vote before sending troops overseas.”
Just before leaving Pakistan Tuesday, Harper seemed to suggest to reporters that the Opposition parties want the troops out of Afghanistan, saying, “I've always urged the opposition parties to get behind the troops that we have sent overseas.” In fact, all three parties support both the current mission and the troops.
When asked about Harper’s comment, Duceppe said, “Oh, I think he's playing small politics …”
Political strategy
My Globe and Mail colleague Bill Curry had, last month, reported that the Bloc was in no hurry to bring down the Harper government. Duceppe was asked about that again today.
“We never look for an election just for the pleasure of having an election,” he said. Duceppe said the Bloc will take it issue by issue when it comes to supporting Harper's government.
“Is there enough reasons to support the Throne Speech or not, depending on what will be in that Throne Speech. Same thing for the budget. Those are two motions of confidence. After that, it will happen on a lot of issues that the Tories won't be able to put in place what they want because they're in a minority, but those are not necessarily motions of confidence.”
Duceppe says he is worried that if Harper carries through on his campaign promises — eliminating the Liberal national daycare program, rejigging the equalization formula, and cancelling Kyoto — it will mean that the province of Quebec will get $1.8-billion a year less in transfers from the federal government. “So if he wants to settle the fiscal imbalance, he should put the car not in reverse, but in forward,” Duceppe said.
Sovereignty
Many English-language media pundits believe that the (so-far) warm relationship between Harper and Quebec Premier Jean Charest is a good thing for federalist forces in Quebec and that a productive relationship between Ottawa and Quebec City will weaken sovereigntist support.
Among other things, Harper promised that Quebec will get to have its own representatives at some international fora, such as UNESCO. Duceppe rejected the notion that Harper's idea will weaken separatist resolve.
“That will be good for a sovereign Quebec in the future. All the sovereigntists are supporting the fact that Quebec is having an international presence in the Francophone summit. This is a plus! Not only for sovereigntists for Quebec. It's preparing us for the day when we're a sovereign country and will be present everywhere. So the more we're present, the better it is.”
Former Liberal MP, Chretien-era cabinet minister and rumoured Liberal leadership candidate Martin Cauchon (left)issued this statement this afternoon:
We are told that Paul Martin will resigning effective March 19. Under Liberal Party rules, that means a leadership convention must be held by March 19, 2007. Here's the release from the Libs: 
Finally got around today to scanning a handout distributed last week by Liberal MP and 
