CHAPTER 17
Non-Francophones and the Two Question Referendum
How important is it for the success of
the Two Question Referendum to have public support for the “yes” option from
Quebec’s non-Francophone community?
Perhaps the greatest advantage of the Two Question Referendum is that the
non-Francophone community -- that traditional bastion of apathy, fragmentation,
and irrational devotion to Canada -- doesn't have to support the Two Question
Referendum for it to work. All that is required of the Quebec West resident is
that he show up to vote on Day 1 and decide whether, in what will appear to be
the likely event of Quebec independence, he would like to have full civil
rights. That's all. The "hedge against the inevitable" factor will take care of
the rest.
Nevertheless, the non-Francophone community will still have to be informed of
the merits of voting "yes" on Question 1. However, the emphasis will not be on
selling the idea of independence; that, of course, would be an exercise in
futility. The emphasis will be on why independence is inevitable, how to "hedge
against the inevitable", the benefits of creating Quebec West in an independent
Quebec, and, if the non-Francophones vote “no” on Question 1 on Day 1, the
disadvantages of living in an independent Quebec in which the nationalists
control non-Francophone civil rights.
We should never underestimate the high regard that the concept of freedom has in
the hearts and minds of
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