As Quebecers go to the polls today it is alleged they will vote based on a campaign of many issues. They include corruption in industry (construction among them), education and tuition, secularism and generally any issues that the electorate faces in a provincial election: health, taxes, quality of life, et al.

At one point even beloved hockey was thrown on the table with the implication that a PQ government would jeopardize the return of the Quebec Nordique to the NHL, previously thought to be a foregone conclusion, and possibly even this season. Of course it's too late for that, and they would be locked out with the rest of the league if they did.

IT'S ONLY ABOUT ONE THING

As an outsider, it seems Quebec elections are usually about one thing: sovereignty. The Francophone vote is 82% of the population. Of the candidates the Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois said another referendum is necessary now. Coaltion Avenir chief Francois Legault says he would shelve the sovereignty issue for a decade, and of course, incumbent Liberal Jean Charest is a known federalist. The biggest gains in the polls leading to today were for PQ and Avenir.

The rest of Canada watches other provincial elections with a mild passing interest. What other provinces do with their potash, wheat, oil or lobster though of consequence to us, is mostly an afterthought in our daily routine, a secondary news story at best.

Quebec elections are a different story. Of course they're big and they're our neighbor, so it is of greater interest. The uniqueness is that every shift in Quebec politics threatens the very existence of Canada as we know it. It has been that way all of my life and will likely swing in the political breeze for many more decades to come.

Quebecers want what any of us want in this country, a better life. Only in that province do they seem to so connect that to their heritage and culture. I'll bet most Quebecers will vote on that issue today, and that one alone. LEAVE COMMENTS.

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