Rex Murphy: A Motion Of Mischief And Ambiquity

If there's anyone who's opinion I routinely turn to in matters of Canadian national unity, it's the CBC's Rex Murphy. Regardless of the topic, if it's politics, he's got something to say and it's always absolutely brilliant. The following is a snippet of his closing remarks on The National last night:

What is the Parliament of Canada doing declaring the Québécois a nation? Has that not been the principal aim of the Parti qubécois and the Bloc, the separatists, since their formation? The idea behind this motion has been a mischief since the train was put on the track by Michael Ignatieff in his leadership bid, and as it gained momentum with the Bloc's embrace and Stephen Harper's too-clever response last week, it has become more divisive by the day, igniting the call now by the premier of British Columbia to go one more step and incorporate all aboriginal peoples in another group nation.

...

The House of Commons, the House of Commons of Canada, should be underlining only one nation, Canada. We are all its citizens regardless of height, colour, province, language, history, religion or politics. Canada is the nation, and the biggest quarrel I have with this motion tonight is that our parliamentarians seem to have the courage to declare a bit, a slice, a portion of the country a nation when they are timid about asserting and constantly asserting and proudly asserting that Canada is the nation, and all Canadians now are already and deeply a part of it.

You can read the entire transcript on CBC's The National