“I'm angry Ottawa thinks it knows better than us. The government thinks it's so superior and we need them to look after us. The Clarity Act is just contempt for people and provinces.”
What they said. What they meant.
Plain-language translations from the House of Commons.
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Intergovernmental Relations
A debate on federal-provincial relations, devolving into bickering over who knows best what questions to pose in provincial referendums. Parliamentarians asserted their party's superiority, expressed vague intentions to cooperate across governments, and accused the other side of being out of touch.
“People are worried about U.S. tariffs. The government thinks we should work together right now to deal with that. The Prime Minister is working with Alberta's government. We're working with all the provinces. Too bad the Bloc won't join in.”
“The people of Quebec get to decide. The federal government should stay out of it. If they interfere, it shows they think they're better than us.”
“I'm saying buzzwords about working with provinces. Our real focus is the economy. I met with some ministers today. We're fighting U.S. tariffs together.”
“The Clarity Act is undemocratic. It lets the federal government meddle in Quebec's referendum. People aren't too dumb to understand a question. The government running the referendum picks the question. Only them. And 50% plus one is a clear majority. Ottawa should understand this. They need to repeal that undemocratic Clarity Act.”
“I don't like that you aren't working with us. We want a united front to counter U.S. tariffs. Too bad you aren't focusing on what we are doing.”