The Parti Québécois: For or Against Independence?
This is an unofficial translation. Read the original French language texte here. Excerpt of "Le Parti québécois : pour ou contre l'indépendance"?
After 237 years of belonging to a people conquered and annexed, dispossessed, dominated and exploited, ridiculed and scorned, unceasingly besieged and unceasingly minorized, I no longer have the patience to quietly await the end of the genocide, inescapable, if we do not obtain our independence as soon as possible.
After 33 years of daily militancy for the national independence of the Quebec people, I no longer have the patience to quietly accept that politicians who are still alienated and/or in need of power delay its advent indefinitely.
I have had enough of the diversion of my militancy for politicking ends, whether it is disguised under the appearance of an objective of sovereignty-association or sovereignty with partnership.
I have had enough of winning elections with good tactics and lose referendums for lack of a true strategy, appropriate to an objective of national independence.
However, when one knows that the purpose of any strategy is to achieve the goals laid down by the policy, by effectively using the available means, one is hardly surprised by the absence, at the Parti québécois, of a strategy for independence, since this party is not independentist and never has been, put aside the period when Mr. Jacques Parizeau directed it. Unfortunately, even under his control, the party did not know how to give itself an adequate strategy for its new objective. Entirely dominated by its elected and non-elected technocrats, by its non-elected political bureaucrats and other advisers and attachés, the Parti québécois has been for at least 20 years subjected to the exclusive requirements of the electoral battles. Stuck inside structures and methods of action of an inflexible rigidity, it chokes any spirit of initiative to its militants, which explains the restricted number of them compared to that of the contributors. It became so refractory to the discussion of the party's ideological objectives and governmental policies that the least of questioning, if it wants to be effective, must pass by the media and, consequently, take the appearance of a conflict.
This situation is all the more serious considering that the Parti québécois exerts an absolute hegemony on the whole of the independence movement thus subjected to a global strategy which does not serve its ends. It is therefore time, after almost 40 years of existence, that it becomes aware of the gears which make it turn in round since at least the foundation of the sovereignty-association movement, and that it puts the grain of sand likely to stop it.
For my part, I am 61 years old and I intend very well not to die before the accession of Québec to national independence, unless in dying for it.
Well beyond the squeaking of teeth, it is a crisis which I hope to cause by the writing and the publishing of this lampoon, since crises are the very means of necessary changes.
As the independence of Québec constitutes a paramount issue not only for the national liberation of the Quebec people but for the future of Canada, for it threatens its political, economic and strategic interests, the already major conflict between the forces involved can only worsen, unless, once again, we are crushed under the power of the enemy whose objective and strategy aims at no less than our disappearance. Which explains why, since the past October 30th [1995], it redoubled its merciless attacks against our vulnerabilities.
With the hope of demonstrating the need for it, I come here to call on to the conscience and the responsibility for all the independentists, weather they militate inside the Parti québécois or work outside its ranks, so that we mobilize ourselves and work out a true independence strategy together, one which is likely to make us carry out a finally victorious fight.