PLQ and the Tories

I hope tonight's election results come as a rebuke to Harper's big "new federalism plans."

After all, it seems the ROC did whatever it can to make sure that a federalist was elected in Quebec. So we give Quebec all sorts of special treats, like $700m more in equalization (that is promptly used not to "equalize" services, but instead to give a nice fat tax cut), etc etc etc (I'm sure some Tory or Albertan can provide a comprehensive list).

Harper's been sucking up to Quebec as much as he could, with the hope of boosting federalist fortunes, and what do we get? Charest personally defeated, the federalists reduced to a minority, just ahead of the "autonomist" ADQ. Great. The balance of power is held by a party that doesn't necessarily want separation, but separation if necessary (in all but name.)

I say it would have been better to put the PQ in the driver's seat of the minority. The ADQ was against a referrendum, and then the Feds could take the Chretienite position of not having to bow and scrape at every PQ demand, rather than feeling like every time Charest put out his hand, we had to give him something.