French President Nicolas Sarkozy has finally figured it out. It is possible for France to have a special relationship with Quebec based on a historic bond, while recognizing the province is as much a legitimate part of Canada as Normandy or Alsace is to France.
As Mr. Sarkozy pointed out during a ceremony marking the anniversary of the end of the Second World War, France also has deep and emotional ties with Canada itself. The French were liberated from Nazi occupation in 1944 by Canadians who came from all regions of the land, not just Quebec, the president remarked, expressing his fondness for Canada.
Mr. Sarkozy's comments are a welcome departure from the uncertainty and acrimony that marked Franco-Canadian relations in the past. The relationship reached a historic low in 1967 when then-French president Charles de Gaulle said during a speech in Montreal, "Vive le Quebec Libre!" The suggestion that Quebecers were not free upset Canadian officials, particularly then-prime minister Lester Pearson, who told de Gaulle his remarks were both inappropriate and inaccurate.
France continued, however, to breach diplomatic protocol by establishing a de facto embassy in Quebec City and even supporting the notion of Quebec independence. The tension nearly led to Canada severing diplomatic ties.
France's dualistic policy was eventually replaced with the ambiguous phrase, "No interference, but no indifference." Mr. Sarkozy has said he doesn't like that position, either. Instead, he merely asks Canadians to understand that France is loyal to both Canada and Quebec, but "we don't put them at odds with one another."
Unfortunately, Quebec's separatists prefer the old squabbles and prejudices to modern dialogue and understanding. Parti Qu ©b ©cois Leader Pauline Marois, for example, is upset that the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City is being portrayed as an event in the history of Canada, as opposed to a date that belongs exclusively to La Belle Province. It's like saying that the landing of the pilgrims in Plymouth colony in 1620 is a story that belongs to Massachusetts only.
Ms. Marois may want to visit the beaches of Normandy to learn the lesson that Mr. Sarkozy has embraced so warmly. French- and English-speaking Canadians died on those beaches as citizens of one country. Regional loyalties, as valid as they are, can never change that fact.
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