I've lived in the United States for nearly 31 years, but I always feel a pang of something like regret whenever I follow a Canadian or Quebec election. It's a sense of missed opportunity to participate in building the future of Canada.
This passion and emotions surrounding this year's riveting Quebec general election reminded me of November 15, 1976, when the Parti Québécois, Quebec's independence party, first came to power. It was one of the worst days of my life, partly because I wasn't on the voter roll and didn't vote in that election, but mainly because I drank far too much as I watched election returns well into the night.
For voters who favored the Parti Québécois, the next day was filled with euphoria and hope for a new, exciting future. For me, not so much. I woke up the next morning under a friend's dining room table. Literally -- the beginning of a three-day hangover and years of guilt for missing the election.
At the beginning of the last election campaign, I thought there was a good chance Premier Pauline Marois would get her majority government and move forward with isolationist policies that would culminate in yet another referendum.
That was until "star" PQ candidate Pierre-Karl Péladeau's right wing, anti-union positions clashed with the party's left leaning history. PKP created so much controversy that the Parti Québécois lost track of other campaign themes that might have seemed more attractive to the electorate.
I started to look for election results shortly after the polls closed on April 7 and was stunned that the Liberals gained a solid majority early on in the evening. The outcome of the election was a disaster for Marois and others who lost their seats. The Parti Québécois itself seems in disarray, with fewer seats than at any time in the last 35 years.
The jubilation of loyal Canadians was reminiscent of that long ago day in 1976 when Parti Québécois victors celebrated for days. The independence bullet has once again been dodged, but civil debate and respectful dialogue could provide many opportunities to identify and embrace common ground. The issue won't just "go away" until the sovereignty option seems unnecessary and undesirable
