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Suzana Vukic is the columnist of the Hudson/St.Lazare Gazette and member of the International Expert Team of the Institute for Research of Genocide, Canada.
When recently asked my opinion on the upcoming provincial elections in light of my recent trip to Bosnia, all I could do was voice my disdain.

It was pointed out that as a columnist, it was dangerous for me to not have an opinion on this event. It would risk making me irrelevant. Not a pleasant thought.

But there’s solace in the following: while writing this piece three days before elections, my sense is that the vast majority of Quebeckers are feeling completely irrelevant in all of this. We’re all feeling excluded in this province’s politics. In the end, we’ll cast our ballot based on choosing the lesser of two evils. For me, that’s always meant voting Liberal. If the Parti Québécois comes to power, it will wreak havoc on our lives. It’s safe to assume that many of my fellow Quebecers feel the same way. We don’t want a leader (i.e. Pauline Marois) who would be intent on bringing up the referendum issue yet again, as past PQ premiers have done, to the great detriment of everyone in this province.

It’s amusing to be asked how I see the current political situation in Quebec in light of my recent trip to Bosnia. I’m of Croatian descent. Back in 1991, I remember watching from here how events in my ancestral homeland unfolded as Yugoslavia fell apart. Croatia held a referendum on whether or not to stay in Yugoslavia. A majority voted for independence, knowing this would not bode well and that a war of aggression from Yugoslavia was inevitable. A similar scenario played itself out in Bosnia in 1992, except the destruction and barbarity there was far worse than anything experienced in Croatia. Regardless of the fears that people in Croatia and Bosnia had of this very outcome, it did nothing to stop them from seeking independence and nationhood.

Given this personal perspective, what on earth am I to make of Quebec’s so-called desire for sovereignty? It’s difficult to think of this as anything other than a sad and pathetic joke.

In 1980, shortly after the PQ’s rise to power, and again in 1995, Quebeckers voted in a referendum and were given a choice: for Quebec to remain in Canada or to separate. Despite what appeared to be an overwhelming desire on the part of nationalists for separation, Quebeckers did indeed vote twice not to do so, but rather to remain in Canada.

So the question remains: why do we need this mayhem in our lives a third time around? If Quebeckers truly had a will to achieve independence, it would have happened a long time ago.

It’s heartbreaking to be in Bosnia and witness the situation there. On the surface, things may appear fine. Sarajevo has been transformed from a post-war ruin to a lively, sophisticated city. And if you stroll through the heart of the old city, near the Bascarsija, during the city’s film festival and observe the chic crowd, you’d think people there live quite well.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. Unemployment is chronic in Bosnia. Workers, pensioners and war victims often go for months without getting payment or benefits. The single greatest problem faced by Bosnians is rampant political corruption. In a country where war victims have yet to see any real justice, war criminals and their supporters dominate Bosnian society at all levels, not only in the government, but in the social and justice systems, the private as well as public sectors.

Yet in spite of the horrors that they’ve lived through, Bosnians are proud and grateful for having their own country. Even if the future seems uncertain.

In light of this, can you blame me for not being able to take Quebec politics seriously?

You’ll be reading these words after election results are announced. Right now, I’m not feeling very hopeful.

For those who think it might not be good for Quebec to separate, I have a cure for what ails you. Take a road trip down the 401 to Toronto. That’s right, the city that benefited from Montreal and Quebec’s demise, when ultra-nationalist politics drove big business out of this province permanently. The city of limitless growth. The city where virtually anyone, educated or not, skilled or not, can go and find a really, really good job and create a great life. Go see for yourself the wealth and prosperity that could have been ours. But isn’t.

http://www.hudsongazette.com/Columns-suzana.html