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Sarkozy’s other federalist friend in Quebec

By VAN FERRIER, kanopi media and communications

Canadian newspapers are awash with coverage of the fallout from French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s recent remarks about Quebec’s sovereignty movement. Sarkozy made the remarks in February when he met with Quebec Premier Jean Charest to present him with the Legion of Honour – one of France’s highest awards. Pundits have weighed in on Sarkozy’s  fedearlist leanings and the terse response from Bloc Québecois leader Gilles Duceppe and Parti Québecois chief Pauline Marois.

But few took notice of a similarly significant moment in Canada-France relations in January when Sarkozy invited Quebec’s lone federal NDP member of Parliament Thomas Mulcair to his Presidential residence for a dinner meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and one of the world’s most respected economists Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz.

The meeting should be interesting to Quebeckers. Seldom is such an invitation extended to an opposition politician of another country – and Thomas Mulcair isn’t even leader of the federal NDP (yet).

But the meeting should also be interesting to Greens in Quebec and Canada alike because it demonstrated how a single successful electoral result can lead to high-level policy engagement. The NDP identified a winnable riding and seized the right moment to mobilize party resources.

Mulcair was the NDP’s not-so-secret weapon to bust through the Bloc-Liberal-Conservative lock on Quebec in the 2007 Outremont by-election where the Liberal incumbent in the hotly contested and multicultural Montreal riding resigned from politics. As Quebec’s Environment Minister under Liberal Premier Jean Charest, Mulcair became a household name in previous years by standing up to his boss opposing the sale of a provincial park and the construction of a natural gas plant near Montreal.

Never mind the Greens were nowhere to be seen in the by-election. The federal party’s decision to effectively run a ‘paper’ candidate (no signs or support) was an improvement over the 2006 by-election opportunity in the Montreal area when the Greens failed to file candidate papers to Elections Canada in Repentigny. Coupled with the missed opportunity to make gains in Quebec in the last federal election, this should be an indication that the Green Party should define a solid Quebec strategy before stepping into the limelight.

Meanwhile, the Greens might pay closer attention to how their European cousins came to positions of power and influence. As lead spokesperson for last year’s Liberal-NDP-(tacit Bloc) coalition, Thomas Mulcair was able to show off his foothold in Quebec and his ability to work with other politicians despite ideological differences.

Green Party activists might also take note of positive spin-off effects and opportunities in Canadian politics. Long-time social justice activist Amir Khadir built upon the momentum of Muclair’s Outremont victory to win Québec Solidaire’s first seat in the Quebec’s National Assembly in 2008 by taking a neighbouring provincial riding.

But with Quebec provincial politics at the point of saturation, the Greens should take a hint from the more successful BC Greens who have built upon municipal victories to attract better candidates and demonstrated the value of the Green Party’s decentralized policy foundation.

Just like the adage: think globally and act locally, the Green Party has to start thinking big by going small. Not only in terms of municipal politics, but in terms of looking at the bigger picture in the world.

The promise of local renewable energy production and distribution, stimulus for community economic development, fair trade networks as well as community banking are key components of any strategy to weather the current economic crisis and reduce Canada’s impact on climate change.

What was Mulcair doing in Paris with Sarkozy and company? He wasn’t just glad-handing and receiving accolades like his former boss, Mr. Charest, one month later. He had been invited to offer his insight on banking reform and policy prescriptions to cope with the current global economic crisis that has taken Europe by storm.

While it remains to be seen whether his ideas will connect with voters throughout Quebec and whether his party has the policy depth to offer Canadians a coherent vision for the future, Mulcair has shown politics is as much about good strategy as it is about good policy.

Van Ferrier is a communications consultant based in Montreal and former Policy Development Coordinator for the Green Party of Canada.