Boreal

THE FRACTURED NATION INTERVIEWS

What We Have Talked About So Far

During the past four days we have heard from a renowned economist and author Dr. Diane Frances Smith and her theory that it was bad economics, freeloader economics was the term she used, that caused Canada to break up.

Next, we heard from the MAD man himself the Ayatollah Muhammad Abdullah Domeini and his assertion that it was religious persecution, specifically against Muslims that caused the country to splinter. His refusal to condemn the murder of Dr. Tamil Singh is not only a testament to his uncompromising reputation, some say madness, but also raises serious doubts as to whether there was actual persecution of Muslims prior to The Fracture as claimed by the Ayatollah during his visit with us.

What Muslims may have interpreted as persecution may simply have been measures taken in self-defence as believers tried through peaceful and less peaceful means to transform the democracy that had welcomed them into a theocracy governed by the Koran and the sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad. Not unlike what is happening today.

Following the Ayatollah was the much loved and regretted Tamil Boom-Boon Singh who made the argument that it was extreme multiculturalism, the lack of a common history and the failure to promote core Canadian values such as secularism, democracy, freedom of speech and expression instead of unthinking tolerance that made The Fracture inevitable.

After Dr. Singh, it was committed feminist, author and obvious admirer of that great late Canadian expatriate economist John Kenneth Galbraith, Maude Elizabeth Barnstone, with her theory that The Fracture was a rebellion by what Galbraith called the underclass against the politics of a plutocracy, government by the wealthy.

Today, we hope to talk with the Vice-president of Québec, Jean Joseph Souviens who, you may have noticed, is not here. We hope to reach him via teleconferencing in his office in Québec city. [looking towards his producer]

My producer tells me that it will be a few more minutes before we hear from Vice-president Souviens which gives me time to answer a question that was sent to us from a French viewer. French as in France that is.