|
Toronto Star February 10, 2000
Ottawa even thought a total break in diplomatic relations with France might eventually be necessary to get the message across that Canada would not accept any French meddling, the documents say.
The cabinet minutes for 1969 were released by the National Archives yesterday.
The dispute in 1969 - two years after de Gaulle's famous ``Vive le Quebec libre'' speech in Montreal - centred on plans for a visit to Quebec by Jean de Lipkowski, French secretary of state for foreign affairs, without first visiting Ottawa.
The implication was that Quebec was being treated ``as an independent state,'' external affairs minister Mitchell Sharp warned the Trudeau cabinet.
``It was clear that de Lipkowski was a staunch believer in de Gaulle's scheme of attempting to split Quebec and Canada,'' the minutes add without attribution to any particular minister.
The French had already rejected an invitation for the diplomat to stop in Ottawa on his way to Quebec and felt they could have direct contacts with Quebec.
But Ottawa said negotiations between France and Quebec ``could not take place without the prior consent and approval of the federal government.''
Sharp told cabinet one option would be to block de Lipkowski at the border. Or it could write a stiff note to France, he said, adding that one consequence was ``the future possibility that diplomatic relations may have to be broken.''
Trudeau said it would be over-reacting to stop the diplomat at the border but recommended sending a letter to the French warning that Ottawa would consider the Quebec visit ``a grave discourtesy'' if de Lipkowski did not visit the national capital first.
(...)
|