OTTAWA (AFP) — Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Wednesday sternly dismissed parallels between Kosovo's new independence from Serbia and the aspirations of Quebec nationalists.
"In the case of Kosovo, the situation that evolved there was a situation of war, terrible suffering from the Kosovars, the intervention of the international community to essentially set up a trusteeship under the United Nations which led to a de facto separate state," Harper told reporters.
"The situation there is very unique, and I would remind you when you talk about Quebec, I think Quebecers have been very clear, they're not interested in more referendums and more debate about separation," he said when pressed.
"They want to get on with building a strong Quebec within a strong Canada."
Quebec nationalists, however, were said to be encouraged by Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence last month and Canada's formal recognition on Tuesday of the new nation.
The mostly French-speaking province of Quebec twice voted in referendums to separate from the rest of Canada, in 1980 and 1995. Federalists narrowly won the last ballot.
Last month, the head of the Quebec separatist movement, Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois, stepped back from her party's pledge to immediately hold a third referendum if the party regains power.
Rather, a decision on the next plebiscite should be made when winning conditions exist. The party ratified Marois's plan over the weekend.
Tuesday, Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier stressed the difference between Quebec and Kosovo, saying: "The unique circumstances which have led to Kosovo's independence mean it does not constitute any kind of precedent."
"You cannot compare (Kosovo) with Quebec," he also told public broadcaster CBC.
Kosovo is overwhelmingly Albanian but Serbs consider it a cradle of their civilization. It has been under UN administration since 1999 when NATO intervened to stop Belgrade's crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists.
Last month, Kosovo's parliament declared its independence from Serbia.
Quebecers' ties with Canada's Anglophone majority go back to 1763 when France ceded its North American possessions to Great Britain, including New France, which was renamed Quebec.
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