Stephen Harper has been dropping hints about re-opening the constitution for a while. At least, he has ever since he traded in his Reform Party principles for a chance to become Brian Mulroney Jr.

So it shouldn’t have been a huge surprise that yesterday Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Rona Ambrose Jean-Pierre Blackburn suggested a Tory majority would lead to the Quebecois nation resolution getting some “meat around it”.

What kind of meat remains to be seen, although Blackburn’s mention of “historical demands” invites speculation. Given the lack of pressing current demands, I guess it makes sense to look at historical ones. My personal opinion is that revisiting Meech and Charlottetown is not something Canadians want or need but, then again, I don’t need to win 20 seats in Quebec to get a majority government. So my opinion is probably clouded on this topic.

Given the complete uselessness of the Bloc, this kind of talk probably will lead to Conservative gains in Quebec. However, it’s also a subject the opposition leader can talk about with some authority. And given that he doesn’t have a ton of friends left in Quebec to lose, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to come out strongly against this.

YUMMY MIXED METAPHOR UPDATE: There is no appetite for this because the fruit is not yet ripe to put more meat on the constitution.

What does it say when Lawrence Cannon, of the famous “who’s on first Quebec nation press conference“, needs to clarify the government’s position on this? Is there any way the Conservatives could look more dazed and confused vis-a-vis Quebec?

Well, I guess they could do something like this.