Justin Trudeau raised a bit of a stir last week with his comments that he’d consider supporting Quebec separatism if the Harper government took Canada too far to the right. Most have already weighed in on this, and my opinion comes closest to Andrew Coyne’s:

I don’t doubt that some of the things the Harper government has done have been unpopular in Quebec. Forgive me if I suggest that is not enough, in itself, to condemn them. Every government does things that some people like, and some people don’t. That some of the latter group are in Quebec does not elevate the matter into a national emergency, as if it were impermissible that Quebecers could be dissatisfied: a guarantee given to no other section of the country. The only reason it occurs to people to suggest it is because of the threat of separatism, and the only reason the threat has any currency is because of the willingness of others to indulge, or indeed validate it.

For Justin, of all people, to be among their number is especially unfortunate. But as I say, Justin isn’t really the problem.

I’m a fan of Justin, but these comments show a high level of immaturity – I don’t like the government, so I’m leaving. I would add that you saw quite a bit of this in Western Canada too after the 2004 election, and it was no more appealing there.

Obviously Justin Trudeau isn’t the only Quebecer, or the only politician, who feels this way. Given his name, his comments will only serve to help propagate this “my way or I’m hitting the highway” feeling, which isn’t part of a healthy political dialogue.