Lucien Bouchard spoke several times about the possibility of a newly "liberated" Quebec joining the United States, which was odd indeed as he was at the time not only Premier of Quebec but also leader of the Parti Quebecois, a separatist political organization. However, much of what has been proposed/advocated by the Quebec separatist movement has little connection with logic, or even reality.

It's of historical interest, and is more than a little relevant, to understand that Quebec's sessesionist movement is merely the most vocal, not the the only, player on the field. Many Western Canadians, primarily english-speaking, would have fewer regrets about the dissolution of Canada than one might imagine. "Western Separatism," while never as brash as its Francophone counterpart, refuses to stay in the casket which so many federalists keep trying to place it. The west has a history of independance and political rebellion, and led by a wealthy and perpetually irked Alberta, it may yet play a decisive role in determining how long Canada remains Canada.

Should our northern neighbors, and the place of my birth, be dismantled, I would rejoice in seeing the west, at a minimum, join the United States. I don't believe that they would find themselves any more ignored by Washington than they are by Ottawa, and our newest citizens would find--as most probably know--that they have far, far more in common with Americans than not.