Parti Quebecois leader Pierre Karl Péladeau opened the door Sunday to questions about a possible partition of a sovereign Quebec.
Péladeau was asked by reporters Sunday if within the context of a sovereign Quebec, the current borders would remain intact. He said he could not provide an answer.
Scrummed PKP. Asked if QC borders could be re-drawn for First Nations following a yes vote. His answer was unclear. @CTVMontreal
— Aphrodite Salas (@ASalasCTV) November 22, 2015
The issue came up during the party’s national council in Sherbrooke over the weekend, where Ghislain Picard, Chief of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador, said he was for sovereignty, too – sovereignty of the First Nations territory, that is.
Asked if a sovereign Quebec would acquiesce to traditional land claims of indigenous peoples, Péladeau refused to answer, saying this was a complex issue and a major project based on negotiations with Aboriginal nations.
"Well because (the current borders have) been established for decades and the other things are more complicated, because, you know, they are something that has not been established in the past. So people will have arguments, requests, but this is open for dialogue," he said
He added that he was open to dialogue with First Nations on this very sensitive topic.
"It's a very important issue. It's a large question, and what we will do in the next future is to make sure we continue the dialogue we need to have and used to have with the First Nations," he said.
In the past, the leaders of the Parti Québécois has always claimed that Quebec's borders were untouchable.
Peladeau's leadership remains strong, said political analyst Jean Lapierre.
"The fact that he's been hyperactive on the ground, he's gone to every riding, so he has now built a personal link with the membership, so that makes his leadership pretty solid," he said.
With files from La Presse Canadienne
