QUEBEC - The provincial government plans to force the federal government's hand on how it views the division of powers with the provinces and spending, Quebec Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Benoit Pelletier says.
Premier Jean Charest's government also wants to finally see Quebec's distinctiveness recognized in the Constitution in a charter of open federalism.
Quebec wants the federal government to address the division of jurisdictions between Ottawa and the provinces and intends to press Ottawa on the matter, Pelletier told The Canadian Press in an interview on Monday.
Quebec wants the federal government to spell out precisely how it sees the federation operating and wants Ottawa to limit spending in provincial jurisdictions.
The provincial government is wading into constitutional waters again to short-circuit any resurgence in sovereigntist support for the Parti Quebecois under new leader Pauline Marois and curtail any flirtation with the autonomist platform of Mario Dumont's Action democratique du Quebec.
"We will be very insistent,'' Pelletier said.
However, a source in the federal government says Quebec will have to get the support of the opposition parties before embarking on any new constitutional adventures.
Pelletier said he wants the federal government to be specific in its recognition of Quebec on its national characteristics as well as the limits of federal spending powers.
The federal government has already recognized the Quebecois as a nation within a united Canada but has never really been clear about what that means.
He said that instead of being a vague document, he wants the charter to be a blueprint for future dealings with the provinces.
Pelletier said a charter of open federalism could be a significant contribution to modern Canada and signal the advent of a "much healthier federalism.''
Pelletier said Prime Minister Stephen Harper himself raised the prospect of such a charter during a speech in Quebec in December 2005 but has never mentioned it again.
"If Ottawa is not ready to define the contents of this charter, I am,'' Pelletier said.
The intergovernmental affairs minister said it would also be a way to settle the contentious issue of federal spending in the provinces.
There are currently no negotiations underway to resolve the matter. Pelletier said Quebec is ready to consider "any form of limits that will protect us.''
Quebec wants increased protection, with such measures as a right to opt out and financial compensation, against any federal intrusion into its juridictions, such as health and education.
