Liberal, Tory, same old pyromaniacs

Apparently in the view of the Cons, the only problem with PMPM's effort to turn the election campaign into a separation referendum is that Stephen Harper couldn't get any publicity as a result. But given the chance to pick his own unnecessary fight over separation and pretend to speak for Canada in the process, Harper seems glad to oblige:

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper is willing to debate one-on-one in French with Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe on a Quebec television network, CBC News confirmed Wednesday...

Sources say Harper's campaign team will contact the TQS TV network in Quebec on Wednesday to make the offer.

Apparently Harper doesn't see any problem with his claim to be the voice of Canada in the absence of any mandate to take that role. But I suspect a lot of Canadians would prefer to have federalism defended on the basis of the good a federal government can do, not on the basis that under a Conservative government so much power would be left with the provinces that there'd be no need for Quebec to separate.

Granted, Harper's voice should be at the table as well...but only along with the competing vision of a Canada with a more effective federal government. And it so happens that there's a forum where a variety of federalist views were placed in contrast to the Bloc's separatist position to reflect the diversity of Canada's political scene...and where Harper failed to make a dent in the skepticism of Canadians both inside and outside Quebec.

Hence Harper's willingness to play with fire in order to try to move past the Cons' core support level. But the result looks to be a "sovereignty debate" where Harper raises his own profile while misrepresenting Canada as a whole. And if that has the effect of handing yet more seats to the Bloc and stoking the fires of separatism, there won't be much doubt who's left holding the gas can.

(Edit: cleaned up wording.)