For God or country

Crowds at Parti Quebecois whistle stops during the provincial election have been chanting: “We want a country!” They’re perfectly entitled to both the desire and its democratic expression, of course, even as Quebec Liberal leader Philippe Couillard is equally justified in asking rhetorically: “Don’t we already have one?”

What strikes me about the renewal of the sovereignty debate, though, is neither its merits and demerits but rather its minimal vision, the tininess of its temerity.

That smallness came home in a very large way recently at the annual St. John Fisher dinner in Kingston, organized by Catholic Register and Convivium magazine colleague Fr. Raymond de Souza. The keynote speaker was Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, who is an amazing speaker.