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SECRET PAGE 01 QUEBEC 00190 170610Z ACTION EUR-12 INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 PM-04 H-01 INR-07 L-03 NSAE-00 NSC-05 PA-01 PRS-01 SP-02 SS-15 USIA-06 EB-07 DHA-02 /067 W ------------------170614Z 033954 /14 P 162100Z MAY 77 FM AMCONSUL QUEBEC TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 994 INFO AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY AMCONSUL MONTREAL AMEMBASSY PARIS AMCONSUL TORONTO S E C R E T QUEBEC 0190 E.O. 11652: XGDS-1 TAGS: PINT, PFOR, CA, US, FR SUBJECT: QUEBEC'S TALLYRAND* 1. SUMMARY: QUEBEC'S INTERGOVERNMENTAL MINISTER, CLAUDE MORIN, LIKENED SOVEREIGNTY-ASSOCIATION TO FORM OF CONFEDERATION IN PRIVATE CONVERSATION WITH ME. HE ADMITTED ECONOMY IS KEY TO POPULARITY WHICH, IN TURN, IS ESSENTIAL TO WINNING REFERENDUM. HE SAID HE WOULD WORK FOR MODIFYING EXCESSIVELY RIGID FEATURES IN LANGUAGE LAW. TRUDEAU, HE PREDICTED, WILL WIN GENERAL ELECTION. QUEBEC, HE SAID, WILL STRENGTHEN REPRESENTATION IN U.S., AND HE HAS RECOMMENDED PQ PLATFORM BE MODIFIED TO PROVIDE FOR ADHERENCE OF QUEBEC TO NATO AND NORAD. WHILE IN FRANCE RECENTLY, MORIN ADVISED GOF AGAINST TAKING INITIATIVES FAVORING QUEBEC SOVEREIGNTY. END SUMMARY. 2. IN PRIVATE CONVERSATION INTERGOVERNMENTAL MINISTER CLAUDE MORIN TODAY CONFIDED TO ME THAT THERE IS MUCH MISUNDERSTANDING OF PQ REAL OBJECTIVES IN WISHING CONTINUED ASSOCIATION WITH REST OF CANADA AT SAME TIME IT SEEKS POLITICAL SOVEREIGNTY. "WHAT IS SOVEREIGNTY-ASSOCIATION BUT CONFEDERATION," HE ASKED? IN SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 QUEBEC 00190 170610Z ANSWERING HIS OWN RHETORIC, MORIN COMMENTED THAT QUEBEC CAN NOT PUBLICLY REVEAL NATURE OF "REAL DEMANDS" PRIOR TO ITS PRESENTING DETAILED CONSTITUTIONAL PROPOSITION TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. GOQ IS NOW WORKING ON DEVELOPMENT OF CAREFULLY CONSIDERED PACKAGE, HE SAID, WHICH MAY FORM BASIS OF NEGOTIATION IF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS WILLING. IF NOT, REFERENDUM WILL BE HELD. 3. CANDIDLY, MORIN ADMITTED THAT PQ WILL NOT CALL REFERENDUM UNTIL IT IS REASONABLY SURE OF VICTORY. FOR PRESENT, FIRST PRIORITY IS TO GAIN WIDE POPULARITY AS REFERENDUM WILL BE DEFEATED IF GOVERN- MENT NOT POPULAR. STATE OF ECONOMY IS MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN GAINING AND MAINTAINING POPULARITY. CONDITIONS FOR REFERENDUM NOT LIKELY BE PROPITIOUS DURING ECONOMIC RECESSION. 4. MORIN THEN ASKED ME FOR MY PERSONAL VIEWS ON PROPOSED LANGUAGE LAW. I TOLD HIM I CONSIDER PRINCIPLE OF PREDOMINANCE OF FRENCH IN QUEBEC AS REASONABLE IF MINORITY RIGHTS ARE RESPECTED. UNFORTUNATELY, CERTAIN ASPECTS OF PROPOSED BILL I SAID GIVE IMPRESSION OF VENGEFULNESS. BY DEFINING THOSE ELIGIBLE FOR ENTRY INTO ENGLISH SCHOOLS TO EXCLUDE CHILDREN OF CANADIANS WHO ATTENDED SCHOOL OUTSIDE QUEBEC IS AMONG THOSE PROVISIONS WHICH SEEM EXCESSIVELY RESTRICTIVE. MORIN AGREED AND SAID HE WOULD SEE WHAT HE COULD DO TO GET THIS PROVISION ALTERED. 5. MORIN EXPECTS LIBERALS UNDER TRUDEAU'S LEADERSHIP TO WIN NEXT GENERAL ELECTION. "CANADIANS SUPPORT TRUDEAU WHEN QUEBEC THREATENS GET OUT OF LINE," MORIN REASONED. MINISTER SAID HE PREFERS SEE TRUDEAU AS LEADER IN OTTAWA. OTHERWISE, QUEBECOIS MIGHT BE TEMPTED GIVE SOMEONE LIKE JOE CLARK TIME TO PROVE "GOOD FAITH." THIS COULD DELAY PQ TIMETABLE BY 3 OR 4 YEARS. 6. MORIN SHOWED ME BOUND STACK OF RECENT PRESS CLIPPINGS FROM NEWSPAPERS THROUGHOUT U.S. ASSERTING THAT QUEBEC HAS BEEN GETTING GENERALLY POOR PRESS IN AMERICA SINCE NOVEMBER 15 ELECTION. HE SAID PQ CONSIDERS AMERICA AS MOST IMPORTANT FOREIGN COUNTRY FOR QUEBEC. THEREFORE, GOQ IS PLANNING STRENGTHEN ITS REPRESENTATION SECRET SECRET PAGE 03 QUEBEC 00190 170610Z IN AMERICA. THIS WILL BE DONE THROUGH CHANGES IN KEY PERSONNEL AND BY OPENING A DELEGATION IN ATLANTA. QUEBEC IS ALSO THINKING OF OPENING TOURIST PROMOTION OFFICE IN WASHINGTON. LATTER, HE ASSURED ME, WOULD BE DEVOTED SOLELY TO TOURISM. 7. SPEAKING OF UPCOMING PQ CONGRESS, MORIN SAID HE HAS PROPOSED CHANGES IN PARTY PLATFORM PROVIDING FOR ADHERENCE OF AN INDEPENDENT QUEBEC TO NATO AND TO NORAD. HE HAS ALSO CALLED FOR RECOGNITION OF RELATIONS WITH U.S. AS SECOND IN IMPORTANCE ONLY TO THOSE WITH CANADA. 8. SPEAKING OF HIS RECENT VISIT TO FRANCE, MORIN SAID HE BRIEFED GISCARD, BARRE AND OTHERS ON "REAL" MEANING OF ASSOCIATION (SEE PARA 1). MOREOVER, HE ADVISED THEM THAT INITIATIVE BY FRANCE IN SUPPORT OF QUEBEC SOVEREIGNTY WOULD BE RESENTED BY QUEBECOIS AND WOULD NOT BE IN INTEREST OF QUEBEC OR FRANCE. MCNAMARA SECRET NNN