Former prime minister Jean Chretien warned French president Jacques Chirac that France risked international isolation if it recognized an independent Quebec following the razor-thin 1995 referendum, newly declassified cabinet records show.Blacklock's Reporter says confidential minutes from a June 22, 1995 cabinet meeting detail a private conversation between Chretien and Chirac during a G7 summit in Halifax the previous week.“The Prime Minister summarized the conversation he had with newly-elected President Chirac concerning Québec, mentioning that Chirac reiterated France’s position of ‘non-ingérence, non-indifférence,’” according to the minutes.Chretien told Chirac Canada would not recognize Quebec sovereignty if the upcoming referendum produced only a narrow majority in favour of independence.“The Prime Minister said he told President Chirac that Canada would not recognize Québec’s sovereignty if the referendum results showed only a very weak majority,” the records said.Quebecers were scheduled to vote on independence on Oct. 30, 1995.Chretien also warned Chirac that discussions with other governments indicated France would stand alone among the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council if it recognized an independent Quebec.“The Prime Minister also reported mentioning to Chirac that his discussions with other countries led him to believe that France would find itself isolated in the United Nations Security Council if it recognized a sovereign Québec because the other permanent members of the Security Council, i.e. Russia, China, the United Kingdom and the United States, would not recognize Québec,” the minutes said..The records noted the foreign affairs minister “congratulated the Prime Minister for his performance.”Chirac nevertheless publicly indicated shortly before the referendum that France would recognize Quebec if the independence side prevailed.Appearing on CNN’s Larry King Live a week before the vote, Chirac said France would accept the result.“If the referendum is affirmative, the government will recognize the fact,” Chirac said.Cabinet met the following day, but the newly released minutes contain no recorded response from Chretien to Chirac’s comments.Peter Donolo, then director of communications in the Prime Minister’s Office, instructed cabinet ministers to play down the French president’s remarks.“With respect to Mr. Chirac’s statement on Larry King Live, ministers should respond that there is nothing new and that France’s well-known position of ‘non-ingérence’ remains in place,” the minutes said.Quebec ultimately remained in Canada after 50.6% of voters rejected the referendum proposal.The ballot asked: “Do you agree that Québec should become sovereign after having formally offered Canada a new economic and political partnership under the bill respecting the future of Québec and the agreement signed on June 12, 1995?”The independence side lost by just 54,288 votes out of approximately 4.7 million ballots cast. Another 86,501 ballots were rejected, while voter turnout reached 94%.Chretien acknowledged the narrow margin during a Nov. 2, 1995 cabinet meeting.“He stressed that while the outcome was close, it was nonetheless a victory for the federalist forces and more generally for Canada,” the minutes said.
