A Mr. Stephen Harper Of No Fixed Opinion

This is what happens when you ram through a resolution in the House without really understanding what it means. You end up looking like a tool in subsequent interviews.

"I think you identify yourself. It's an identity, not a legal definition," he said.

"Being a Canadian carries a legal definition - you're a citizen or you're not.

"But the idea of a Quebec nation is strictly a matter of identity and you can't define it for everyone."

He said the concept implies ties to the French language and the territory of Quebec.

"Obviously this idea is linked to the French language. For that reason, if you're speaking of a Quebecois nation you're speaking of French," he said.

"You're speaking of the Quebecois, not Quebecers."

He was asked: does that mean anglophone Quebecers aren't part of the Quebecois nation?

"I think some anglophones and some ethnic groups identify with the Quebecois nation. Maybe some don't," he said.

"I don't think it's possible to put precise terms to it."

If the main criterion is an attachment to the French language, then does that mean all French-Canadians - even those outside Quebec - belong to the Quebecois nation?

"I'm not sure," Harper said, speaking in French.

So, I could be Quebecois too, or maybe not. How 'bout my cat?

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