I finally figured it out. I've been trying to understand why this generation of separatists seemed to be so different from Rene Levesque and company, who I believe were fighting a justifiable battle to protect and promote the distinct linguistic and cultural life of Quebec. Since that battle, though not won, has been advanced successfully in many palpable ways, I wondered why it was being continued. But that isn't the battle that Bouchard and Parizeau were/are fighting. Parizeau's remarks last night about "ethnics" and Bouchard's pre-referendum comments about the "white races" make it clear: this is about race, not about language and culture. This is resistance to multiculturalism and the increasingly multiethnic face of Quebec (or Montreal, at least). It is interesting to note that, under the broad category of "ethnic," Parizeau was pointing at the Inuit, Cree, Mohawk, and other Native groups who voted overwhelmingly against separation, as well as at the anglophones and allophones. He is also conveniently ignoring the high percentage of white, French-speaking Montrealers who voted against separation. I know that many YES voters will find Parizeau's comments deeply offensive, but this interpretation, if it is accurate, fills me with dread. Anthony.