Both newspapers we receive on a daily basis, local and national, are rife with articles about the upcoming provincial election in Quebec. It will be taking place on Monday and augers to produce a result that the current premier, leader of the Parti Quebecois, Pauline Marois, with her fixation for secession from Canada, will not much appreciate, if poll results are correct.

The Parti Quebecois won a minority government a mere year and a half ago. A minority government will not permit the Pequistes to launch their independence referendum. They have spent that year and a half preparing Quebecers to face a referendum, one that most people living in Quebec have no true interest in. Raising issues that create a social gulf between people; namely between the pur laine Quebecers and those of immigrant stock and religious groups, and pounding away on the language issue where French must have not only primacy but a monopoly and English remain meekly subservient in a majority-English-speaking nation, convinced Ms. Marois that the time was ripe to call an election. All the more so that polls taken before the writ was dropped placed her party in a majority position.

Aiming for a more successful election result that would lead her to a majority PQ government, she began the campaign boasting of her success, failing to mention even once what a parlous economic condition the province was in, with a massive debt and troubling deficit, the largest of all the provinces. And then she revealed her star candidate, Karl Peladeau, the billionaire media mogul union-basher prepared to be a candidate for the PQ, the very party that Quebec unions support.

When Mr. Peladeau proudly and confidently raised his fist to declare he was a determined separatist intent on making Quebec over into a 'nation' that his children could be proud of, he spelled the death knell for Madame Marois' ambitions for her future and that of her party. Pre-election campaigning was supposed to soft-peddle separation, if it was to be mentioned at all.

Post-election much of Quebec will celebrate, it now seems evident, giving thanks to how often it happens that arrogance leads to failure.

And the rest of Canada will breathe a sigh of relief that once again, Quebec is secure within Canada, though the usual complaints of restrictive federalist interference in the affairs of the province will continue as it always has.