The news broke last evening around suppertime, forcing First Minister Designate of the Tantrama City Provisional Government, John McDonald MacKay Archibald, from his regular Thursday night boiled dinner and into the national spotlight. This is his only official statement so far:
After the events of last week from the west – the survival of Paul Martin’s third minority government in a row, the collapse of the co-leadership and other arrangements between Peter MacKay and Belinda Stronach of the New Conservative Party, the Declaration of Albertaria made by Premier Harper – I thought we might be in for a quiet spell but the news of this Order-in-Council has taken us all by surprise. The people of Atlantic Canada had been expecting confirmation of the new capital region and steps towards a new elected government. We hardly expected semi-sovereignty and a practical level of autonomy from the rest of the nation. Myself and Cleatus Morris, Deputy First Minister Designate of the Tantrama City Provisional Government, will be meeting with our legal counsel after we have our pie to review next steps.
Early reports are confirming that, apparently in a rush to get out of Ottawa before the long sleep of Parliament, the summer recess, the Federal Unity Cabinet under the direction of Prime Minister Paul Martin has – in addition to announcing the long planned confirmation of the new capital at Tantrama City – extended asymetrical federalism for a third time after Quebec and Alberta unexpectedly, irreversibly and perhaps erroneously granting the four Atlantic provinces their own regional legislature with devolved powers of a super-province as well as a direct draw on the national treasury plus exclusive powers over the fisheries, marine transport, ferries, inter-provincial bridge building and, oddly, the navy. Cleatus Morris, above left, Deputy First Minister Designate of the Tantrama City Provisional Government, describing himself this evening as First Admiral and Deputy First Minister Designate of the Tantrama City Provisional Government was reported as saying “Oh Happy Day, Oh Happy Day” as he danced a jig badly, stumbling and falling with glee as if intoxicated.
