Eight hundred million dollars worth of beef annually, I am told. That is quite a lot. I imagine Canada will not be so stupid as to jeopardize its markets in Quebec by trying to strong-arm a future sovereign Quebec. The president of the Mouvement Desjardins said that if Canada wanted to play hard ball with Quebec after sovereignty, the financial consequences would probably be the same for both parties.
Since Canada is a free trade country-at least I hope so-and since it is a capitalist country and wants to make a profit, it will not forego this attractive market in Quebec and thus will not close its own markets to Quebec products, which would make it vulnerable to the same treatment from Quebec.
That being said, my Reform Party colleague should also realize that in a North American free trade context, these so-called threats that Canada might close its doors to products from Quebec are an anachronism, and Quebecers realize this.