When I was reading I came across this story I would like to share. It was back in the late 1800’s when Theodore Roosevelt was police commissioner of New York City.
He attempted to prohibit the selling of liquor on Sunday. One such law was passed in April of 1896 and allowed only hotels to continue to serve liquor. A hotel was defined as a structure with 10 bedrooms and with facilities for serving food.
So a local furniture store scenting an opportunity offered to furnish the 10 rooms of any hotel for $81.20. One of the new hotels on the Bowery had stable stalls for rooms and a sign posted in the bar that stated, “Sleeping in This Hotel Positively Prohibited.” By December of 1896, approximately 2,000 new hotels had appeared in New York City.
This little story brought home the fact that where there is a will there is a way.
I could see that in the Bertrand case. This is the separatist-turned-federalist who is taking Quebec to court over the legality of Quebec’s referendum on possible secession. Bertrand seems to be a guy with a lot of willpower.
We can’t underestimate the will of the PQ government either. The latest argument bought forth by Quebec government lawyers is that the Canadian Constitution is invalid. They say that the Constitution was ordered back in 1982 to have a complete official French version.
This has not happened. Such articles as the inclusion of Newfoundland into the Canadian Confederation and the formation of the Yukon and Northwest Territories while having been translated haven’t been adopted by Parliament to date. This invalidated the Constitution, so the Quebec lawyers argue.
This may prove very interesting as the James Bay Agreement along with Cree rights are entrenched in the Constitution. If that is invalid then it would follow that the Agreement may be invalid.
Doesn’t that open up an interesting range of possibilities?
Just think of the renegotiation rounds.
