Disturbing

Canada is not immune to protests that get out of hand, whether it’s over a G8 conference, the recent “Occupy” movement, or students railing against tuition hikes.
And, sadly, there always will be idiots who take to the streets and trash everything in sight when their sports team loses the title game.
Fortunately, though, our country has been spared the violent—and often fatal—clashes that mar elections in so many other nations around the globe. Sure, debate can get heated during the campaign but once the votes are tallied and winners declared, we all go back to our daily lives with barely an after-thought on the election outcome.
Alas, that may be changing.
We can hope last night’s fatal shooting as Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois was delivering a victory speech in Montreal after leading her party to a minority government was an isolated incident involving a deranged individual. But by shouting, in French, “The English are waking up,” his actions raise the disturbing spectre of future unrest along linguistic lines now that a separatist government is back in power—albeit limited—in Quebec City.
Canadians always have prided ourselves on the peaceful transition of governments, whether left- or right-leaning or, in the case of Quebec, pro-sovereignty or pro-federalist. We may not have voted for the party that triumphed, but we accept the results and move on.
That certainly doesn’t mean we can’t express our opposition. But we do so through rallies and petitions; not mobs, riots, and armed force.
It is one reason why Canada is the envy of the world. And it’s a precious national trait all of us share in the responsibility to preserve.