Roy Romanow speaks about former Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chretien during his 80th birthday and marking 50 years in public service in Toronto on Tuesday, January 21, 2014. The NDP's proposed "unity bill" has sparked some disunity in the party's own ranks. One of the most prominent NDP stalwarts, former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow, says he disagrees with the federal party's proposition that a bare majority Yes vote would be sufficient to trigger negotiations on Quebec's secession from Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
February 02, 2014 - 7:41 AM
OTTAWA - The NDP's proposed "unity bill" has sparked some disunity in the party's own ranks.
One of the most prominent NDP stalwarts, former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow, says he disagrees with the federal party's proposition that a bare majority Yes vote would be sufficient to trigger negotiations on Quebec's secession from Canada.
And he says he's not the only New Democrat with qualms.
Romanow says there are many people within the party with varying views on the issue.
The NDP's unity bill is meant to replace the Clarity Act, passed by former Liberal prime minister Jean Chretien's government in 2000 following the country's near-death experience in the referendum on Quebec independence five years earlier.
The act stipulates that a clear majority of Quebecers would have to vote Yes on a clear referendum question before the federal government would agree to negotiate terms of a divorce.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2014