Can Beer Deliver Quebec Sovereignty?

Four decades ago radicals calling themselves the Front de Liberation Quebec set off more than 200 bombs, kidnapped politicians and gathered weapons readying for an armed insurrection to gain sovereignty for the French-speaking province from Canada. In the mid-1970s, Parti Québécois' René Lévesque became the Premier of Quebec through peaceful means via the ballot box.

While progress has been made to protect and promote the French language and regional culture, Quebec is still part of Canada and polls suggest less than 40 percent of provincial residents want to break away. While sovereignty is not a hot issue in the elections slated for next week, many still harbor the hope for independence for Quebec.

Now a beer called l'Independante has been launched to raise funds to support sovereignty efforts. A group of 22 separatists helped fund the brewing, with the goal of getting at least 100,000 Quebec residents to consume at least one bottle of l'Independante a month. The beer first hit store shelves in October and so far reports are that just 38,000 bottles have been sold.

Jacques Leduc, a retired high-school teacher and one of the people behind the beer is quoted in Toronto Globe & Mail as saying, "People who drink it will be posing a political gesture. It would be a symbol of a people who want a country."