QUEBEC - While the rest of the world may have been quick to react to the death of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, the Quebec legislature was not to be rushed.
It passed a motion on Tuesday acknowledging the killing of the al Qaeda chief by U.S. special forces on May 1, but only after a few days of debate and a vote that wasn't unanimous.
Some members thought the original motion by Action democratique du Quebec Leader Gerard Deltell and Independent Eric Caire was too much like the rhetoric of George W. Bush when he was U.S. president.
The Parti Quebecois thought it took the tone of Rambo, the gun-slinging action hero played by Sylvester Stallone.
Deltell's motion had called the death a "major victory in the fight against international terrorism" and called on the legislature to urge "NATO forces, including Quebec soldiers currently deployed in Afghanistan, to continue their efforts in the fight against terrorism."
The revised final motion now says Quebec will continue to be an ally of the international community in addressing the terrorist threat and praised the perseverance of the U.S. and its allies in maintaining global security.
Deltell had grumbled that watered down motions from the sovereigntist party were wimpy.
He had also described the killing of bin Laden as "justice," saying the terrorist leader masterminded the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York's World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, which led to the United Nations mission in Afghanistan.
Government house leader Jean-Marc Fournier did not agree to the original motion when it was tabled last week, saying he needed more time to study its wording.
In the end, the legislature passed a retooled motion by 92 votes on Tuesday.
Omar Khadir, the sole member of Quebec solidaire in the legislature voted against it. He had compared it to the musings of Bush and right-wing U.S. politician Sarah Palin.
Khadir said afterward he would have preferred more changes, including a more pacifistic tone and a recognition of the decline of Islamic extremism in the wake of pro-democracy movements sweeping the Middle East.
"Unfortunately, the ADQ is again a bit behind the evolution of the region," he said.
