PARIS - A day after getting pummelled by Canadian politicians for her musings on Quebec sovereignty, French presidential candidate Segolene Royal backtracked somewhat, saying Quebecers will decide their own destiny.
"What I said, and I am confirming, is that, as in any democracy, people who vote are sovereign and free," Royal, a candidate to lead France's Socialist Party, said Tuesday.
"And so Quebecers will freely decide their destiny when they're asked. It's not for France to impose on Quebecers or on Canadians what they must do, but on the other hand the principles of sovereignty and liberty strike me as completely indisputable."
On Monday, Royal triggered a firestorm of debate in Canada when she expressed sympathy with the notion of Quebec sovereignty.
After her meeting with Parti Quebecois Leader Andre Boisclair, she was asked about her feelings on sovereignty and replied: "They're in accordance with our shared values, that is to say the sovereignty and the freedom of Quebec."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Quebec Premier Jean Charest and Liberal Leader Stephane Dion all took aim at Royal to various degrees for meddling in Canadian politics.
Royal said Tuesday she did not talk about constitutional reforms with Boisclair. Quebec is the only province that has not formally supported the patriation of the Constitution.
"But if these institutional reforms happen, the two principles (sovereignty and freedom) will be applied," she said.
Charest repeated on Tuesday that Quebec's future is none of France's business.
"We're not asking our French friends to be indifferent to Quebec's situation, but there's a line that mustn't be crossed and that's to try to influence Quebecers," he said in Davos, Switzerland, where he arrived for an economic forum.
Charest, who will be at an environmental conference in Paris at the beginning of February, said he hasn't asked to meet with Royal because he doesn't have enough time.
In Montreal, NDP Leader Jack Layton said Quebecers will decide their future and that federalism should work better for the province.
" And our job here in Canada is to show that the values that Quebecers share with the vast majority of Canadians are ones we can work on together," Layton said.
"The commentary of different people running in other countries for other positions, I don't think is going to be particularly relevant to that discussion that happens here in Canada and in Quebec."
In France, Royal's earlier comments were criticized in some quarters.
On the website of the newspaper Liberation, the headline to the story read: "Royal's Quebec Gaffe" and noted "Every day there's a controversy."
A French all-news channel interviewed several French personalities on the subject including French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie, who said she was "surprised by the thoughtlessness with which Mrs. Royal approaches international questions."
Royal has previously caused controversy for meeting with elected members of the terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon and describing China's legal system as quick.
The secretary-general of France's Socialist Party, Francois Hollande, also felt it necessary to clarify her remarks, as he has done previously.
Hollande said it will be Quebecers "who must say what the future of their province will be."
He added that even if France shows "sympathy" to the Quebec question, it can't interfere.
