[notfarnow]

"Take a look at Canada. The French speaking section has made efforts to secede from the rest of te nation."

well, actually it's not as simple as that.

In fact, many would argue that Quebec's struggle for independance has strenghened provincial governments, and assured that every area of the country is given proper representation. Quebec's fight for independance, in many ways, was a fight for provincial autonomy... much like american state vs federal issues.