Most often this intervention was directed by the federal government with many national decisions made based on the needs of Quebec while within the province of Quebec itself the provincial legislators inadvertently undermined Montreal's economy. As provincial decisions began to favour the economy of Quebec City, separatist rumblings weakened the economic viability of Montreal in the eyes of the national and global business communities. The recent referendum vote in Quebec, however, has almost certainly dealt a significant blow to the Montreal business community. To them the question was not one of whether or not Quebec would remain economically viable as a separate nation or within the Canadian federation. There are many alternative locations for doing successful and profitable business in Canada and Montreal no longer commands the allure of national economic dominance which it once possessed.
Uncertainty represents business poison.
The announcement made recently by the CPR regarding the relocate of its head office activities out of Montreal represents only the tip of the iceberg in what will quite probably be seen as the final phase in a slow, yet relentless, loss of those elements of the city's business community which look outward beyond the boundaries of Quebec. Like the CPR, other businesses, large and small, will seek out viable and stable bases of operation elsewhere in Canada, if indeed they have not already done so. Few businesses will risk suggesting that the political climate of the province has become just too much to bear. Others, fearing political or economic reprisals, will maintain the illusion that they have remained headquartered in Montreal while in reality they are directed from corporate head offices elsewhere in Canada. Many prominent Montreal firms constructed such facades years ago and many more are likely to do so in the near future.