Be intellectually honest: French Canadians are sociological nation. Québécois or Quebeckers are not.

I am fed up with the rampant cowardice and dishonesty about the nation
question. Read this post and those that precede it. It's pretty simple
really. I am sickened by all those who wish to assign me an identity I
don't accept. I am a Québécois or Quebecker. Like some 30% of my
fellow Québéc-kers/ois, my only nation is Canada. That's well over 2
million Canadian citizens being assigned an identity they don't want
by their national parliament (et non, je ne parle pas de l'Assemblée
nationale) and various opinion makers: insecure anglo intellectuals
looking for validation from those nice Quebec nationalist
intellectuals they meet at conferences, talking airheads in the media,
bleeding heart unilingual anglo bloggers, etc.. In short, all the
usual suspects. It makes me very angry (duh!). Before anyone buys into
this shit, ask yourself how much you'd enjoy it if I went about
imposing identities on you. Shout out Vancouver, you're all part of
the unique autonomy-seeking Cascadian nation! New language law:
no-one's allowed to speak quicker than 10 drawled words a minute or
they get fined 10 grammes of hash. Don't make me start defining the
rest of y'all! The following is an extract from correspondence. I
refer to several well-known Quebec political & intellectual figures &
events. To understand the full implications of my points, you may want
to google them. But read it, and what precedes it, and get you head
straight.

1. In English the motion says "Québécois" as in French version.
Definition of Québécois, legal or otherwise: citizen of Canada,
resident in Quebec - Québécois and Quebecker interchangeable.
Reaffirmed many times by Bouchard, Charest, etc. when worried about
nationalist intolerance (implicit in Bouchard response to Michaud
affair, resignation, etc.). I could go on, but I think you know this
already. You probably understand, as I do, that by using "Québécois"
in English version of motion, Harper trying to play on "flou" between
"Québécois" and "French Canadian". As mentioned in original letter to
Liberal MPs I sent you, a combination of nationalist-separatist
strategy and intellectual laziness led to this confusion. Lysiane
Gagnon's columns in La Presse and Globe earlier this week spoke to
this.

If searching, "au PLQ", to achive maximal autonomy for Quebec within
Canada (or Canada-construct, given PLQ views), to justify
discriminatory laws (whether agree with them or not), important that
demands be made on behalf of "Québécois nation": otherwise, what about
1/3 of population that doesn't agree with identity or objectives?
Similarly, separatists, looking to formalise Quebec's territorial
integrity and achieve "étapiste" goals of maximising autonomy and
getting all, particularly non-French Canadians, to identify with
Quebec nation, rather than Canada. Objectives:
if Canada 1sters, get them to Canada and Quebec
if "Canada and Quebec"-ers, get them to Quebec 1st, Canada 2nd.
if "Quebec 1st, Canada 2nd", get them to Quebec nation, Canada country
or federation.
if "Quebec nation, Canada federation" (as little visceral Canada
attachment possible), get them to "Quebec nation and country", point
final.

I could refer you to my old professors Bouthillier, Monière, etc., but
I'm sure you know this already. General population, through
combination ignorance, intellectual laziness and following elites'
lead, uses "(Q)québécois" when should be "(F)french (C)canadian". Last
time went to get Carte Soleil renewed, Mme la fonctionnaire remarked "pas
québécois, ton nom". I replied, "oui, c'est Québécois, autant que le
tien. Je suis Canadien, résident du Québec, donc mon nom est
Québécois". She meant it minuscule, as cultural adjective, instead of
"canadien français". But it should be upper case.

Gérard Bouchard is clear in writings that correct term for describing
descendents of Nouvelle France and those who have adopted their
identity (intermarriage, etc.) is French Canadian. He and other
nationalist-separatist thinkers, worried by intolerance in movement
post-1995, trying to square circle of liberalism and nationalism, try
to find inclusive language but also to inculcate Quebec national
identity. So in Quebec, we have French Canadians, subset of
Francophones, as well as Allophones, Anglophones and English
Canadians, subset of Anglophones, sans parler des peuples autochtones.
We are all Québécois or Quebeckers. And difficult if not impossible
goal of progressive nationalists is to get everyone to think of
themselves as part of Quebec nation. So useful to play with flou
between Québécois, as most inside and outside Quebec use term
incorrectly, to denote French Canadians as a nation, as they
undoubtedly are, and Québécois in its proper and legal sense, as all
those inhabitants of Quebec. In this way, language precedes identity
and loyalty. De souche provide example: from Français to Canadien to
Canadien français to Québécois. Now need to get others, inside and
outside Quebec, to go from Canadien to Canadien et Québécois to
Québécois tout court.

I assume you know this stuff, but did recap just in case.

2. "Harper has not said Québecers form a nation": yes he has, when you
says les Québécois forment une nation, as in French version, translates
as precisely that. Harper trying to protect his ass from critics by
pretending Québécois means French Canadian in English version.
Doesn't. See Pierre Martin.

3. Every moderately politically aware Canadian, yourself included,
understands that by recognising Quebeckers as nation, Quebec is or
soon will be recognised as nation, à l'Écosse. The (desired) confusion
between the nation of "Québécois" or Quebeckers who live in a
political unit known as Quebec, means Quebec is recognised as a
nation.

Conclusion: Joyal is right, Harper has recognised Quebeckers as
nation. Consequently, Harper is effectively referring to Quebec as a
nation. And you know what that means: "nous demandons, au nom de la
NATION Québécoise, A à Z, puis ta blonde en plus, sinon, nous vous
égorgeons!" (using Léon Dion's analogy-strategy)