French about-face on Canadian unity no surprise to Harper

“We didn't ask those who died here what region (of Canada) they were from. We knew what country they were from. We didn't even ask them what language they spoke. Those buried here, even if they didn't speak our language, saved us and helped us.”

- Nicolas Sarkozy's stirring declaration of love for Canada this week surprised Quebec separatists who saw it as an abrupt about-face from France's longtime neutrality on the issue of Canadian unity.

But sources in the Canadian government say the French president made it abundantly clear where he stood in his first meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper a year ago.

That encounter at the Elysee Palace made news only for the images it produced of the two leaders strolling the streets of Paris afterward and shaking hands with passersby on their way to lunch. Read more