A former Parti Québécois premier who watched his province come within a hair of voting for independence from Canada says sovereignty is more pertinent than ever in an increasingly globalized world.

Former PQ premier Jacques Parizeau says there's still life in Quebec's independence movement. (CBC)Jacques Parizeau, 79, makes his personal argument for Quebec's sovereignty in his new book, La Souveraineté du Québec: Hier, aujourd’hui et demain, which is being released in French on Monday.

An English version titled An Independent Quebec: The past, the present and the future will be published next year.

Parizeau argues in his book that as the world’s economy, communications and cultures become increasingly interwoven, the nation state becomes more essential for individuals.

“In the face of the potential threats, abuses and diversions – beyond the indisputable advantage – posed by globalization, a citizen only has one protection: the state,” the former premier and finance minister writes.

Quebec’s sovereignty movement needs a shot of adrenaline because “the faces have changed but we can’t say the same for the ideas,” he argues.

The book spans much of Parizeau’s political career, which mirrors Quebec’s key historical milestones, including the PQ's first electoral win in 1976, the 1980 and 1995 sovereignty referendums, and the failure of the Charlottetown Accord in 1992.

Referendum predicted

Parizeau proposes a constitutional, economic and environmental framework for an independent Quebec, and predicts the province will hold a third referendum, but stops short of offering any concrete ideas to advance the sovereignty movement.

Parizeau opened a Pandora's Box for the PQ when he blamed "money and the ethnic vote" for losing the 1995 referendum. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)He also criticizes a recently formed civic movement in Quebec that calls for fiscal prudence in light of the province’s mounting debt and aging population.

The movement, which includes some of the province’s leading policy makers, academics and publishers, released a manifesto in 2005 called “A Clear-eyed Vision of Quebec” that stresses the province’s fiscal and economic challenges because of its debt load.

Parizeau says Quebec’s debt is within range of other countries, according to the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development. Quebec is the most heavily indebted province in Canada.

Parizeau said it was time for him to sum up his political thoughts because he is “on my way out,” as he told a popular Radio-Canada talk show on Sunday night.

He shied away from speaking ill of any former PQ colleagues. But Parizeau criticizes French President Nicolas Sarkozy for supporting a united Canada.

Important adviser

Parizeau, an economist with a PhD from the London School of Economics, was an important adviser to political leaders during Quebec’s Quiet Revolution, eventually becoming a key player in the sovereignty movement.

In the early 1960s, he advised René Lévesque, then a Liberal natural resources minister, on nationalizing the province’s hydro facilities. Parizeau later helped lay down a fiscal framework for Quebec's pension plan.

He joined the newly formed Parti Québécois in 1969.

When Lévesque led the rising sovereigntist party to power in Quebec's 1976 election, he named Parizeau finance minister.

Parizeau later served as premier between 1994 and 1995, before stepping down following inflammatory comments he made on the night of Quebec’s second sovereignty referendum.

After losing the Yes vote by less than a percentage point, Parizeau told a crowd of Péquistes that they were defeated by “money and the ethnic vote," a comment that would become his most famous quote.

He resigned as Parti Québécois leader and premier the next day.