One thing is certain to flow from NDP MP Peter Julian's decision to pull out of his party's leadership race.

Climate change will not attract as much attention.

That's because unlike the other candidates, Julian made it the centrepiece of his campaign.

Not only is he opposed to pipelines, the New Westminster-Burnaby MP is also an enthusiastic proponent of renewable energy.

"There's actually limitless potential for solar, for wind, and also for moving to a smart grid," Julian told the Straight in April. "We're seeing, increasingly, American states requiring clean energy."

Julian's withdrawal from the leadership race is also a blow against national unity. Born in New Westminster, he moved to Quebec in his 20s, attended university in Chicoutimi, and became fluent in French in his 15 years in La Belle Province.

He moved back to B.C. and was first elected to Parliament in 2004.

These deep roots in Quebec resulted in Julian attracting endorsements from a third of the Quebec NDP caucus.

But yesterday, he said that he wasn't meeting fundraising goals, so he dropped out of the leadership race.

Quebec sovereignty could be revived

Many residents of English-speaking Canada believe that the Quebec sovereignty movement is dead. It's understandable after two referendums were won by federalist forces.

In fact, the sovereignty movement is showing signs of renewal with the recent election in Quebec of young, articulate environmentalist and former student activist Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.

The new sovereignty movement could gather momentum should the federal government approve the Energy East pipeline. And the NDP's traditional ties to organized labour raise the possibility of the next leader not putting up a lot of resistance to that.

Should that occur or should the NDP elect a leader who doesn't resonate with Quebeckers, it's easy to see how the Bloc or some other sovereignist party could make major inroads in federal politics. Especially given Justin Trudeau's passion for approving pipelines.

This is why Julian's departure from the leadership contest should be of concern for everyone who wants Quebec to remain a progressive voice within Canada.

Without Quebec, Canada would likely be a meaner, more war-mongering, less cultured, and less generous country. That's not often articulated in English Canada, but it's a sentiment I suspect that Julian and many other very progressive federal politicians would privately acknowledge.