What Is The Role Of The Quebec Economy During The Quiet Revolution

Furthermore, the Lesage administration managed to carry out a series of reforms that rejected traditional Catholic views and accelerated the modernization, bureaucratization, and influence of the state. This included building structures to cope with the demands of mass education and the welfare state. These reforms brought the state much closer to private life (Dickinson and Young, 305). As such, educational reform was a key symbol that, to this day, represents the changes made in the wake of the Quiet Revolution (Linteau). The baby boom generation, which had now reached adolescence, created a dramatic situation that pushed Quebec’s weak education system to a dire state (Durocher). Education was underneath the Catholic church, and the system

Under the slogan ‘Maîtres Chez Nous’ (Masters in own house). The Quebec government became an active player in the economy of the 1960s, contributing to the economic advancement of Francophones (Dickinson and Young, 312- 313). The most vital move was the nationalization of private electricity companies. Huge power developments along the North Shore in the 1960s and in the James Bay drainage basin in the 1970s created thousands of Jobs and a generating capacity that enabled Quebec to export electricity to New England (Dickinson and Young, 313). Unlike in previous years, Francophones were able to work entirely in French and establish technical, scientific, and managerial skills (Durocher). As such, the Hydro Quebec project grew to be an important symbol in Quebec because it demonstrated the strength and initiative of the Quebec government. Along with the success of Hydro- Quebec, the government created no less than 13 state corporations in the 1960s (Dickinson and Young, 313). More public institutions were created to follow through with the desire to increase the province’s economic autonomy. Public companies were created to exploit the province’s natural resources, which was a massive step away from the Duplessis era. However, these economic reforms also had negative impacts on the Indigenous Peoples of Quebec. Resource development, particularly Hydroelectric developments such as the James Bay complexes changed life in Native homelands by flooding traditional trapping areas (Dickinson and Young, 341). Also, lack of economic control over traditional Native territory was an ongoing problem. The James Bay agreement provided compensation to the Cree for allowing Hydro- Quebec, but despite such agreements aboriginal people in Quebec continued to suffer from discrimination and unemployment (Dickinson and Young, 342). In 1981 the average annual income of a non- native Canadian was