The next thing to consider on Quebec referendum is whether or not the Quebecois are seeking separation or a special recognition as a ‘distinct society’. John C. Parkin’s quote, “The problem for a lot of people is that they don't really know what they want…” best describes the situation the Quebecois are in. In the past two referendums, Quebec emphasized on sovereignty-association and the acceptance of a unique society. During the second referendum, the separatists nearly seceded but was denied by a slight majority of 50.58 percent. According to an article from the Vancouver Sun, many Quebecers seek independence for reasons that are unrelated to economics and the cost of separating. It seems very clear, that if the Quebecois understood the real
In order to improve the socio-economic level of French-Canadians, Lesage’s chief aim was the modernization of Quebec (Babich & Béland, 2009, p. 264; Pious, 1973, p. 56). The Lesage government initiated many institutional reforms in the zones of education, health, and social welfare (Gossage & Little, 2012, p. 233). For instance, in 1961, Paul Gérin-Lajoie, minister for youth, revealed an increase in the age for compulsory school attendance from fourteen to fifteen and a plan to supply free textbooks to all students (Gossage & Little, 2012, p. 233). Furthermore, Quebec also took over health care from the Church, making Quebec the only province to decline the national pension plan in order to form the Quebec Pension Plan. As a result, the Lesage
While Laurier argued that Canada could complete effectively compete against the United States, popular opinion in either eastern or western Canada was not supportive of entering into free trade with the United States and its larger industrial capacity. As a result support for the Liberals was not as strong as what the Liberals might expect due to the fact that for many Western Canadians the fear of being assimilated into, or overrun by, the greater American population and America's greater industrial base was greater than potentially seeing some economic benefit offered from either reciprocity or a Commercial Union or free trade in any format. According to Baker this played into the Conservatives' hands due to the Liberals' making this the election's central issue because it formed a stark contrast between the Liberals and the Conservatives. The Liberal policy made many Canadians anxious about their political, social and economic futures while the Conservatives offered a clear alternative through allowing Canadians to stay on the same economic policy, and by extension guaranteeing the social and political futures of those who were concerned about the Liberal policy which turned out to be the sizeable majority of the Canadian
The square in Quebec’s downtown area was not even fully populated. It shows how unpopular he was. Parizeau had made his schedules packed to promote, but citizens were not affected by him. Even changing his words for voters to vote yes, “Vote yes and I will negotiate a new partnership with Canada”. During the referendum, Jacques Parizeau made a comparison between the referendum to a hockey game in the third period.
This statement proves that Trudeau is not only concern about the English speaking community or the French speaking community. He is trying to accommodate both community’s
Quebec wouldn’t succeed as a country because it will have an unstable or no economy at all, as well Quebec will have to make a government of their own and lastly they would have no means of seld defence. Québec would have a hard time being a country without considering these facts for the future of it’s citizens. Separating from a large country such as Canada has many consequences. One of the major consequences of separating from a country is the economy. The economy has to be
For this reason Quebec wants to separate from Canada. If they are politically separated they will have the power to make their own laws on whether on not
I can't speak to the ideals and aspirations of each individual Québécois, but I think the simplest answer is that, historically, Québec and Canada have two very separate (yet parallel?) histories. Unlike territories and nations that have been gradually annexed and welcomed into their current countries, Québec was taken much more forcefully by the British and the result was not favorable for the inhabitants of the former French colony. The British were not kind to the French in North America... as evidenced by their expulsion of the Acadians (many of whom relocated to Louisiana, where they now call themselves
However, many Quebecers saw it as a betrayal, and this sparked new separatist movements that were previously non-existent. Thus, the Constitution that Canada fought so hard to patriate for had a variety of drastically important
The Canadian political system is based entirely on democracy. As a democracy it has the duty “to protect itself against the forces of dissolution as soon as they [appear]” (Pierre Trudeau 133). Few people would disagree with the government’s decision to invoke the act. Surely because of the apprehension, almost everybody in the nation was feeling during the violent insurrection in Quebec. Resulting from “seven years of terrorist assaults in Montreal and Ottawa” (130) in which “resulted in six deaths” (Eric Kierans 181).
“Trudeaumania swept across Canada…for a few warm spring months in 1968 Pierre Elliot Trudeau synthesized the dreams, achievements, and illusions of the liberation era.” (Fellows and Wells, 2013). Trudeau ran under the slogan of creating “the Just Society” (Fellows and Wells, 2013) in Canada, and unlike Diefenbaker, Trudeau would manage to achieve what he promised the public. While Trudeau was in office he managed to implement reforms that expanded welfare, enabled parliament to be more efficient, and established true universal healthcare in Canada (Fellows and Wells, 2013) . All of these changes and reform were things that others had promised previous to Trudeau but constantly failed to
Furthermore, he was then asked by the interviewer how far he was going to take this situation and he said this famous quote “Just watch me”. Finally, near the end of the crisis the French-Canadians will realize they want to have their own country, coming forth an emerging democratic separatist
The root causes of Quebec separatism can go back hundreds of year, this is because the french and English speaking people fought over the new world, New France. New France, (now Canada) embodied French civilization in the western world, but as time passed the 15 min war also known as the Plains of Abraham had broken New France into Quebec and Canada creating the French colony to live inside the English Colony. As a minority in British North America and in the Dominion of Canada, Quebecers more exactly French Roman Catholic Quebecers made cultural and linguistic survival their prime objective. One popular device at the time to ensure survival has been a dualist interpretation of Canada’s 1867 Confederation, which Henri Bourassa described a
In many countries, conflict between different groups of people is inevitable. In Canada, the divide between English-speaking and French-speaking regions has been a prominent political and cultural topic since the birth of the nation. The most well known of these conflicts goes to Quebec. The province has sprouted several movements and parties supporting the autonomy and independence of Quebec. One of those parties is the Bloc Quebecois.
To call this era of drastic change the ‘Quiet Revolution’ is a vivid, and yet, paradoxical description. The Quiet Revolution was a time of intense socio-political and socio-cultural change in Quebec, which extended beyond Quebec’s borders because of its influence on contemporary Canadian politics. As a result of the effects of the changes that occurred during this Quiet Revolution, most Quebec provincial governments since the early 1960s have maintained political and social orientations based on the core concepts developed and implemented during the Quiet Revolution. As such, there is no doubt that the Quiet Revolution had a significant impact in Canadian History. This impact can be characterized by the prelude to the Quiet Revolution; the demographic evolution of Quebec; the social educational reforms that were put in place; the economic reforms and their impact; the rise of nationalism; and finally, the cultural changes that occurred.
This is especially evident in Trudeau’s account of how over-zealous nationalism prevented Quebec from modernizing prior to WWII, setting it behind the rest of the