Quebec Separatist Movement Case Study

In further analysis, angry people are more likely to listen to militants and commit violent acts, building a tense environment for Quebec citizens to live in. According to CBC Digital Archives, in response to the FLQ and other revolutionary groups forming, “when innocent people became injured from terrorist attacks, the cry for police involvement became shrill.” (FLQ Backgrounder Web) It is evident in this statement that many separatists who resorted to acts of terrorism consequently stimulated anger and fear in Quebec. If the Quiet Revolution had not occurred and the feelings of separatism and rise of terrorist groups did not follow, fewer people would have been hurt by the violence, both directly and indirectly. All things considered, the encouragement of separatism also weakened English-French relations as Quebec left 30 large shared programs, though the other provinces did not have the right to do so. All things considered, “from the Quebec Act of 1774 to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Canada has protected the place of its French minority. If Quebec were to separate, that protection would be gone and the Francophone society would be assimilated by the wider world within a generation or two.” (Kheiriddin) In relation to this comment, many English Canadians viewed Quebec’s special status during the revolution as

The relationship between the Canadian government and Quebec has been in constant turmoil for years. This paper will discuss and critique Quebec’s five demands made in 1986 by the Liberal government and their current implications. Reasonable demands are ones in which a limited amount of asymmetrical federalism grants provincial sovereignty. Currently all provinces have certain guaranteed rights, however Quebec’s rights provide more autonomy. Quebec, though home to the largest population of French speaking Canadians, have asked too much of the Government of Canada. This is evident Quebec’s increased control over immigration, Supreme Court Justices appointment, and their veto on future constitutional negotiations. Conversely, the demand of recognizing Quebec as a distinct society is however reasonable and has been accommodated into Canadian society, and the ability to restrict federal spending power keeps the federal power in check. In this essay, I will discuss each demand, and argue whether or not it is reasonable.

It is interesting to note that this sweep, in which the Progressive-Conservatives essentially dominated in all provinces never got the same attention that the Liberals' victories had received in the 1960s and 1970s and in particular Trudeau's stature among the population versus Mulroney's is noteworthy. There was no sort of Mulroneymania among the press and the general population. The question is why did Mulroney fail, despite having greater electoral success in 1984 than Trudeau did in 1968, why was Mulroney unable to capture the same amount of the enthusiasm that Trudeau had in 1968? It may have to do with the fact that many of the key platform planks among the Liberals and the Progressive-Conservatives were similar, in particular when it came to Quebec. I was surprised just how closely Mulroney's Quebec policy, despite being a Progressive-Conservative, mirrored that of Trudeau's. In addition, when it comes to discussing Quebec politics, it is rather surprising to see the Quebec population, which was by-in-large politically left-leaning, vote en masse for a Progressive-Conservative party running on a neoconservative platform, the fact that Mulroney promised

In the political history of Canada there was no greater event to test the strength and harmony of Confederation than the first referendum for Quebec sovereignty in 1980. Interestingly, the 1960’s and the Quiet Revolution brought a renaissance for French Canadian culture and sense of identity to the people within Quebec. For nearly two decades the French Canadians within Quebec reverted to their historical roots and with the help of essential politicians, Quebec was on the forefront of independence. Therefore, what were the catalysts for the first referendum in 1980 and were there any political, economic, or cultural factors, or a combination thereof that formed the catalysts? The Quebec Referendum of 1980 was due to a combination of catalysts

In 1980 The PQ government called a referendum asking weather Quebec should have a new agreement with the rest of Canada. The No side won by a slim margin. In response to the referendum Pierre Trudeau promised to reform the Constitution. "Do you want "a new agreement with the rest of Canada, based on the equality of nations"? That was the heart of the question placed before the people of Quebec in the May 20, 1980 referendum. René Lévesque's Parti Québécois was asking Quebecers for a mandate to negotiate "sovereignty-association", an idea that inflamed federalists and separatists alike.

Canada faced dramatic changes through the decades of the 1960’s and 1970’s, but in particular the province of Quebec. In 1959, Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis died, this marked the beginning of the Quiet Revolution. Duplessis was the Union Nationale leader and the party had controlled Quebec for decades until shortly after Duplessis’ death, a provincial election was held where the Liberals, led by Jean Lesage, had won the vote. The Liberals started moving away from the Catholic ideologies, traditions were being shifted and a transformed society was taking over the province of Quebec. Lesage was famously quoted in 1962 “There is no doubt in my mind; it’s now or never that we must become masters in our own home.” which became the Liberals

The rest of Canada was tired of constitutional matters. However, the alienation of Québec contributed to the poisoned atmosphere following the debate over distinct society, which brought the separatist group Parti Quebecois back into power. The PQ returned in the 1994 Quebec election under Jacques Parizeau, he believed that this might be the last opportunity for sovereignty for the foreseeable future. The Parti Quebecois advocated for national sovereignty, a world where Quebec is an independent country. They were heavily supported in the beginning, but the “Yes” votes dropped.

Pierre Trudeau Pierre Elliot Trudeau was the Prime Minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and again from 1980 to 1984. During his time he impacted Canada in variety of ways and became one of most important political figures in Canadian history.

The Meech Lake Accord was an opportunity for change that was missed, but provided as a lesson for change in the future. Since, Quebec did not sign the Constitution, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney wanted to fix the relation between the country and Quebec’s dissatisfaction (Colyer, et al, 2010, p. 371). He wanted to unify the country together, so in 1987, The Meech Lake Accord was formed, it would give the provinces more power, and recognize Quebec as a distinct society and a minority (Gall, 2015, online). At first there was much support for this Accord, but soon this dwindled, as Former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was opposed it, saying it would encourage the separatists in Quebec by making Quebec feel like less of Canada (Colyer, et al, 2010, p. 371). Additionally, many women stood up and argued that Quebec being a distinct society would allow Quebec to override the Charter of Rights and Freedom and deprive them of their rights (Colyer, et al, 2010, p. 372). Indigenous people also argued if Quebec was distinct society they should be too, and it ignored their rights and place in Canada. In order to change the Constitution all 10 provinces had to sign in a three year period. Elijah Harper an indigenous chief and member of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, voted NO and this was part of the failure of The Meech Accord and a turning point for the indigenous people of Canada, Phil Fontaine an indigenous leader said, "We came to the realization very quickly that our voice mattered. We could make history, we could change the course of history. We knew and understood what was possible." (CBC News, 2016, online). Although The Meech Lake Accord was a failure, it reflected the diversity of Canada and proved as a valuable lesson that still applies today. It showed how Canada wanted to change and this attempt provided

They were at the point where they wanted to be separated from Canada and become their own country Pearson wanted to control and focus on the strained relationship between Ottawa and Quebec. To do this, he thought it would be smart to recruit three leading Quebec activists into the Federal Government so that Quebec could felt they had an important spot in Canada. These three men were known as “the three wise men”. Their names were Jean Marchand, Gerald Pelletier, and Jean Marchand. This shows that Pearson, although he was English-Canadian, knew that the French-Canadians were a huge part of making Canada the country that it was. Just because they spoke a different language did not mean they had any less rights then the English-Canadians. Pearson saw this and knew it was his duty to make the French Canadians welcome in their own home country so they would stop pushing for separation. This is an important part to Canada’s legacy because if Quebec did end up separating from the rest of Canada, it would have a big impact on everyone. Our country is not that same without Quebec. Pearson helped keep things calmer between the French-Canadians and the English-Canadians. One other great thing that Pearson did for us was he helped create the Canada/USA Auto

The historical context of the Quebec Separatist movement includes The Quiet Revolution. The Quiet Revolution was a long built up of many groups that mostly contained with Francophones, French-speaking citizens, who wants independence from Canada. First, Canada made a bill stating that it will create a better future for Canada. “The Official Language Bill is a reflection of the nature of this country as a whole and of a conscious choice we are making about our future.” Canada wants to be a whole and having one language will make them feel like a whole. After this bill, Canada’s government did believed that there should be two official language, yet the citizens of Canada was still deciding if they wanted that to become a law. “We believe in two official languages and in a pluralist society not merely as a political necessity but as an enrichment.” This started to upset Francophones because the government was still deciding if they wanted French to be the second

In 1963 the Quebecois movement for greater sovereignty started upon the election of the Parti Quebecois with it’s Quebec first policies after its rise following the failures of the current government led by Brian Mulroney after his handling of the meech lake accord. Mulroney’s way of dealing with this was to win Quebec over through Canada’s “recogniz[ing] the province of Québec as a distinct society within Canada.” these were widely accepted amongst Canadians until people such as Pierre Elliott Trudeau began to speak out against because of all the federal power these reforms would take away and give to the provincial

Trudeau’s approach to the situation provided Canadians security and safety. During Trudeau’s time in office, Quebec separatism was becoming an alarming issue. A terrorist organization, Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ), was formed in an effort to separate Quebec from the rest of Canada. The extremist brought havoc to Quebec and demanded separation from the “Anglo”(English speaking). On October 5, 1970, the FLQ kidnapped British trade commissioner James Cross. They demanded the release of FLQ members, the payment of $500,000, the publication of the FLQ manifesto and an airplane ticket to either Cuba or Algeria. After, the FLQ went on to kidnap Quebec Cabinet Minister of Labour and Immigration, Pierre Laporte, on October 10, 1970. In retaliation and for the security of the people, Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act. The War Measures Act, called in military personnel in Quebec to restore order, provide security and to help bring an end to the FLQ. With these circumstance the War Measures Act was appropriate action taken, as it brings security to the people of Quebec. Furthermore, it is key to remember the FLQ was a terrorist organization and it was important that Trudeau eliminate the threat they posed to Canadians. Ricci writes in his novel Pierre Elliott Trudeau, “FLQ had been implicated in six deaths and in more than two hundred bombings in Quebec, including

More so, many Quebeckers were finding greater economic opportunities in the United States, which fostered concerns about the economic isolation of Quebec, which could ultimately become part of the United States and lose any form of Francophone independence: “Quebec’s economic weakness could be seen already in the flood of emigration toward the United States” (Silver 46). In this case, the underlying debate about provincial rights in the new federal government had to be addressed to ensure that Ontario did not usurp the provinces under a primarily Anglophone government. These clashing interest define how the threat of British colonialism and the economic and military aggression of the United States posed a major threat to Cartier and the Bleu Parti (Smith 43). These political negotiations defined the major efforts to unify the nation under MacDonald and Cartier’s federal plan as the two major provinces of Canada. This political culture created an opportunity to provide greater legislative and principal authority to countermand the new central government created through the Canadian

During the 1960s, Quebec nationalism changed to focus on reform and independence. These changes effected French-English relations in many ways. First, Quebec’s new independent attitude caused tension between French and English Canadians because of many reforms brought in by the Lesage government. Secondly, Quebec’s new attitude also tried to improve French-English relations with the creation of the Bi and Bi Commission. Also, Quebec’s government started to make decisions on their own which didn’t sit very well with the Canadian government. “The government embarked on a series of reforms that altered substantially conditions in Quebec: … creation of the Quebec Pension Plan (1965) … The second source of tension has already been pointed out: the Lesage government brought in many