The Quebec Separatist Movement Of Canada

will no longer support by the French culture. Canada will hurt a lot because it

In Canadian history, nationalism and sovereignty tend to be common themes prevalent since Confederation. A well-known example of this in Quebec was during the Quiet Revolution which strengthened the need for change through Premier Lesage’s reforms and in turn, developed a strong sense of nationalism in Quebec. In contrast to beliefs that the rapid modernization of the Quiet Revolution had a positive impact on Quebec, it rather had a negative impact on Quebec and its citizens and identity. The three consequences which arose in Quebec as a result of the revolution are the encouragement of separatism, the elimination of traditional values and roles and the establishment of powerful bureaucratic control. Quebec’s attempt to be more like the

Although Canada can be defined as a nation state, its vast landscape means many people are faced with different views and mindsets. Source one simply shows the differences within the nation of Canada. Eastern and Western Canada, because of their geographical differences, can be faced with contending loyalties when it comes to some nations aspects of life. Different lifestyles under the same set of government creates a physiological barrier between a nation. The source also shows the differences in Quebec nationalism compared to the rest of Canada. Some groups like the FLQ or the Front for Liberation of Quebec are known for their extremist views of Quebec nationalism. The small group called the FLQ was active in the 1960’s and 1970’s and they

“Just watch me” are the defiant words uttered by Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau in response to the Front de liberation du Quebec (FLQ), a Marxist group who captained Quebec independence through indiscriminate political violence. His words are not those of an iron-fisted strongman, despite how strong and undetailed his comments were at the time, but those of a calculated and well-versed leader, whose decisions came at the behest of prominent Quebec politicians. The FLQ instilled a decade of social violence in the streets of Quebec by systemically championing the struggles of French minorities who perceived unjust treatment in everyday life. Their qualms quickly evolved from protest to a Marxist movement, which incorporated

Quebec was founded by French settlers during the 16th century. It was then conquered by the British (known as the conquest of New France in 1760). “The Philosophy of the Enlightment” allowed Britain’s victory to treat the French people with dignity as both nations were civilized societies (source?). The British allowed the French occupants to maintain cultural aspects such as language and traditions (source?). In effect, The Quebec Act was published in 1974, in efforts to ensure loyalty from the French as the British government worried that the remaining French people would support the American Independent War (source?). The act was favourable for French people; allowing the continual practice of

In 1976 Rene Levesque won the provincial election and became premier of Quebec with his party, Parti Quebecois. The separatists wanted to strengthen the French language and didn’t care about official bilingualism. So not long after taking office, the Parti Quebecois passed Bill 101, which is also known as the Charter of the French Language. It decreed that French was the single official language of the province of Quebec and that employees of the government had to work in French. Outdoor commercial signs had to be in French only and the children of immigrants would have to go to French schools. The Quebecois likes this new law because they thought their language and culture was becoming endangered. Birth rates in Quebec had gone down and the

Though the beginning of the separatist movement was marred by fighting and violence, the vast majority of the conflict has been a political one. The reason for the revolution in Quebec stems from the restrictions placed upon the populace by the English. These restrictions were on both the language and culture of the Quebecois, and caused them to feel trapped in under the English rule, for lack of a better term. This revolution is on a much less certain foot than the others however, with many of the younger citizens not remember the restrictions of days

The concept of recognizing Quebec as a distinct society is an idea that has been kicking around for some time, but just what does it mean and what are its broader implications? This paper will examine the origins of the term, what it means, and its historical context. It will then examine rival interpretations of federalism. The essay will conclude with an in-depth examination of the concept's involvement with the failed constitutional accords and the failed Quebec succession attempts.

In Greek mythology, a character by the name of Sisyphus was forced to roll a large boulder up a hill, only to watch it come back to hit him, repeating this action for eternity. Through this the word Sisyphean was formed, meaning a task that cannot be completed or useless to complete. Sisyphean labour can be used to describe Quebec’s efforts in secession. Quebec secession is unlikely to happen through the Clarity Act which was passed by the Parliament of Canada in 2000 which requires Quebec a ‘clear majority’ in order to secede (Flanagan). Even if Quebec secedes, it would seem useless and irrational as there would be many costs and unwanted precedents. An iconic quote, “With much power comes much responsibility” can be also indirectly associated

The Front de Liberation du Quebec was an extremist paramilitary organization, purposed with French-Canadian separatism, which officially operated from 1963 to 1970. Their primary goal was Quebec’s sovereignty from Canada. They were most prolific and media focused during the October Crisis, during which they executed Pierre Laporte and abducted James Richard Cross. These actions were accompanied by a media release by the FLQ, a manifesto. This proclamation highlighted the plights of Quebecers as being impoverished, unrepresented by their politicians, ignored by Canadian government, and exploited by Anglophone Canadians. The manifesto demanded that Quebec immediately sever political ties from Canada, and be recognized as a sovereign country. Violent as their actions were, the FLQ was successful in nationally representing the unjustness of the unrepresented Quebec citizen. Seven years after the conclusion of the October Crisis, Bill 101 Charter of the French Language, was signed. Bill 101 did not accomplish the exact goals of the FLQ’s attempted coup - the sovereign country of Quebec – but it accomplished a cultural resurgence in Quebec, namely more representation of Francophone-Canadian culture. Though the Front de Liberation du Quebec’s actions and demands, did not grant Quebec its political sovereignty, it spearheaded a movement that absolved the Francophone culture of Quebec from being assimilated into the Anglophone culture of Canada.

According to research conducted after the 1995 referendum, a large number of Quebecers, who speak French, believe that there is a real threat to the language. This is due to the fact that in the early 90s, francophones were the majority of people in Quebec, but that in the late 90s, they started to become the minority, which obviously scared a lot of people. By looking into more research as

Protecting the Francophone Community: Why Quebec’s Language Laws Work “If we do nothing, we will first become a minority in the only territory we can call our own” (Poliquin, 118). This is how the majority of francophones felt in their home province of Quebec. Without the language laws that have been implemented in Quebec today, the French language and its people would have truly suffered. In 1969, Canada officially became a bilingual country as a result of the Official Languages Act (OLA) (Laurendeau), to recognize the French-Canadian population that settled and expanded from Quebec in the 16th century (Behiels). This was the first step that officially recognized the French culture as a part of Canada.

Finally in 1867, the United Canadas joined two other British Colonies, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to form the Dominion of Canada (McRoberts 1991, 413). French-Canadians continued to fight against assimilation and received autonomous privileges with exclusive jurisdiction over matters regarding its cultural distinctiveness***. Thus, the Francophone language and culture has always been at the forefront of Quebec priorities. Since Confederation, Quebec nationalist have felt that the Francophone language and culture has been at risk of assimilation by the rest of Canada. As a result, Quebec nationalism is fundamentally rooted in the preservation of the Francophone language and culture (Guiberneau 2006, 52). Political leaders in Quebec continuously urge for the recognition that Canada is composed of two nations or cultures (McRoberts 1991, 413). Prior to confederation Quebec enjoyed numerous autonomous privileges. Unfortunately, post-confederation Quebec did not enjoy as many autonomous privileges because Canada was created as a relatively centralized federation (Beland and Lecours 2007, 406). A centralized federation not only took several of these autonomous powers away from Quebec, but it also threatened the Francophone language and culture (Beland and Lecours 2007, 406). With this said, Quebec nationalism has placed a great deal of pressure on the federal government to decentralize, giving more powers to provincial governments.

Canada and Quebec have always been in conflict from the confederation of 1867 to the Supreme court judgement on the secession of Quebec in 1998. Quebec faces several challenges in terms of constitutional relations with the rest of Canada. Quebec is seeking a special status to preserve and protect its culture and language, while the rest of English-speaking Canada accepts the view of provincial equality. There have been attempts to recognize Quebec's concerns through constitutional amendments, but these attempts have not lived up to Quebec's expectations and for the most parts have failed. Quebec has threatened Canada throughout history with separation from Canada. These threats have not been ignored,

Quebec is the only Canadian province populated by residents of French (rather than British) descent. Atwood wrote Surfacing at a time when the cultural differences between Quebec and the rest of Canada were manifesting themselves in terms of rising Quebec nationalism. The 1960s saw the Quiet Revolution in Quebec: a series of economic and educational reforms coupled with a secularization of society. The Quiet Revolution afforded Quebec greater political and economic autonomy, giving Quebec’s French citizens a sense of nationalism and a desire to separate from Canada. Atwood marks this political change in