Politics Unit One: Quebec Nationalism CPW4U Summer School 2016

Historical Roots Differences between English and French Canada goes back to our country’s founding: New France was settled by French explorers, while the remainder of Canada was predominantly settled by Britons When the British conquered New France as part of the war between parent countries, the bourgeois departed for France rather than continue under British rule As a result, the development of modern industry had to come from English Canada because there was the wealth to invest French Canada rallied around traditional elements that still had a strong tie to France, such as the Catholic Church

Historical Roots Britain had separated from the Catholic Church during the Reformation [Henry VIII] The British North America Act protected the Roman Catholic Church from the state, as a manner of preserving French language and culture in Quebec Quebec also maintains a system of civil law for the province, rather than common law – meaning that law in Quebec is based around a series of principles rather than decisions made in precedence The preservation of francophone culture in Quebec is so complete that some of today’s francophone population can use Church documents to trace their lineage all the way back to the founding French settlers

Historical Roots As a result, Quebec’s political ideology differs greatly from the rest of the country In English Canada, “nation” means the state; in French Canada, “nation” translates to a people or society Quebec fears assimilation will wipe out their culture in favour of the greater culture of the rest of Canada It is for this reason that Quebec has fought for recognition as a distinct society within Canada: it would mean constitutional protection against assimilation

Culture Politics In 1955, the Montreal Canadiens’ star player, Maurice Richard, was suspended for the remainder of the season and the playoffs for knocking out his own defenseman during a game in Boston This led to riots, as fans objected to the suspension as retribution against a team that a Torontonian would not like Since then, it has come to be recognized as an awakening in modern Quebec: the first concrete moment when English Canada did something deliberate to lessen the chance of success in French Canada

The Quiet Revolution In the 1960s, a nationalist movement in Canada began, seeking legal ways to assert greater control of Quebec’s destiny on behalf of Quebecers In other words, those who believed in the Quiet Revolution wanted to lessen the influence of both English Canada and the Roman Catholic Church Education systems and labour laws were reformed Hydro Quebec became nationalized Quebec formed it own pension plan, the QPP Quebec began to challenge federal-provincial relations to affirm their self identity

The Not-So Quiet Revolution In October 1970, a group of ultra-nationalists calling themselves the Front de Liberation de Québec (FLQ) kidnapped the British trade minister Days later, the Quebec Labour Minister, Bernard Landry, was kidnapped and killed This led Prime Minister Pierre E. Trudeau to trigger the War Measures Act to arrest those associated with the FLQ and assure peace through the deployment of the military in Montreal and Ottawa

What is the significance of kidnapping those specific targets? question: What is the significance of kidnapping those specific targets?

Les Pésquistes In 1968, Quebec nationalists formed a new provincial party called the Parti Québécois The first leader was Réné Lévesque In 1976, following the failure of the Robert Bourassa government to lower unemployment and keep down rising costs due to hyperinflation, the PQ (or Péquistes) won the election and became the ruling party In 1977, they passed Bill 101 Bill 101 demands all outdoor signs had to be in French — and French only

How did Bill 101 represent Quebec nationalism? question: How did Bill 101 represent Quebec nationalism?

How did Bill 101 impact the future of Quebec nationalism? question: How did Bill 101 impact the future of Quebec nationalism?

Separation The most controversial component of the Parti Quebec ideology is the desire to separate from Canada and form their own country Quebec nationalism got a tremendous boost in 1967 when Charles De Gaulle said from the mayor’s balcony in Montréal: “Vive Le Montréal! Vive Le Québec! Vive Le Québec Libre!” De Gaulle’s visit also gave another boost to Quebec nationalism when the federal government of Canada refused to welcome De Gaulle’s official visit, ordering him back to France instead With Joe Clark’s promise of staying out of Quebec political decisions, Lévesque decided to try a referendum for separation in 1980 — only to end up facing Pierre Trudeau instead of Clark during the campaign

Separation The “No” side won 55% to “Yes’” 45% Pierre Trudeau’s response was to try and repatriate the Constitution so that it reflected the ideal Canadian view of Canadian sovereignty rather than that of the British Crown After Quebec’s failure to sign it, more meetings were held to find a compromise that Quebec could accept In 1987, the Meech Lake Accord was rejected by other nations who believed that they deserved a spot at the bargaining table as well

Separation Failed attempts to get the federal government of Canada to recognize Quebec as a distinct society led the PQ to form a federal branch called the Bloc Quebecois led by Conservative-defector Lucien Bouchard As part of the desire for change in 1993. the official opposition against the winning Liberals became the Bloc Quebecois A second referendum happened in 1995, and the proposal for separation defeated by less than 1% In the following election, Reform Party workers were telling voters in Alberta and British Columbia the results in Quebec to ensure voters would cast more ballots for an official opposition that was not dedicated to the break up of Canada as the BQ/PQ did