Quebec, Canada

Ss6h2 – Describe Quebec’s independence movement

The French and Indian War The French and Indian War was a small part of the Seven Years’ War (1754-1763) that was fought all over the world. Britain and France were fighting for full control of the eastern colonies in the area of today’s Canada.

The Quebec Act (1774) Britain won the French and Indian War. Because of all the trouble that was happening just south of Canada, Britain passed the Quebec Act stating that Britain did not require the old French colonies to assimilate culturally.

The Quebec Act Britain was also hoping that if they did not force the Francophone population to leave/change, France would support Britain if the 13 colonies were to rebel. The Act also extended the boundary of Quebec to all the way to the Ohio River.

Canadian Religion The Quebec Act allowed for existing religions to allow them to continue to practice their own religion. Eastern Canada today – especially Quebec – is composed primarily of French-speaking Roman Catholics, whereas the rest of Canada is largely English-speaking Protestants.

Quebec Independence The political movement for Quebec to separate from Canada as an independent, French-speaking nation can be traced back to a controversial 1967 speech delivered by French president Charles de Gaulle. He said “Vive le Québec libre!” which means “Long live a free Quebec!” This caused for Quebec’s quest for independence began in to strengthen.

The Movement Referendums on Quebec’s sovereignty took place in 1980 and in 1995; both were unsuccessful. The province’s separatist movement has been fairly dormant since then; however, in the wake of the 2016 Brexit vote, the potential for a third referendum looms. The Brexit vote is the possibility of the UK leaving the European Union. In a referendum on 23 June 2016, 51.9% of the participating UK electorate voted to leave the EU. The UK is thus due to leave the EU on 29 March 2019.