1. French-English Relations in the 1980s & 1990s
Referendum, 1980:
1980 Quebec held its first referendum on the issue of “sovereignty-association” with rest of Canada
Referendum: Political issue submitted to a direct vote by all citizens
Proposal being voted on included:
Quebec would be an independent state, would be in control of its own taxes, of its own social policies, of its own citizenship and immigrations
Would keep close economic ties with Canada
So, no = yes to Canada; yes = no to Canada
Results: of the 90% of the Quebec population who could cast their vote did, of which 60% voted “No” to the proposal
Trudeau promised that he would have a new constitutional arrangement for Quebec if the proposal was defeated
Patriating of the Constitution occurred

2. French-English Relations in the 1980s & 1990s II
Constitution Act, 1982:
As you know, Canada’s original constitution – the BNA Act, 1867 – was an act of British Parliament
PM Trudeau wanted Canada’s Constitution to belong to Canada, aka, he wanted it to be “repatriated”
November 1981, 10 Premiers met to draft the new constitution
Final night, everyone – with the exception of Quebec’s Rene Levesque – were summoned to view final revisions, and agreed to sign the Act
Levesque & Quebec felt betrayed and would not sign.

3. French-English Relations in the 1980s & 1990s III
Meech Lake Accord, 1987:
PM Mulroney and 10 premiers (including Premier Bourassa from Quebec) met at Meech Lake to change the constitution to include Quebec
This was Mulroney’s attempt to create constitutional harmony from coast to coast to coast
All ten premiers were able to reach a tentative agreement
Next step: all provinces & Ottawa must consent to the agreement
Not going to be easy…

4. Meech Lake Accord II Number of Concerns:
Quebec was referred to as a “distinct society”
French speakers in Quebec wanted a separate definition of what it meant to be Quebecois
This was left open to interpretation: English-Canadians were worried
Aboriginal Peoples felt that Quebec should not get “distinct society” status if they weren't
So, NFLD, then NB & MAN did not ratify the MLA
Led by aboriginal leader, Elijah Harper, Manitoba did not sign the accord

5. Accord FAIL! Meech Lake Proposal
Five parts made up the proposed Accord:
Quebec would be considered “distinct society”
Three of nine Supreme Court Judges were to come from Quebec
Any amendments to the new constitution would require agreement from all 10 provinces
Provinces could chose to opt out of federal funding
Quebec would be able to control its own immigrations
The Meech Lake Accord became known as the Quebec Round of the constitutional amendments
Accord FAIL!

6. French-English Relations in the 1980s & 1990s IV
Charlottetown Accord, 1992:
Much had been the case in 1987, the issue of a constitutional amendment came to the forefront yet again
Meech Lake’s failure = no Quebec in the constitution
What the Charlottetown Accord aimed to do:
Provisions for aboriginal self-government
Senate reform
Universal health care
Worker’s rights
Environmental protection
This round of negotiations was known as the Canada Round

7. Charlottetown Accord II
The Canada round also included:
The Canada Clause
In addition to the “Distinct society” clause for Quebec
The Canada Clause:
Outlined values and characteristics that define all Canadians, including a commitment to the equality of men and women, and the well-being of all Canadians
The Vote:
Results: only 4 of 10 provinces approved
6 provinces felt that the provisions were too large and daunting
Aboriginals, women, and the Reform Party were also against CA

8. French-English Relations in the 1980s & 1990s V
Bloc Quebecois:
Following the 1993 election, the federal separatist party – Bloc Quebecois – became the Official Party of Opposition in Canada
Led by Lucien Bouchard
Despite the fact that he worked for the “Yes” side in Quebec’s 1980 referendum and he was former member of Brian Mulroney’s Conservative Party (Law School buddies)
Held posts such as Secretary of State, and Minister of the Environment
Did not like the way Meech Lake Accord was going
Mulroney has said his “most regrettable and costly error as Prime Minister was trusting Bouchard”

9. French-English Relations in the 1980s & 1990s VI
Parti Quebecois:
Following the 1993 Federal Election, the Provincial Liberal government lost the Quebec Provincial Election in 1994
Led by Jacques Parizeau, the Parti Quebecois came to power

10. French-English Relations in the 1980s & 1990s VII
The Referendum, 1995:
The rejection of Charlottetown left many in Quebec feeling that the rest of Canada was indifferent to their wishes
So, 1995, Jacques Parizeau decided to hold another referendum on the question of Quebec’s sovereignty
Following a heated campaign, the results came back much closer than the first referendum in 1980
The “Non” side won with 50.6% of the vote (no = yes for CAN)

11. Referendum, 1995 II What’s next for Quebec? New Question…
Parizeau resigned as the leader of the PQ, he was replaced by Lucien Bouchard (stepped down as leader of Bloc Quebecois)
Bouchard “had” every intention of calling for another sovereignty referendum, but would only do so under “winning conditions”
New Question…
Could Quebec legally separate from Canada on a unilateral (alone) basis, of did separation require the consent of all of the provinces?

12. Sovereignty allowed, oui or non?
Calgary Declaration, 1997:
As a “goodwill” gesture, the Canadian Government declared Quebec to be a unique society (not distinct) as part of the Calgary Declaration
PQ Leader Bouchard did not attend this meeting
Supreme Court Decision, 1998:
Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Quebec did not have the right to separate unilaterally from Canada
To achieve independence, sovereignty would have to negotiate with the federal gov’t, the provinces, the aboriginal nations living in Que. and any other minorities living there
These negotiations could only happen if a “clear majority” voted “yes” to a “clear question” – Separation was not as easy as the PQ had said it was…
Clarity Act, 1999:
Passed to ensure that any future referenda must have a clear question and be won by a clear majority