Bill 60, a.k.a. The Quebec Charter of Values

Long before the October Crisis in the 1970’s, the Parti Quebecois has been trying to separate from Canada. The Parti Quebecois has implemented their own charter called Bill 60 in order amend the current Canada Charter of Rights and Freedoms which is entrenched in the Constitution of Canada. If this proposed bill were to be passed, it will cause many problems amongst the citizens of Quebec in terms of diversity as it will be banning some of the most important guaranteed rights stated in the Constitution: Freedom of expression and freedom of religion. Although there are positives to a secular state, there are also a few negatives if you were to look closely. Citizens moved to places like Canada to practice their freedom, not to have them taken away. Taking away these rights could start separatist groups and maybe even start wars within the province of Quebec. The reason why this bill is being proposed it that they Parti Quebecois would like to see more equality between men and women (cbc.ca). There really is no reason for this bill to be passed as it shows how weak Quebec is mainly because they are afraid of losing their own culture.

Stephen J. Troope speaks to many everyday Canadians in his writing “Oh Hockey, Medicare and Canadian Dreams.” He explains how current Canadian defining features such as hockey and medical programs fail to best characterize the country and its future directions. Troope clearly advocates for a culture change of many Canadians to celebrate other features of Canada rather than the mundane stereotypes that inadequately symbolize true values. Troope explores many of the future possibilities that lies ahead for Canada. Through an underlying moral cause, Troope fails to form a very effective critique through his lack of credibility, misuse of ethical appeals, and a confusing inadequate ending.

Jocelyn Letourneau’s is a history professor that wrote the essay “Reconstructing the Canadian Identity”. The author argues that if one compares the Harper government's idea of conservatism against Trudeau’s idea of multiculturalism, the reader can infer that multiculturalism is failing and Canada should go back to its monarch roots. By bringing back symbols of monarchy, a new Canadian perspective would form. Letourneau’s essay is structured in a very well and composed matter. His arguments and connections are structured in proper format where his whole essay can be linked and understood easily by the average individual. Although Letourneau’s essay is structured in a proper format, it is without its faults. The essay contains many fallacies that give his arguments a weak perspective on the topic. Also throughout his essay, the author appears to be taking a side within his argument. His bias viewpoint makes himself, and his work uncredible to the reader.

Another attack at the French Canadian heritage came in the form Pierre Trudeau's 'Just Society' ideology. Trudeau had promised René Levesque that that separate nationwide referendums in order to amend both, the Constitution, and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms8. However, Trudeau went back on his word to Levesque, and decided to make amendments with the other provinces without the input of Quebec9. Through the personal actions of Trudeau towards Quebec, he made a very unjust decision, as he did not keep his initial promise to Levesque, in which he said he would discuss amendments with Levesque as well. By creating several agreements with the other provinces, ensuring a majority over Quebec, he displayed the traits of an unjust society. Trudeau`s poor decision came at the expense of French Canadian heritage, as their needs were not met. In conclusion, the threat to French Canadian heritage played an important role in the needs of French Canadians not being met.

Prior to the Quebec Referendums, many national movements in regards to national movement which drove nationalism of French ethnicity. In order to understand what the Quebec Referendums reveal about Canadian government reveals, the context the Quebec Referendum was set needs to be understood as well as the existing strained relationship between Canadians and Quebecois. Prior to the referendums, Quebec nationalists and federalists have been dominant figures in Canadian politics. In essence, this paper explores 1) the context prior to the referendum in order to illustrate the significance of the Quebec referendum, 2) briefly discuss the referendum results and 3) tie in the following in order to exemplify what the Quebec Referendums reveal about Canadian Government. As this paper will illustrate, the referendums are multi-faceted issues and as Boucher brings up, what happen to the true Canadianism, "compromising to avoid confrontation and reaching consensus"? Unfortunately for Quebecois, in order to protect their distinct identity, they have been depicted as an insensitive tyrant by dealing with direct confrontation. On a superficial level, the Quebec Referendums reveal the Canadian government is divided amongst two distinct cultures of Quebecois and Inuit who make up a

The story Barbara Ehrenreich provides throughout her novel, Nickel and Dimed has been critical to the study of political ideologies within our society, from the date it was published in 2001 to today. The political implications of poverty in our society is crucial to understanding when looking through a social development lense. There are many ideological political routes to take to help mitigate or resolve the poverty issues within the country, which can be looked at through social policies and social development. Ehrenreich provides a qualitative research analysis into the life of those living in poverty through a covert field research perspective. The welfare state has always been a controversial topic within Canada, throughout the rise and fall of it all. However, this book outlines some of the key concerns surrounding the welfare state which could help those in power have a more qualitative understanding.

The movement of Quebec sovereignty, if it were to be implemented, would have substantial consequences, not only on Quebec but also on Canada as a whole. For this reason, the movement should be challenged. It is ironic how much of Quebec advocates for independence, yet the effects would be economically detrimental. If Quebec succeeded in being granted independence, it “would need to negotiate with the rest of Canada about assuming its share of federal debt” (Ragan, Christopher). This additional debt, which would equate approximately to 154 billion dollars, would be equal to 92 percent of the province’s gross domestic product (Ragan, Christopher). Undoubtedly, this would shake Quebec’s fiscal stability. There is also the possibility of Quebec

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

The document alleges that the “Liberal victory clearly demonstrates that what we call democracy in Quebec has always been, and still is, a “democracy” of the rich”. Many Francophones viewed the victory of the Liberal party as the workings of an entrenched elite, which isolated the majority French speaking population. The manifestos reference to the most recent election, only a year prior to the events of the ‘October Crisis’ provide insights into the broader populations feeling at this time. Disenfranchised, exploited, and a feeling that federal government is skewing the political reality of the

This discussion tackles the Quebec 1995 referendum, more especially regarding what would have been the consequence of a Yes Vote during the referendum. This topic is important, considering that it focuses on as issue of high political ramification, which has also found subsequent applications worldwide, with several other sections of different countries holding referendums to seek for a right to govern themselves as sovereign states. The significance of this topic rests in the fact that the Quebec 1995 referendum had a long political history which did not have an implication on Canada alone, but high potential implications on

Justin Trudeau spoke to the political risks of this charter; he says that the PQ has miscalculated her expectations of what Quebecers will respond to. It is a significant factor in the process, some people may comply with this secular change and some will fight back against the

The issues are compelling, the future of Quebec in Canada, and the future of our Senate seem like urgent issues that require immediate attention. Looks can be deceiving though, and the case for both of these issues are not as strong as they seem at first glance. First we are going to look at Quebec’s place in the constitutional family, to show why getting their signature is simply a

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

Discrimination is a big topic it can be blatantly out of discussion but it is important to stress that people of all race, gender and sex, religion or even sexual orientation. In Canada specifically has done some reasonable set of legal protections to prevent Canadians from being discriminated against but sometimes it is not that easy and things turn out of people’s control and will. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a section of the Canadian Constitution that makes it illegal for the government of Canada, and the provincial government to pass laws that either plainly discriminate against certain Canadians on the basis of their identity. Place an unfair burden on one group over another. The Supreme Court of Canada routinely overturns laws they perceive to be discriminatory on the grounds of Charter protections. Canada’s legislation called the Canadian Human Rights Act that prevents private entities, such as employers, landlords, schools, and stores from discriminating against clients or customers on the basis of identity. Discrimination cases of these sorts are decided by a government known as the Human Rights Tribunal that has the power to issue fines and or other corrective actions. The various provincial governments have their own human rights laws.

There has been lots of changes made in the law regarding status of a women but when it is practicing women still continue to suffer discrimination, harassment and humiliation. Women’s position in the society is taken as serious, they are not treated equally with men and lacks respect.