Quebec Should be Independent Essay

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

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.

However, Quebec’s nationalism also helped improve French-English relations with the Bi & Bi Commission. “The official Languages act is passed, which made Canada bilingual, as a Nation. The French Canadians alienation from the rest of Canada, was growing and problematic, the commission was used in attempt to try and unify the country. It was a very Influential commission, making Canada Bilingual as a nation” (Alderson, Lauren). This quote shows how the Bi & Bi Commission which was created to make Canada bilingual, tried to improve French-English relations by placing both languages on equal footing in Canada. Finally, Quebec’s change in nationalism added tension to French-English relations because Quebec started to make decisions independently. For example, in 1961, the Quebec government started to open government offices in countries such as America and France. “When Quebec announced its intention to sign cultural and educational agreements with France’s government, the Canadian government intervened, asserting that only the federal government could enter agreements with foreign

More so, many Quebeckers were finding greater economic opportunities in the United States, which fostered concerns about the economic isolation of Quebec, which could ultimately become part of the United States and lose any form of Francophone independence: “Quebec’s economic weakness could be seen already in the flood of emigration toward the United States” (Silver 46). In this case, the underlying debate about provincial rights in the new federal government had to be addressed to ensure that Ontario did not usurp the provinces under a primarily Anglophone government. These clashing interest define how the threat of British colonialism and the economic and military aggression of the United States posed a major threat to Cartier and the Bleu Parti (Smith 43). These political negotiations defined the major efforts to unify the nation under MacDonald and Cartier’s federal plan as the two major provinces of Canada. This political culture created an opportunity to provide greater legislative and principal authority to countermand the new central government created through the Canadian

Being an English speaker myself it is very encouraging and helpful that I am perfectly bilingual, being bilingual has helped me in the work force, in my studies and in my social life. These are some factors that have English speaking Quebecers speak more French and really made an impact among English and French speakers of Quebec. In Bernard Landry’s video he talks about speaking to his cousins that live in British Columbia and displays how they have lost their French Background it is in the Parti Quebecoise best interest to prevent this from happening. As we have seen, la survivance was the notion that fuelled traditional Quebec nationalism. The Quiet Revolution gave rise to a new type of nationalism in Quebec which had a different vision of the state and its ability, through its institutions, to help the French survive (L7, S49). The French-English divide was further aggravated when the Quebec government decided to use its institutions to implement legislation to ensure the survival of the French language in Quebec. This caused a great deal of controversy in English .In an attempt to counter such nationalist language tactics and appease the French, the federal government also used its institutions to enact legislation related to language. There is no doubt that the

The Quebecois also wanted some kind of special status and to be master of their land. I do think that Quebec has many reasons for wanting to be its own country, it made sense that after being suppressed by the

From the Confederation of Canada, to present day, French Canadians have always thought that Canada's path towards the future should be embodied in a different manner. Several events in Canadian History have resulted in several heated feelings between French and English Canadians. Though the majority of English Speaking Canadians have tried to reconcile with French Canadians by making several attempts to mend their relationships, the question about the needs of French Canadians still exists. Through an extremely thorough analysis of several key sources, it is evident that the needs of French Canadians were, undoubtedly, not met, which shall be plainly and exhaustively proven through an in depth analysis of French Canadian Nationalism,

English and French Canadians have had years of disagreements and the Quebec Referendum of 1995 proves how separate both really are. The Quebec Referendum of 1995 was the second referendum to ask voters in the province of Quebec whether or not Quebec should declare national sovereignty and become an independent country. The Quebec Referendum of 1995 was a defining moment in Canadian History that emphasized the disunity between Quebec and the rest of Canada. With the alienation of Québec, the Parti Quebecois advocating for national sovereignty, and Lucien Bouchard taking over the leadership of the "Yes" side from Parizeau causing the “Yes” side to get momentum, are all examples of how this historic event emphasized the disunity between Quebec and the rest of Canada.

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 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

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.

The province of Quebec has been part of Canada since the very beginning. Quebec, originally a colony of France, is the only province in Canada with a predominantly french speaking population. Quebec is an important factor in Canada's diversity, as the culture in Quebec is vastly different than the rest of Canada. A fact that Canadians are proud of. However, many in Quebec see themselves as too different, in a sense, from the rest of canada, and believe that Quebec should become its own sovereign nation. The political party Bloc Quebecois has been trying to gain independence for Quebec since 1991 (Goldsworthy 10), although unsuccessfully. Canada needs quebec in order to keep the same amount of influence it has in the world,

Since the beginning of Canadian history, regionalism has had a prominent effect on the country`s political system. The concept of regionalism can be defined as a political ideology grounded on a shared sense of place or attachment and is discussed in terms of Canadian society, culture, economy and politics.1 From the days of confederation, Canada has developed into regional cleavages and identities based on various geographical characteristics, traditional lifestyles and economic interests. Two of Canada`s greatest regionally distinct political cultures are known as Western alienation and Quebec nationalism.2 Historically, the lack of regional awareness and accommodation within Canada’s central government has given rise to a great deal

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.

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