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Quebec Dissatisfaction

Quebec Dissatisfaction. For the French, confederation was a compromise (saw it as a way of gaining control over things that mattered to them – religion, language, way of life in general) At the same time they were aware that they were the minority in Canada

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Quebec Dissatisfaction

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  1. Quebec Dissatisfaction

  2. For the French, confederation was a compromise (saw it as a way of gaining control over things that mattered to them – religion, language, way of life in general) • At the same time they were aware that they were the minority in Canada • Their survival depended on the willingness of the government and the goodwill and tolerance of the majority • Examples which show that the majority did not always respect Quebec’s point of view • Execution of Louis Riel, even though the jury recommended mercy • Conscription in WWI • Manitoba School’s Question

  3. In the opinion of many in Quebec, the BNA Act and the federal system were not capable of protecting the French-Canadian • Some felt that the best way to survive would be through separation from Canada • There were French-Canadians who did feel that Quebec had a place in the federal system: • George-Etienne Cartier (brought Quebec into confederation) • Wilfred Laurier • Henri Bourassa (editor of Le Devoir, who desired a united Canada with both English-speaking and French-speaking people living harmoniously with a common attachment to the common fatherland – as he wrote in his newspaper)

  4. Quebec was transforming into a modern society • By 1920, 56% of the population lived in the city • By the 1930s, manufacturing had replaced agriculture as a main source of employment in Quebec • In the 1920s, movies and radio offered Quebec audiences entertainment and new ideas about the world • American television programs caused the Quebec culture to become more Americanized to some degree • Quebec had become a modernized, secular society, but this was not how the rest of Canada saw it: • Quebec seemed somewhat quiet and backward

  5. Anglo-Canadians dominated business and industry • It was possible for French-Canadians to enter the ranks, but they had to learn English and work within an English-speaking culture • Institutions within Quebec itself reinforced separation • Roman Catholic Church was very important – permeated many aspects of social life • Education – Education Act of 1875 said that every bishop had a seat on the provincial education commission (technical and commercial schools were controlled by the provincial government) • Social welfare – organized charities, operated orphanages and hospitals, sponsored Catholic labor unions, and governed the kinds of books and plays that were to be published as well as any art put on display • Economic – idealized the rural life, emphasized obedience and acceptance of one’s position in life

  6. Main pillars in this were family, church, and rural life – the institutions which ensured the survival of French culture • The sectors on Quebec society which responded most positively to this were small-businessmen not associated with big capital, the middle class, and the clergy • Church leaders worked closely with provincial governments and political parties relied on the Church for support • The relationship between church and government became closer when the Union Nationale Party (Maurice Duplessis) took over in 1936 • Maintained control by by playing on people’s fears of communism – Padlock Law gave the government power to arrest anyone suspected of being a communist • Allowed American and English-Canadian investors virtually unlimited access to the province’s resources (as did his Liberal predecessors)

  7. Not all Quebecers approved of the alliance between the Church, Union Nationale, and Anglo-Canadian business • After WWII, voices of criticism became louder and more numerous • One of the most vocal and brilliant critics of Duplessis was the young Pierre Elliot Trudeau • Did not oppose religion (he was a devout Catholic) but objected strongly to the Church’s social and political power because it repressed individual liberty • Criticized the degree to which Duplessis had allowed foreign capital to dominate the Quebec economy at the expense of the worker’s welfare • UN was defeated after the death of Duplessis in 1960

  8. Liberals, under Jean Lesage, promised a completely different approach to politics (the beginning of the Quiet Revolution) • A new labor code introduced which gave civil servants the right to strike • Lowered the voting age to 18 • Created a ministry of cultural affairs and gave it special responsibility for protecting the French language • Provincial health insurance was established • Private hydro-electric companies were taken over and merged into a publicly run Hydro-Quebec • Established a ministry of education, set up a system of junior colleges, and modernized the curriculum (transferred education from religious to secular control) • 1965 – Quebec Pension Plan put into place • All part of the rattrapage (catching up), becoming part of the modern world

  9. As Quebec society became more like the rest of the Canada, Quebecers insisted more on its distinctiveness • By the 1960s, French-Canadians were referring to themselves as Quebecois, implying a separate community from the rest of Canada • Citizens turned more and more to the province to stand up for them (used to be the Church) • Lesage claimed “special status” for Quebec by “opting out” of social programs and going on to claim other powers for the province including the right to conclude agreements with Francophone nations on educational matters • 1966 – Lesage and his Liberals were defeated • Backlash in rural Quebec due to the rapid changes he introduced • Although Francophone people were assuming leadership positions in business and industry, the best jobs still went to English-speaking Canadians

  10. Cabinet minister Rene Levesque left the Liberals to found the Rassemblement pour l’IndependenceNationalae (RIN) which wanted to negotiate sovereignty for Quebec • A radical group called the FLQ demanded outright separation (committed acts of terrorism to gain attention for their demands) • A renewed Union Nationale took advantage of this mood and succeeded the Liberals in 1966 • The extreme nationalist vision did not appeal to all Quebecers – believed they could find a place in Canada’s renewed confederation • Pierre Trudeau became a critic of the new nationalism • Destructive • Lead to fragmentation • Feared the Quebec would return to being inward-looking and hostile to individual freedom • Felt a broader vision of community was needed

  11. Trudeau believed a strong central government could guarantee individual liberty • He strongly opposed any special status for Quebec • His vision for Canada was one where all received equal opportunity regardless of individual cultural and linguistic differences • Trudeau eventually joined the Liberal Party and within a short time became the minister of justice • Was the next party leader to follow Lester B. Pearson • Pierre Elliot Trudeau became prime minister in 1968 • Wanted to show Francophones that they could find a place within confederation • 1969 – passed the Official Languages Act • Guaranteed equal access to government services throughout the country (goal to make Fracophones feel at home anywhere in the country) • Civil servants had to be bilingual • Government provided funding for immersion French courses in English Canada

  12. These measures could not dampen the more extreme Nationalist spirit • Premier Robert Bourassa made French the official language in Quebec and took steps to encourage the use of French in the workplace • Parents granted the freedom to choose a language to be used in education of their children – most immigrants chose English which shocked Quebecers who felt that more energetic action was needed to protect the status of French culture • After 1793, rapid rise in oil prices resulted in higher cost of living and unemployment – voters directed anger towards the Bourassa government • In 1969, former Liberal cabinet minister Rene Levesque, along with others who wanted independence for Quebec, formed the PartiQuebcois

  13. This party promised to provide honest and good government • They downplayed the separatist aspect of their platform during the election campaign • They would make no move towards sovereignty without a referendum on the issue • In 1976 they came into office • Bill 101 – made French the only official language in Quebec, followed by plans for a referendum on the subject of “sovereignty-association” • Under this arrangement, Quebec and Canada would share 4 institutions (supreme court, joint parliament, joint banking and monetary system, and a standing commission of inquiry to deal with grievances between the two countries) • In issues such as levying of taxes and making foreign treaties, Quebec and Canada would be independent of eachother

  14. PQ government held the referendum in the spring of 1980 • 60% of Quebec residents said no • This defeat opened the doors to renewed debate over the kinds of changes needed in Canadian federalism

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