CHAPTER 8 - THE ROOTS OF QUEBEC NATIONALISM
Timeline
1960*
● Quiet revolution begins in Quebec
1965*
● Canada’s maple leaf flag flies for the first time.
1967*
● Canadian immigration policy becomes officially “colour-blind”
1968*
● National Indian Brotherhood formed
1970*
● FLQ crisis in Quebec leads Prime Minister Trudeau to invoke War Measures Act
1971
● Federal government introduces multiculturalism policy
1980
● Quebec holds a referendum on sovereignty-association
1982
● Constitution patriated without Quebec’s agreement
1990s
● Asian countries become major sources of immigration
1990
● Meech Lake Accord dies
1992
● Charlottetown Accord rejected in referendum
1993
● B.C. Treaty Commission established
1995
● Second referendum on Quebec sovereignty is held
1999
● Nunavut created
2000
● Nisga’a Treaty given royal assent
* FIND INFORMATION ON ‘SS10 - THE ROOTS OF QUEBEC NATIONALISM’
, The PQ in Power
- 1976, Quebec voted the Parti Québécois as provincial government
- A stunning comeback from 1970 when the PQ only claimed 7 of 110 seats in provincial
legislature
- During 1976 election campaign, Lévesque reassured that the PQ would not directly mean
separation
- Promised a province-wide referendum
- Top priority after election was strengthening status of the French language
Bill 101
- ‘Charter of the French Language’
- Made French the only official language
- This meant that…
- Quebec government employees had to work in French
- Commercial signs outdoors would have to be in French
- Children of immigrants were required to attend French schools
- Welcomed by Quebeckers who felt their culture and language were endangered
- The birth rate in Quebec had fallen
- Immigrants preferred to educate children in English
- Non-Francophone Quebeckers felt it was oppressive and too extreme and looked to the federal
government to preserve Canadian unity
The 1980 Referendum
- Lévesque government called the aforementioned promised referendum
- Lévesque asked Quebeckers to stand on the “yes” side
- Gives his government a mandate to negotiate with Canada
- A new agreement based on sovereignty-association
- (A proposal by Quebec nationalists that Quebec have political
independence)
- (Retains close economic ties or association with Canada)
- Prime Minister Trudeau urged Quebeckers to remain strong, united, and forward-looking Canada
- Promised negotiation of a new Constitution for the “no” side
- Quebeckers wanted Constitution to recognize Quebec as an equal in Confederation and as a
distinct society
- In referendum, 40% Quebeckers voted “yes”
- 60% voted “no”
Patriating the Constitution
- Trudeau announced plans to revise Canada’s constitution
- BNA had been in place since 1867 and set out the powers of federal and provincial
governments, guaranteeing the language and education rights of Quebec’s
French-speaking majority
- Because BNA Act was under British jurisdiction, approval was needed from the British
Parliament
- Trudeau wanted to patriot the Constitution
- Canadian government would have the authority to make changes
Timeline
1960*
● Quiet revolution begins in Quebec
1965*
● Canada’s maple leaf flag flies for the first time.
1967*
● Canadian immigration policy becomes officially “colour-blind”
1968*
● National Indian Brotherhood formed
1970*
● FLQ crisis in Quebec leads Prime Minister Trudeau to invoke War Measures Act
1971
● Federal government introduces multiculturalism policy
1980
● Quebec holds a referendum on sovereignty-association
1982
● Constitution patriated without Quebec’s agreement
1990s
● Asian countries become major sources of immigration
1990
● Meech Lake Accord dies
1992
● Charlottetown Accord rejected in referendum
1993
● B.C. Treaty Commission established
1995
● Second referendum on Quebec sovereignty is held
1999
● Nunavut created
2000
● Nisga’a Treaty given royal assent
* FIND INFORMATION ON ‘SS10 - THE ROOTS OF QUEBEC NATIONALISM’
, The PQ in Power
- 1976, Quebec voted the Parti Québécois as provincial government
- A stunning comeback from 1970 when the PQ only claimed 7 of 110 seats in provincial
legislature
- During 1976 election campaign, Lévesque reassured that the PQ would not directly mean
separation
- Promised a province-wide referendum
- Top priority after election was strengthening status of the French language
Bill 101
- ‘Charter of the French Language’
- Made French the only official language
- This meant that…
- Quebec government employees had to work in French
- Commercial signs outdoors would have to be in French
- Children of immigrants were required to attend French schools
- Welcomed by Quebeckers who felt their culture and language were endangered
- The birth rate in Quebec had fallen
- Immigrants preferred to educate children in English
- Non-Francophone Quebeckers felt it was oppressive and too extreme and looked to the federal
government to preserve Canadian unity
The 1980 Referendum
- Lévesque government called the aforementioned promised referendum
- Lévesque asked Quebeckers to stand on the “yes” side
- Gives his government a mandate to negotiate with Canada
- A new agreement based on sovereignty-association
- (A proposal by Quebec nationalists that Quebec have political
independence)
- (Retains close economic ties or association with Canada)
- Prime Minister Trudeau urged Quebeckers to remain strong, united, and forward-looking Canada
- Promised negotiation of a new Constitution for the “no” side
- Quebeckers wanted Constitution to recognize Quebec as an equal in Confederation and as a
distinct society
- In referendum, 40% Quebeckers voted “yes”
- 60% voted “no”
Patriating the Constitution
- Trudeau announced plans to revise Canada’s constitution
- BNA had been in place since 1867 and set out the powers of federal and provincial
governments, guaranteeing the language and education rights of Quebec’s
French-speaking majority
- Because BNA Act was under British jurisdiction, approval was needed from the British
Parliament
- Trudeau wanted to patriot the Constitution
- Canadian government would have the authority to make changes
