French-English Relations: History, Tension, and Reconciliation

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Recommended: United States War Measures Act

Throughout history, French-English relations have contained lots of cultural tension due to the discrimination and treatment that French Canadians have dealt with over the years. The minority group held grudges against the government since the conscription crisis of World War 1 in 1917 where French Canadians were forced to fight a war that many of them didn't want to participate in. Since then, the Federal government has been working towards appeasing the Québecois from the 1960s until the 2000s. Canada’s government had successfully responded to the rise of Québec separatism by addressing the appropriate political, cultural and social factors required to prevent the province from becoming sovereign.

Canada strategically made political decisions …show more content…

Desperate measures were taken by the federal government to aid Québec during the menacing October Crisis. The Mayor of Montreal; Jean Drapeau and the Premier of Québec; Robert Bourassa encouraged Parliament to invoke the War Measures Act. On October 16, 1970, the War Measures Act was implemented by Pierre Trudeau as requested by the Francophone authorities. When the nation was under attack, French Canadians looked to the Federal government for assistance. Parliament in Ottawa willingly complied and took appropriate measures to support Québec. It is clear that when in a desperate situation, the rest of Canada was beyond ready to assist their province. This situation displayed that Québec would have received little to no help if they were sovereign. The actions taken to enforce the War Measures Act demonstrated the continued strengthening of French-English relations. Another instance of the government maintaining social regulation was when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau protested the 1980 Québec referendum in a public speech. The speech was a preventative measure to reduce chances of the vote from passing, and dividing the country. Pierre Trudeau gave a speech on May 14, just six days before the referendum in Montréal. In the famous “Oui or Non” speech, he noted, “My name is a Québec …show more content…

The government utilized politics to their advantage by strategically manipulating situations. The election of Québec Premier Lesage’s election, the Clarity Act, and Prime Minister Harper speech contributed towards the anti-separatist movement. Alternatively, they successfully integrated Québec’s language into Canada by holding the Bilingualism and Biculturalism Commision and passing the Official Languages Act during the 1960s. The increase of Francophone immigration rates had also reduced French Canadian isolation. As well, the government reacted intelligently to many social Francophone issues, using it to their advantage to unite the nation. The Prime Ministers during the 1980 and 1995 referendums effectively communicated with Canadian citizens and invoked the War Measures Act to protect the Québecois. Although there is still a minuscule divide between cultures in the nation, both the French and English have learned to embrace their differences and live unanimously. In fact, the idea of separatism has proved itself to be no longer desirable. An example of the new perspective is shown through a poll taken in October 2016 suggests that 82% of Québec citizens are opposed to sovereignty, compared to the 60% in opposition in 1990. Ultimately, Canada continues to exhibit its cultural diversity throughout the nation

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