Regardless of what you think of Canada, there is simply no denying that Canada has a very deep and rich history that has forged the country to what it is today. With that being said, French Canadians and Quebecers alike play a huge role in the history and development of Canada. Quebec would not be the same without Canada, and Canada would not be the same without Quebec. This is why the separatist movement is not only a threat to Canada, but to Quebec itself.
Let's begin by talking about the sovereigntist movement in Quebec. The movement has been around since the early 60's but didn't really gain any wide scale support until the 1980's, when the first referendum took place. A majority of Quebecers voted no, that they wanted to remain part
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of Canada, and the issue had died down until 1995, when a second referendum took place. This time around, there was a 90% voter turnout, and it was a very close vote, where 49.4% of Quebecers voted Yes, where as the remaining 50.6% voted no. This referendum is historically important as it had shocked many Canadians, and has had a lasting impact in Canadian politics. But the topic of discussion is not why these referendums were important; But rather why another one will likely never take place again. Proposing another referendum would be quite a risky move for sovereigntist. If the vote was lost, that would be the third time in history that the people of Quebec voted no to becoming independent, and would be the final nail in the coffin for the movement. The only way that another referendum might take place is if the province knew that they would have enough backers for the referendum to pass. Currently, it doesn't look like that is going to happen, at least not anytime soon. Since 1995 the sovereigntist movement has been slowly shrinking in numbers, and it is estimated that approximately about 30% of Quebecers want separation. This might still seem like a pretty big number, but in recent elections this hasn't been so apparent. Prior to the 2011 federal election it really began to seem like separatist were gaining traction again. The bloc Québécois were steadily holding about 40-50 seats in the house of commons for 6 elections in a row, and the premier of Quebec was Pauline Marios, a member of the bloc Quebecois. Things were really beginning to look good for separatist in Québec until the 2011 federal election when the bloc Québécois lost 40 seats in the house of commons, and were left with only 4. Since the 2015 federal election, the bloc Québécois have managed to gain 6 additional seats since 2011, but still, these numbers are nothing in comparison to what they once were. In 1993 the party had so many votes they were actually the opposition. With statistics like these, there is simply no denying that sovereigntist movement in Québec is dying down, and without enough backers, there is absolutely no way that Québec will separate. If you ever ask someone who is uneducated on the subject of Québec separating from Canada, and you ask them how they feel about it, you're bound to get a response like "There would be a giant ugly hole in the center of Canada!". As ridiculous as this argument might seem, it's hard to ignore, and there is actually quite a bit of legitimacy to it. Having a giant hole in the center of Canada would cause quite a few geological issues in Canada, Québec, and even the United states. If Quebec did separate, it's important to understand what might happen to the other provinces. Quebec connects the Maritimes to the rest of Canada, and if Quebec becomes independent, then what ends up happening to those provinces. Surely there would be a feeling of isolation from the rest of Canada. This could cause tensions between the Maritimes and Quebec. how would goods be transported between the provinces? which then brings up the question, would there also be border control between Quebec and the rest of Canada, or would the borders remain open. There have also been proposals to connect a land bridge between New Brunswick and Northern Ontario. Additionally a Québec separation would require international involvement from the United states on the topic of the st. Lawrence river. The river connects the great lakes to global maritime shipping routes. This shipping network is important to United States as it is a geographic chokepoint for the upper Midwest and central Canada. With issues like these it would be completely selfish of Quebec to separate, and it's hard to imagine Quebec ever being allowed to separate without seeking approval from other provinces and the United States If you were to try and think of three words that define Canada, it's quite likely that one of those words that you are thinking of is diverse.
Diversity is a pretty important part of not only Canada's history, but how the country exists today. sovereigntist believe that there culture and history differs to much from the rest of Canada, and in order to protect that culture and history, they need to become independent. Quebec should not have to separate from Canada due to cultural differences, that what makes us unique as a nation, Canada is one of the very few bilingual countries in the world, and our culture and language contrasts nicely, and as a result this attracts more tourist to Canada "Not everything will change simultaneously in both francophone and Anglophone Canada, the dominant interpretive traditions are deeply rooted and will not be easily displaced" (Page 4 Book #2). Of course Quebec has its own rich history and culture, but that is no reason for independence. Quebec has grown and flourished under Canada and will continue to do so in the future. Not to mention the other 50% of Quebecers that indentify themselves with Canada and take great pride in being a part of this federation. After all, federalism can only works when all of us work together, and we need Quebec as they help to structure power and political relationships in the …show more content…
country. If Quebec separated, they would quite a hard time surviving economically.
If we look at Scotland, a country that became independent from the United kingdom in 2014 we can see similar issues that might happen to Quebec. Scotland has been struggling independently because they threw away a good economy and a spot on the world stage. This would indefinitely happen to Quebec if a separation occurred. Quebec would be required to pay their share of Canada's national debt. "Public debt as a proportion of GDP would rise from 29.0 per cent of GDP in 1990-91 to a dangerously high 98.5 per cent if Quebec's almost $llO-billion share of federal gross debt based on population were factored in. Quebec would have a larger gross public debt than any of the seven largest industrialized countries except for Italy" (Grady Pg.357) Quebec would also lose out on billions of dollars worth of redistributed tax income from Ottawa, as well Canada would lose out on all the money coming from Quebec. This would make for the two states to become much weaker. Additionally, Canada is a pretty big player on the world stage. If Quebec were to become independent they would lose out on the benefits that come along being a part of Canada such as the north American free trade
agreement. Though I don't agree with the bloc Québécois main goal to make Québec independent, but I do find that there presents in Canadian politics is important, and deserves appreciation. Quebec will never become independent due to a lack of votes, but there will always be that remaining 30% who feel Quebec deserves independence, and the bloc Quebecois will always be able to use the issue of the separatist movement for political gains or Québec in Ottawa.
As its own state Quebec would have the capacity to act, consolidate and further create their own cultural identity (Heard, 2013). For example, Quebec could foster the national language to be French. By gaining independence from Canada, Quebec can then create their own laws, own immigration rules and levy taxes (Heard, 2013). This would allow Quebec to be completely independent from the rest of Canada, but they would have connecting boarders like the United States and Canada do.
It was once stated by F.R.Scott “ There are two miracles in canadian history. The first is the survival of French Canada, and the second is the survival of Canada.” His quote came to reality as of Canada grew to be a stable and secure country where everyone would want to be. Yet to accomplish this, many obstacles and events occurred such as the Spanish Succession war in 1713 , the seven years war in 1763, the constitutional act in 1791 and finally the Act of Union in 1841. First in 1713, the Spanish Succession war occurred where the British took control of Acadia. Soon after that, in 1763 the Seven Years War ended where the British took over New France and was later renamed British North America. Before the British most of the colonies were
...ereignty. As mentioned Quebec does not have complete sovereignty and it shares its powers with the federal government (Johnson). Strong words like Johnson's found in the mass media are very significant to issues such as this. As elected representatives the government will not act against the wishes of the majority of citizens. Therefore if the Canadian citizens claim that Native Sovereignty in Canada can not coexist with Canadian sovereignty than it will not.
Although Quebec is in Canada, a majority of Quebecers do not identify with the national identity of Canada. Both societies create a sense of identity as well as nationalism (Hiller, 295). Hiller mentions two approaches to assessing Canadian identity; the unitary approach and the segmentalist approach (Hiller, 277). The unitary approach suggests that society consists of people who regardless of their ethnic back ground, identify as belonging to the national society, while the segmentalist approach concentrates on groups and communities that share racial, linguistic, occupational, or cultural similarities (Hiller, 28). While most Anglophones are more unitary or pan-Canadian, Quebec heavily identifies with the segmentalist approach. This dissimilarity of identity perspective may be problematic for the country, at the same time however, it can also be viewed as a struggle where contradictory parties find a way to compromise and reshape Canadian society together (Hiller, 277). Canada’s former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau made it his objective to unite Quebec with the rest of Canada. In 1969 Trudeau’s government implemented Bill C-120, otherwise known as the Official Language act, which made French an...
Trudeau is fervent and stalwart in his opinions towards Federalism and its ramifications on Canadian citizenry. Born and raised in Quebec, he attended several prestigious institutions that educated him about the political spectrum of the country. After his time spent at the London School of Economics, Trudeau returned to Quebec at a time when the province was experiencing vast differences with its Federal overseer. The Union Nationale, a religious nationalist movement rooted deep in the heart of Quebec culture, had forced the Federal government to reconcile and mediate with them in order to avoid civil disorder or unrest. The Premier of Quebec at the time, Maurice Duplessis, found it almost impossible to appease the needs of each diverse interest group and faction rising within the province and ultimately buckled underneath the increasing pressure.
Canada has become a superior nation thru, perseverance, courage and even care as they persevered thru many dark battles, and made sure they all came thru together as a unit other than individuals. Their courage made there fighting 100% stronger as they wouldn’t back down to any task and they weren’t afraid to lose their life to help a fellow friend and country out. Care played a major aspect in each Canadian heart. There cared about Britain so they weren’t to go help them when they declared war, they helped other troops with their emotional problems and lastly they even cared a little about there enemies as they are the same person, however the only thing separating them is there culture. Canadians contributed in many ways to help our country's great efforts in the First World War.
The Trans Canada Highway became a visible nationalistic figure that set apart Canada from other countries. The highway was built to reinforce a newfound nationalism, however, there were oppositions in the building of the highway. In order for the highway to run from coast to coast, every province had to sign and agree to an Act that was enforced by the federal government. Every province agreed to the Act and the implementation of the highway except for Quebec, who at the time was governed under Premier Maurice Duplessis. Duplessis opposed the idea of the highway because under the Trans Canada Highway Act, the federal government would have complete control over road regulations when previously it was the responsibility of the provincial and municipal governments. This created a problem for the highway as the road needed to go through Quebec in order for it to be able to include the east coast provinces. The Quebec premier was challenging the unity and nationalism that the “new” Canada wanted to have. It wasn't until Duplessis passed away and a Liberal government c...
Canada: The Quiet Revolution in Quebec The English-French relations have not always been easy. Each is always arguing and accusing the other of wrong doings. All this hatred and differences started in the past, and this Quiet revolution, right after a new Liberal government led by Jean Lesage came in 1960. Thus was the beginning of the Quiet Revolution.
Quebec has struggled with a need to be maitres chez nous “masters of their own house” (Young, 1998). Many attempts at resolving Quebec's issues has resulted in tensions from both sides. Because Quebec has a strong national identity, and do not define themselves as strictly Canadian, Quebec is seen as difficult, unyielding and discontented. Quebec's separation perhaps is inedible and the future of Canada questionable. Canada without Quebec will bring about many complications and whether there is a rest of Canada (ROC) after Quebec a major challenge. Western alienation and the lack of representation in federal affairs will be a factor; moreover, past actions and historical events may have turned Canada into a time bomb, and the deterioration of the provinces the only sulotion. How First Ministers react to Quebec's sovereignty regarding economic factors, political structure, and constitutional issues will be of great importance. Whether emotional issues will play a major role in decision making is subjective; however, it is fair to say that it will be an emotionally charged event and it could either tear apart the ROC or fuse it together. Placing emphasis on investigating what keeps Canada together is perhaps the key to Canada's future, and salvaging a relationship with Quebec.
Currently, Canada remains the world’s second largest country, full of vast and rich resources from all corners of the nation. None of the accomplishments and achievements that Canada has made to date would have been possible without Confederation. Without intense pressure from the Americans, and without the common goal that a few men shared of unifying a country, Canada would not be the strong, free, independent and united nation that it is today.
The root causes of Quebec Separatism go back almost a thousand years! This is because a large cause for Quebec Separatism is the conflict between the French and the English people. These conflicts go back to when France and England first became countries, and ever since then it seems the two countries have been at constant war with one another (Henley, 2011). This constant fighting spawns a built in belief of hatred for one another (Henley, 2011), which would make it hard for the two to live in the same country as they try to do in Canada. But out of all the wars the French and English fought, the most influencing for Quebecois and all of Canada was the sever year war taking place between 1756 and 1763 (Upper Canada History, 2011). The special thing about this war was that part of it was over the influence of the territory to be later Canada (Upper Canada histor...
Regionalism is a growing concern for Canadians` as it affects economic stability, nationalism and western alienation. The economic stability is reliant on the regions having strong economic bases (Stilborn, 19). Nationalism with Quebec is a prime example of how distinct regional cultures hinder Canada’s unity, as they want to separate from Canada, while still having the federal Canadian government financially support them. Western Alienation is also a prime political culture that is regionally distinct.
The fear of the PQ is that if several of the floating voters out there feel that a sovereign Quebec must mean a partitioned, patchwork Quebec, the separatists might well fall back to 40% if that happens. One group of Quebeckers with the strongest-and geographically the widest claims for self determination, the Cree, Inuit, and Innu who occupy the resource-rich northern two-thirds of the province. The views of these nations, oddly enough, seem to go unmentioned. During the 1995 attempt to secede, these three groups all voted by more than 95% to stick with Canada. People outside of Canada are baffled at how Canada ended up in such a state of affairs.
government, t. p. (n.d.). Quebec Nationalism - Quebec History. Faculty.marianopolis.edu. Retrieved May 27, 2012, from http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/events/natpart4.htm
...ans and the British settlers. So, why are we forcing ourselves to define what a “Canadian” truly is, when Canada has never been a country with one prevalent cultural group? But this is not to say that Canada will never be a unified country. South Africa is an example of the unification of a country that has torn itself apart by apartheid policies. Nelson Mandela dedicated his life to this struggle, seeking equality for all races, finally achieving his goal in 1995. If Mandela unified a country that was deeply racist and apartheid for such a long time, who are we to say that we cannot someday unify a country simply divided because of deferential to authority and differing arrangements of party systems? Canada and its citizens will one day realize the many deeper things they hold in common that unify them, which will help us in making strides towards true unification.