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97-526: The QLP has traditionally supported a form of Quebec federalist ideology with nuanced Canadian nationalist tones that supports Quebec remaining within the Canadian federation, while also supporting reforms that would allow substantial autonomism in Quebec . In the context of federal Canadian politics , it is a more centrist party when compared to Conservative and Liberal parties in other provinces, such as

194-553: A Quebec nationalist wing. In July 1964, the Quebec Liberal Federation led by Lesage formally disaffiliated from the federal Liberal Party of Canada , making the Quebec Liberal Party a distinct organization from its federal counterpart. In October 1967, former cabinet minister René Lévesque proposed that the party endorse his plan for sovereignty-association . The proposal was rejected and, as

291-676: A minority government , having lost francophone support to the surging ADQ . However, the party regained a majority in the 2008 election , which saw the collapse of ADQ support and the return of the Parti Québécois as the main opposition party. Election turnout was the lowest in Québec since the Quiet Revolution . Since its most recent election, the Liberal government has faced a number of scandals, including historic losses at

388-454: A "mode of political organization that unites separate states or other polities within an overarching political system in such a way as to allow each to maintain its own fundamental political integrity". This compromise as political system has been called a “quasi-federal concept”, as well as described as a "post-nation" state. Sovereignty association The Quebec sovereignty movement (French: mouvement souverainiste du Québec )

485-835: A "nation" or "distinct society" within Canada, and support the Clarity Act (legislation introduced by the Chrétien government, essentially giving the federal government the right to establish a "clear majority" threshold for any sovereignty referendum at its own discretion and after the fact - this is opposed by the Quebec Liberal Party). Notable symmetrical federalists have included Pierre Trudeau , Jean Chrétien , Stéphane Dion and Justin Trudeau . Although this strain of uncompromising, centralising Canadian federalism

582-488: A certain democratic control over the Quebec state. However, within the Canadian federation, Quebec does not have all the constitutional powers that would allow it to act as a true national government. Furthermore, the policies pursued by Quebec and those pursued by the federal government often come into conflict. Various attempts to reform the Canadian federal system have failed (most notably the defunct Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords ), due to conflicting interests between

679-453: A demand-side strategy for the enforcement of language laws, using a number of publicity campaigns, including stickers which merchants may voluntarily affix on their shop windows stating that French service may be obtained within, allowing for consumers to "choose" stores which will serve them in French. The Liberal party suffered a major setback in the 2007 election , which saw them reduced to

776-477: A formal association with Canada — especially regarding economic affairs. It was part of the 1976 sovereignist platform which swept the Parti Québécois into power in that year's provincial elections – and included a promise to hold a referendum on sovereignty-association. René Lévesque developed the idea of sovereignty-association to reduce the fear that an independent Quebec would face tough economic times. In fact, this proposal did result in an increase in support for

873-423: A minority) but within the province as well, as much of the province's economy was dominated by English-Canadians. The cause of Québécois nationalism, which waxed and waned over two centuries, gained prominence from the 1960s onward. The use of the word "sovereignty" and many of the ideas of this movement originated in the 1967 Mouvement Souveraineté-Association of René Lévesque. This movement ultimately gave birth to

970-493: A motion recognizing that “Québécois form a nation within a united Canada”. On November 30, the National Assembly of Quebec unanimously adopted a motion recognizing "the positive character" of the motion adopted by Ottawa and proclaiming that said motion did not diminish "the inalienable rights, the constitutional powers and the privileges of the “National Assembly and of the Quebec nation”. Sovereignists believe that

1067-517: A nation is intrinsically tied to the Canadian people, a product of imperial synthesis. The realities of colonial-era life for French and British settlers was heavily influenced by local considerations, such as climate, geography and established Aboriginal societies. The economic realities of New France required a cooperative relationship with these already established societies, and the French were more than willing to do so, recognizing some 39 sovereign Aboriginal nations as strategic partners and allies at

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1164-477: A nation of 7 million people stuck between two impenetrable protectionist countries. In the event of having to compete against Quebec, rather than support it, Canada could easily maintain its well-established links with the United States to prosper in foreign trade. Sovereignty-association as originally proposed would have meant that Quebec would become a politically independent state, but would maintain

1261-587: A part of a Canadian federation with a more decentralized government. Quebecer anglophones and allophones have been overwhelmingly opposed to Quebec's secession. Supporters of independence point to their belief that Quebec is a nation due to its unique history, shared major language and common heritage. Opponents of sovereignty generally believe it to be a dangerous idea due to the political, financial, personal and economic ties between Quebecers and other Canadians. Some see it as being unnecessary due to Canada's multicultural and bilingual national character, as well as

1358-512: A primary role for Quebec in its internal affairs. Its predecessor, the more radical right of centre, economic liberal, Action démocratique du Québec , or ADQ, of Mario Dumont took a similar stance after abandoning Quebec sovereignty to favouring of making Quebec of granting political autonomy status within Canada while remaining Quebec nationalists . More recently at the federal level, the New Democratic Party of Canada moved in

1455-576: A referendum in their second term, and put sovereignty on hold, concentrating on their stated goal of "good government". René Lévesque retired in 1985 (and died in 1987). In the 1985 election under his successor Pierre-Marc Johnson , the PQ was defeated by the Liberal Party. The history of the relations between French-Canadians and English-Canadians in Canada has been marked by periods of tension. After colonizing Canada from 1608 onward, France lost

1552-612: A result, some Liberals, including Lévesque, left the Liberals to join the sovereignty movement , participating in the founding of the Parti Québécois (PQ) under Lévesque's leadership. Relations soured between the Quebec Liberal Party and the federal Liberal Party under Lesage, and worsened further under Robert Bourassa , who had a poor relationship with Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau . First elected in 1970 , Robert Bourassa instituted Bill 22 to introduce French as

1649-409: A series of arguments aimed at integrating Québécois nationalism within a renewed Canadian federalism , one that recognizes Canada's multi-national character. The centre-right, autonomist and Quebec nationalist Coalition Avenir Québec or CAQ, led by former PQ cabinet minister Francois Legault , is now opposed to sovereignty but takes a moderate nationalist approach to identity and favours strongly

1746-473: A similar light; numerous activists were influenced by the writings of Frantz Fanon , Albert Memmi , and Karl Marx . In June 1967, French president Charles de Gaulle , who had recently granted independence to Algeria , shouted " Vive le Québec libre ! " during a speech from the balcony of Montreal 's city hall during a state visit to Canada. In doing so, he deeply offended the federal government, and English Canadians felt he had demonstrated contempt for

1843-429: A sovereign Quebec: polls at the time showed that people were more likely to support independence if Quebec maintained an economic partnership with Canada. This line of politics led the outspoken Yvon Deschamps to proclaim that what Quebecers want is an independent Quebec inside a strong Canada, thereby comparing the sovereignist movement to a spoiled child that has everything it could desire and still wants more. In 1979

1940-403: A sovereign state with its own independent constitution . Quebec sovereigntists believe that such a sovereign state, the Quebec nation , would be better equipped to promote its own economic, social, ecological, and cultural development. Quebec's sovereignist movement is based on Quebec nationalism . The goal of Quebec's sovereignist movement is to make Quebec an independent state. In practice,

2037-566: A time. The QLP government proposed a policy of reform of social programs and cuts to government spending and the civil service , and established a controversial health system fee for all taxpayers. It has also softened language policies. In response to a Supreme Court of Canada decision overruling a loophole-closing stopgap measure enacted by the Bernard Landry government, the Liberals enacted Loi 104 which provides for English-language, unsubsidized private school students to transfer into

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2134-455: Is a political movement whose objective is to achieve the independence of Quebec from Canada . Sovereignists suggest that the people of Quebec make use of their right to self-determination  – a principle that includes the possibility of choosing between integration with a third state, political association with another state or independence – so that Québécois, collectively and by democratic means, give themselves

2231-503: Is most often associated with the Liberal Party of Canada and the political tradition of Pierre Trudeau, it also has adherents from other parties and across the political spectrum. In French, fédération can be defined as: (1) a methodical approach of defining a set of types in regards to complex realities, applied to state organization. a grouping of various associations, unions, parties, and clubs. It can also be used as synonym for federal state. In English, federalism has been defined as

2328-546: Is shared amongst a federal legislature and a number of legislatures whose power is distributed as per the Constitution. Federalists in favour of the status quo, or symmetrical federalists, also defend Quebec remaining within Canada; however, they support the status quo division of powers between Ottawa and Quebec City and the current Constitution. Current Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau at one point suggested that gaining Quebec's signature to

2425-559: Is that if Quebec were independent, Québécois would have a national citizenship, which would solve the problem of Québécois cultural identity in the North American context (ex. who is a Québécois and who is not, what is uniquely Québécois, etc.). Another example is that by establishing an independent Quebec, sovereigntists believe that the culture of Québécois and their collective memory will be adequately protected, in particular against cultural appropriation by other nations, such as

2522-582: The 1939 election , but lost it again in the 1944 election . They remained in opposition to the Union Nationale until one year after Duplessis's death in 1959. In 1955, the PLQ severed its affiliation with the Liberal Party of Canada . Under Jean Lesage , the party won an historic election victory in 1960 , ending sixteen years of rule by the national-conservative Union Nationale . This marked

2619-425: The 1995 Quebec referendum on sovereignty. Around the time of the 1998 Quebec general election , the party was referred to as being on the centre-right of the political spectrum. The Liberals regained power in the 2003 election . Premier Jean Charest was a federal cabinet minister with the now-defunct Progressive Conservative Party including a stint as Deputy Prime Minister and even serving as its leader for

2716-436: The 2018 election , they became the official opposition. The contemporary Quebec Liberal Party is a broad-based federalist and multiculturalist coalition including among its members some supporters of the federal Liberals , New Democratic Party , Bloc Québécois , Greens , and Conservatives . In terms of voter support, it has always been able to rely on the great majority of non-Francophone people in Quebec, in other words,

2813-711: The Acadians in the Maritime provinces and in Louisiana , represented by the Société nationale de l'Acadie since 1881. Louis-Alexandre Taschereau coming to power in 1920 created an upheaval in French-Canadian society for most of the interwar period . The confrontations and divergence of political opinions led to the rise of a new form of nationalism, called clerico-nationalism, promoted by Maurice Duplessis and

2910-529: The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec , the attribution of highly sought-after subsidized daycare spaces to Liberal Party donors, as well as allegations of systemic construction industry corruption which arose notably during the 2009 Montréal municipal election . After public pressure, the Liberal government eventually called for a public commission of inquiry. Jean Charest's personal approval ratings have at times been lower than those of other premiers. In 2012,

3007-628: The Gespe'gewa'gi district of Miꞌkmaꞌki claiming Canada for France , and more particularly to 1608, the year of the founding of Québec by Samuel de Champlain , the first permanent settlement for French colonists and their descendants in New France (who were called Canadiens, Canayens or Habitants). Following the British conquest of New France , the Canadien movement , which lasted from 1760 to

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3104-704: The Great Peace of Montreal in 1701. In effect, this singular event best represents proto-Canadian Federalism, and would serve as a model for later political developments. After the Seven Years' War , the British colonial authority administering the newly created Province of Quebec decided to leave many socio-cultural institutions in place, such as the Catholic Church , French Civil Law , the Seigneurial System , and perhaps most importantly,

3201-662: The Lesage and Bourassa eras (1960s to 1990s). However, since the failures of the Meech Lake and Charlottetown accords, and the 1995 Quebec referendum on independence, the party has had no defining plan for official national recognition, albeit in general the Party has taken many stances in favour of autonomy and self-determination . Recently, the Université de Montréal political philosopher Charles Blattberg has put forward

3298-789: The Liberal Party of Canada , the Conservative Party of Canada , the New Democratic Party and the Green Party of Canada support maintaining the status quo with Quebec remaining part of Canada. The Bloc Québécois is the sole sovereigntist federal party with seats in the House of Commons. Two provincial political parties, the Coalition Avenir Québec and the Quebec Liberal Party , support different ideas about Quebec's political status within Canada;

3395-628: The National Assembly . René Lévesque was defeated in Mont-Royal by the Liberal André Marchand . In the 1976 election , the PQ won 71 seats — a majority in the National Assembly. With voting turnouts high, 41.4 percent of the electorate voted for the PQ. Prior to the election, the PQ renounced its intention to implement sovereignty-association if it won power. On August 26, 1977, the PQ passed two main laws: first,

3492-464: The Parti Québécois , a Quebec sovereigntist , self-described social-democratic party and very recently with the Coalition Avenir Québec , a Quebec autonomist and conservative party. Quebec federalist ideology Federalism in Quebec ( French : Fédéralisme au Québec ) is concerned with the support of confederation in regards to the federal union of Canada: that is, support for

3589-770: The Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale (RIN) was founded, with Pierre Bourgault quickly becoming its leader. On August 9 of the same year, the Action socialiste pour l'indépendance du Québec (ASIQ) was formed by Raoul Roy . The "independence + socialism" project of the ASIQ was a source of political ideas for the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ). On October 31, 1962, the Comité de libération nationale and, in November of

3686-544: The Sovereignty Bill reads, "We, the people of Quebec, declare it our own will to be in full possession of all the powers of a state; to levy all our taxes, to vote on all our laws, to sign all our treaties and to exercise the highest power of all, conceiving, and controlling, by ourselves, our fundamental law." This time, the sovereignists lost in a very close vote: 50.6 percent to 49.4 percent, or only 53,498 votes out of more than 4,700,000 votes cast. However, after

3783-739: The Union Nationale party during the Grande Noirceur of 1944 to 1959. During the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s to 1970s, the modern Québécois sovereignist movement took off, with René Lévesque as one of its most recognizable figures. Various strategies were implemented since its rise, and it constitutes a continuity in French-speaking nationalism in North America. Now the patriotism is Quebec-focused, and

3880-663: The British colonists were viewed as an extension of Britain. The period was briefly interrupted by the Quebec Act of 1774 , which granted certain rights to Canadiens but did not truly satisfy them, and was notably exacerbated by the Treaty of Paris (1783) , which ceded parts of the Quebec to the United States, and the Constitutional Act of 1791 , which established the Westminster system . The Patriote movement

3977-582: The Constitution was not a priority, putting him at odds with many past federalists from his home province. This strain of Canadian federalism is strictly against reopening the Constitution and supports policies of shared and exclusive provincial jurisdiction in areas such as taxation, healthcare and immigration. They defend the federal government occasionally encroaching on areas that Quebec governments (both federalist and sovereigntist) consider their rightful jurisdiction. In general, federalists of this school of thought are opposed to officially recognising Quebec as

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4074-573: The Liberal government announced it was going to raise university tuition from $ 2,168 to $ 3,793 in increments between 2012 and 2017. This move proved controversial, leading to a significant portion of Quebec post-secondary students striking against the measures. In response to the discord the Quebec Liberal government introduced controversial emergency legislation via Bill 78 that restricted student protest activities, attacking students' right to strike and to demonstrate peacefully, and dealt with

4171-620: The Lower Canadian equivalent of the Family Compact in Upper Canada . The perfidious plans of the British authorities have broken all ties of sympathy with a motherland which shows itself to be insensitive. A separation has begun between parties whose union it will never be possible to cement again, but which will continue with increasing vigor, until an unexpected and unforeseen event, as we are offered from time to time in

4268-688: The MSA held its only national congress in Quebec City . The RN and MSA agreed to merge to form the Parti Québécois (PQ), and later that month Pierre Bourgault, leader of the RIN, dissolved his party and invited its members to join the PQ. Meanwhile, in 1969 the FLQ stepped up its campaign of violence, which would culminate in what would become known as the October Crisis . The group claimed responsibility for

4365-464: The November 14, 1962, Quebec general election , RIN member Marcel Chaput founded the short-lived Parti républicain du Québec . In February 1963, the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) was founded by three Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale members who had met each other as part of the Réseau de résistance. They were Georges Schoeters , Raymond Villeneuve , and Gabriel Hudon . In 1964,

4462-443: The PQ began an aggressive effort to promote sovereignty-association by providing details of how the economic relations with the rest of Canada would include free trade between Canada and Quebec, common tariffs against imports, and a common currency. In addition, joint political institutions would be established to administer these economic arrangements. But the sovereignist cause was hurt by the refusal of many politicians (most notably

4559-513: The Parti Québécois in 1968. Sovereignty-association (French: souveraineté-association ) is the combination of two concepts: It was first presented in Lévesque's political manifesto, Option Québec . The Parti Québécois defines sovereignty as the power for a state to levy all its taxes, vote on all its laws, and sign all its treaties (as mentioned in the 1980 referendum question ). The type of association between an independent Quebec and

4656-419: The Quebec electorate. In English, the term separatist is often used to accentuate negative dimensions of the movement. The idea of Quebec sovereignty is based on a nationalist vision and interpretation of historical facts and sociological realities in Quebec, which attest to the existence of a Québécois people and a Quebec nation. On November 27, 2006, the House of Commons of Canada adopted, by 266 votes to 16,

4753-559: The RIN became a provincial political party. In 1965, the more conservative Ralliement national (RN) also became a party. During this period, the Estates General of French Canada are organized. The stated objective of these Estates General was to consult the French-Canadian people on their constitutional future. The historical context of the time was a period when many former European colonies were becoming independent. Some advocates of Quebec independence saw Quebec's situation in

4850-417: The administrative issues resulting from so many students missing classes. After almost a decade in power, the Liberal government of Jean Charest was defeated in the 2012 provincial election by the Parti Québécois led by Pauline Marois . Charest was also personally defeated in his constituency and resigned as party leader. They came back into power during the 2014 election under Philippe Couillard . In

4947-420: The beginning of the Quiet Revolution , which dramatically changed Québec society. During this time a social-democratic faction within the party was especially prominent. Under the slogans C'est l'temps qu'ça change (it's time for change) in 1960 and maîtres chez nous (masters in our own house) in 1962, the Quebec government undertook several major initiatives, including: Under Lesage, the Liberals developed

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5044-496: The bombing of the Montreal Stock Exchange, and in 1970 the FLQ kidnapped British Trade Commissioner James Cross and Quebec Labour Minister Pierre Laporte ; Laporte was later found murdered. Jacques Parizeau joined the Parti Québécois on September 19, 1969, and Jérôme Proulx of the Union Nationale joined on November 11 of the same year. In the 1970 provincial election , the PQ won its first seven seats in

5141-512: The colony to Great Britain at the conclusion of the Seven Years' War in 1763, in which France ceded control of New France (except for the two small islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon ) to Great Britain, which returned the French West Indian islands they had captured in the 1763 Treaty of Paris . Under British rule, French Canadians were supplanted by waves of British immigrants, notably outside of Quebec (where they became

5238-462: The colony. It is during this period that Quebec and Montreal became the economic focal point of the new colony, and a strong proponent of a new national identity. During the Rebellions of 1837 , Canadian federalists, such as Louis-Joseph Papineau , Wolfred Nelson and William Lyon MacKenzie fought with the British colonial government for enhanced representation, among other grievances. While

5335-434: The compromises of the 19th century that were essential to the unification of Upper and Lower Canada and eventually Confederation. The Union Nationale under Maurice Duplessis (1930s to 1950s) was nationalist without explicitly calling for independence, prior to the arrival of Daniel Johnson, Sr. as leader. The Parti libéral du Québec represented a progressive, left-leaning variety of federalist nationalism throughout

5432-517: The course of the present times, provides us with a favorable opportunity to take our place among the independent sovereignties of America. We missed two great opportunities: let's all be prepared for a third. – 1837 Address of the Sons of Liberty La Survivance is the period beginning after the defeat of the Patriotes in the rebellions of 1837–1838 and lasting until the Quiet Revolution. It concerns

5529-417: The defeat of the resolution to " money and ethnic votes ." His opinion caused an outcry among English-speaking Quebecers, and he resigned following the referendum. An inquiry by the director-general of elections concluded in 2007 that at least $ 500,000 was spent by the federalist camp in violation of Quebec's election laws. This law imposes a limit on campaign spending by both option camps. Parizeau's statement

5626-564: The direction of asymmetrical federalism under former leaders Jack Layton and Tom Mulcair , both Quebec natives. This included opposition to the Clarity Act (the Sherbrooke Declaration , which brought the NDP in line with position of the Quebec Liberal Party ), and support for enhancing French language rights. Within the Liberal Party of Canada former Prime Minister Paul Martin also supported asymmetrical federalism, albeit he

5723-403: The election laws. While opponents of sovereignty were pleased with the defeat of the referendum, most recognized that there were still deep divides within Quebec and problems with the relationship between Quebec and the rest of the country. The PQ returned to power in the 1994 election under Jacques Parizeau, this time with 44.75% of the popular vote. In the intervening years, the failures of

5820-534: The failure of the Charlottetown Accord, many nationalist members of the Liberal party led by Jean Allaire and Mario Dumont , including many from the party's youth wing, left to form the Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ) because the Liberal Party dropped most of its autonomist demands during the negotiation of the Charlottetown Accord. As in 1980, the PLQ campaigned successfully for a "no" vote in

5917-548: The federal level. Notable long-serving Premiers of Quebec in this era were Lomer Gouin and Louis-Alexandre Taschereau . By 1935, the Conservatives had an ambitious new leader, Maurice Duplessis . Duplessis merged his party with dissident ex-Liberals who had formed the Action libérale nationale . Duplessis led the new party, the Union Nationale (UN), to power in the 1936 election . The Liberals returned to power in

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6014-600: The former British Columbia Liberal Party . The Liberal Party is descended from the Parti canadien (or Parti Patriote), who supported the 1837 Lower Canada Rebellion , and the Parti rouge , who fought for responsible government and against the authority of the Roman Catholic Church in Lower Canada . The most notable figure of this period was Louis-Joseph Papineau . The Liberals were in opposition to

6111-647: The former wants to make Quebec an autonomous province within Canada, while the latter, like its former national parent party, supports maintaining the status quo with Quebec remaining part of Canada. The idea that the Province of Quebec should remain a part of the Canadian Confederation is based on a variety of historical and cultural justifications, principally centred on the composition of Canadian culture prior to Confederation in 1867. The Federalist view of Canadian history suggests that Canada as

6208-467: The great majority of Anglophones and Allophones . The Quebec Liberal Party has faced various opposing parties in its history. Its main opposition from the time of the Confederation (1867) to the 1930s was the Parti conservateur du Québec . That party's successor, the Union Nationale , was the main opposition to the Liberals until the 1970s. Since then the Liberals have alternated in power with

6305-522: The identifier has been changed from French-Canadian nationalism or identity to Québécois nationalism or identity. The Quiet Revolution in Quebec brought widespread change in the 1960s. Among other changes, support for Quebec independence began to form and grow in some circles. The first organization dedicated to the independence of Quebec was the Alliance Laurentienne, founded by Raymond Barbeau on January 25, 1957. On September 10, 1960,

6402-419: The incident with Canada's national anthem , originally a French Canadian patriotic song appropriated by the anglophone majority of Canada. An independent Quebec would also adequately and definitively resolve the issue of needing to protect the French language in Quebec; French is the language of the majority in Quebec, but since it is the language of a cultural minority in Canada – and since Quebec does not have

6499-433: The late 18th century and sought to restore the traditional rights of French Canadians that had been abolished by the British with the Royal Proclamation of 1763 , began. During this period, French Canadians began to express an indigenous form of nationalism which emphasized their longstanding residence in North America. To most French Canadians, the only Canadians were the descendants of the French settlers of New France, while

6596-447: The law on the financing of political parties, which prohibits contributions by corporations and unions and set a limit on individual donations, and second, the Charter of the French Language . On May 17 PQ Member of the National Assembly Robert Burns resigned, telling the press he was convinced that the PQ was going to lose its referendum and fail to be re-elected afterwards. At its seventh national convention from June 1 to 3, 1979,

6693-413: The legislative powers of an independent state – French is still threatened. Sovereignty and sovereignism are terms derived from the modern independence movement, which started during the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s. However, the roots of Quebecers' desire for political autonomy are much older than that. Francophone nationalism in North America dates back to 1534, the year Jacques Cartier landed in

6790-548: The mass immigration of English-speaking immigrants. Some French Canadians left Quebec during this period in search of job security and protection of their culture. This phenomenon, known as the Grande Hémorragie ( French for 'great bleeding'), is the origin of the Quebec diaspora in New England and Northeastern Ontario among other places. It led to the creation of permanent resistance movements in those new locations. Groups of nationalists outside Quebec have since then promoted Quebec's cultural identity, along with that of

6887-497: The natural final outcome of the Québécois people's collective adventure and development is the achievement of political independence , which is only possible if Quebec becomes a sovereign state and if its inhabitants not only govern themselves through independent democratic political institutions, but are also free to establish external relations and makes international treaties without the federal government of Canada being involved. Through parliamentarism, Québécois currently possess

6984-427: The official language in Quebec, and pushed Trudeau for constitutional concessions. Reelected in 1973 , his government was also embarrassed by several scandals. Bourassa resigned from the party's leadership after the loss of the 1976 election to René Lévesque's Parti Québécois . Bourassa was succeeded as Liberal leader by Claude Ryan , the former director of the respected Montréal newspaper, Le Devoir . Ryan led

7081-490: The other provinces. This resulted in the Meech Lake Accord and Charlottetown Accord . Both of these proposals, however, were not ratified. While a Quebec nationalist , Bourassa remained an opponent of independence for Quebec. Daniel Johnson Jr. succeeded Bourassa as Liberal leader and Premier of Québec in 1994, but soon lost the 1994 election to the Parti Québécois under Jacques Parizeau . In 1993, after

7178-501: The political ties while preserving the economic links. The analogy, however, is counterproductive, suggesting Lévesque did not understand the nature and purpose of the European Community nor the relationship between economics and politics that continue to underpin it. Advocates of European integration had, from the outset, seen political union as a desirable and natural consequence of economic integration. The hyphen between

7275-448: The premiers of several of the other provinces) to support the idea of negotiations with an independent Quebec, contributing to the Yes side losing by a vote of 60 percent to 40 percent. This loss laid the groundwork for the 1995 referendum , which stated that Quebec should offer a new economic and political partnership to Canada before declaring independence. An English translation of part of

7372-465: The principles and/or political system of the government of Canada (status quo). This issue has been summarized as revolving around the concepts of Quebec remaining within Canada and opposition to the desires of Quebec sovereigntists . Throughout the sovereignty debate Quebec nationalist sentiment has swung between the federalist and sovereigntist options, with many Quebec nationalists willing to be

7469-462: The rest of Canada was described as a monetary and customs union as well as joint political institutions to administer the relations between the two countries. The main inspiration for this project was the then-emerging European Community . In Option Québec Lévesque expressly identified the EC as his model for forming a new relationship between sovereign Quebec and the rest of Canada, one that would loosen

7566-542: The ruling Conservatives for most of the first 20 years after Canadian Confederation , except for 18 months of Liberal minority government in 1878–1879. However, the situation changed in 1885 when the federal Conservative government refused to commute the death sentence of Louis Riel , the leader of the French-speaking Métis people of western Canada. This decision was unpopular in Quebec. Honoré Mercier rode this wave of discontent to power in 1887, but

7663-563: The sacrifice of Canadian soldiers who died on the battlefields of France in two world wars. The visit was cut short and de Gaulle left the country. Finally, in October 1967, former Liberal cabinet minister René Lévesque left that party when it refused to discuss sovereignty at a party convention. Lévesque formed the Mouvement souveraineté-association and set about uniting pro-sovereignty forces. He achieved that goal in October 1968 when

7760-401: The same year, the Réseau de résistance were set up. These two groups were formed by RIN members to organize non-violent but illegal actions, such as vandalism and civil disobedience. The most extremist individuals of these groups left to form the FLQ, which, unlike all the other groups, had made the decision to resort to violence in order to reach its goal of independence for Quebec. Shortly after

7857-454: The sovereignist adopted their strategy for the coming referendum. The PQ then began an aggressive effort to promote sovereignty-association by providing details of how the economic relations with the rest of Canada would include free trade between Canada and Quebec, common tariffs against imports, and a common currency. In addition, joint political institutions would be established to administer these economic arrangements. Sovereignty-association

7954-440: The sovereignist and federalist elites of Quebec, as well as with English Canada (see Constitutional Debate in Canada ). Although Quebec's independence movement is a political movement, cultural and social concerns that are much older than the sovereignist movement, as well as Quebecers' national identity, are also at the base for the desire to emancipate Quebec's population. One of the main cultural arguments sovereigntists cite

8051-626: The strong status of the French language and culture in Quebec. Opponents to Québécois nationalism point to the fact that Quebec is just as ethnically diverse as the rest of Canada and therefore is divisible by different ethnic and language groups, or point to the shared Francophone heritage of the ROC ( Rest of Canada ). Many federalists believe that Canada comprises many nations in the cultural and ethnic, non-political sense; and that Quebec can be divided into just as many nations as Ontario or British Columbia . Most major federal political parties, including

8148-574: The subsidized English-language system, thus receiving the right to attend English schools in Québec for their siblings and all descendants, should the student demonstrate a bureaucratically-defined parcours authentique within the English system. Meanwhile, the Office québécois de la langue française (Quebec Board of the French Language) under the Liberal provincial government has also opted for

8245-438: The successful federalist campaign in the 1980 Quebec referendum on Québec sovereignty, but then lost the 1981 election . He resigned as Liberal leader some time later, paving the way for the return of Robert Bourassa. When Bourassa returned as Premier in 1985 , he persuaded the federal Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney to recognize Quebec as a distinct society , and sought greater powers for Quebec and

8342-516: The survival strategies employment by the French-Canadian nation and the ultramontane of the Catholic Church following the enactment of the Act of Union of 1840 which established a system whose goal was to force the cultural and linguistic assimilation of French Canadians into English-Canadian culture. In addition to la Revanche des berceaux , a phlegmatic character was adopted in response to

8439-438: The terms independentist, sovereignist, and separatist are used to describe people adhering to this movement, although the latter term is perceived as pejorative by those concerned as it de-emphasizes that the sovereignty project aims to achieve political independence without severing economic connections with Canada. Most of the prime ministers of Canada's speeches use the term sovereignist in French to moderate remarks made on

8536-542: The traditional agrarian lifestyles and languages of the early Habitants , the first Canadiens . In this sense, Canada was spared the cultural hegemony of the British Empire and was not assimilated. The British were quick to recognize that the French Monarchy and elites were quick to abandon New France, and that a resentment had been growing against imperial domination. The Ancien Régime administration

8633-420: The usual denomination for all followers is simply federalist , two main branches can be sketched out. Federalist Quebec nationalists defend the concept of Quebec remaining within Canada , while pursuing greater autonomy and national recognition for Quebec within the Canadian federation. This approach to national unity has a long tradition within Canadian federalism that in some respects can be traced back to

8730-454: The vote many within the sovereignist camp were very upset that the vote broke down heavily along language lines. Approximately 90 percent of English speakers and allophones (mostly immigrants and first-generation Quebecers whose native language is neither French or English) Quebecers voted against the referendum, while almost 60 percent of Francophones voted Yes. Quebec premier Jacques Parizeau , whose government supported sovereignty, attributed

8827-414: The words "sovereignty" and "association" was often stressed by Lévesque and other PQ members, to make it clear that both were inseparable. The reason stated was that if Canada decided to boycott Quebec exports after voting for independence, the new country would have to go through difficult economic times, as the barriers to trade between Canada and the United States were then very high. Quebec would have been

8924-586: Was also an admission of failure by the Yes camp in getting the newly arrived Quebecers to adhere to their political option. Accusations of an orchestrated effort of "election engineering" in several polling stations in areas with large numbers of non-francophone voters, which resulted in unusually large proportions of rejected ballots, were raised following the 1995 referendum. Afterward, testimony by PQ-appointed polling clerks indicated that they were ordered by PQ-appointed overseers to reject ballots in these polling stations for frivolous reasons that were not covered in

9021-501: Was brought down by a scandal in 1891. He was later cleared of all charges. The Conservatives returned to power until 1897. The Liberals won the 1897 election , and held power without interruption for the next 39 years; the Conservatives never held power in Québec again. This mirrored the situation in Ottawa, where the arrival of Wilfrid Laurier in the 1896 federal election marked the beginning of Liberal Party of Canada dominance at

9118-574: Was cognizant of the development of a new culture many years before The Conquest , and decided against pursuing any more involvement in the economically unsustainable colony. Under British administration, the influx of new capital as a result of the migration of Loyalists into Upper Canada , the Maritimes and the Eastern Townships and the threat of a newly independent and militaristic United States , all led to substantial development for

9215-941: Was in favour of the Clarity Act. For the most part though, the federal Liberals are associated with symmetrical federalism. On the Right, former the Progressive Conservative Party leader and prime minister Joe Clark (who also opposed the Clarity Act), and some Quebec figures within the modern Conservative Party of Canada have also taken a stance in favour of greater autonomy for Quebec within Canada. Notable asymmetrical federalists have included Tom Mulcair , Jack Layton , Jean Charest , Philippe Couillard , Francois Legault , Paul Martin , Joe Clark , Robert Bourassa , Brian Mulroney , Claude Ryan , and Jean Lesage . Currently, governmental oversight

9312-431: Was proposed to the population of Quebec in the 1980 Quebec referendum . The proposal was rejected by 60 percent of the Quebec electorate. In September, the PQ created a national committee of Anglophones and a liaison committee with ethnic minorities. The PQ was returned to power in the 1981 election with a stronger majority than in 1976, obtaining 49.2 percent of the vote and winning 80 seats. However, they did not hold

9409-709: Was the period lasting from the beginning of the 19th century to the defeat of the Patriotes at the Battle of Saint-Eustache in 1837, the final battle in the Patriotes War. It began with the founding of the Parti Canadien by the Canadiens . It stands out for its notorious resistance to the influence of the Château Clique , a group of wealthy families in Lower Canada in the early 19th century who were

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