Canada - Quebec Relations

Richard Riot

Mar 17, 1955

Sparked by Clarence Campbell's decision to suspend Maurice Richard. On March 13 in a game of the Canadiens vs the Boston Bruins in the third period a Bruin player hits Richard with a stick on the head and Richard accidentally hit the Linesman. This is considered by some to be the beginning of the Quiet Revolution. The other player wasn't suspended. http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/greatest-moment/The-Richard-Riot

The Quiet Revolution

Jun 22, 1960

June 22 1960 - October 14 1966 A period of dramatic change in Quebec society during the 1960s – education, language, business, language, business, outlook. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/quiet-revolution

Election of Pierre Trudeau

Jun 25, 1968

Trudeau, who was unknown until he was appointed to the cabinet by Lester B. Pearson, had won a surprise victory over Paul Joseph James Martin and others in the party's leadership election earlier in 1968. The charismatic, intellectual and fully bilingual Trudeau soon captured the hearts and minds of the nation, and the period leading up to the election saw such intense feelings for him that it was dubbed "Trudeaumania."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_federal_election,_1968

Parti Québécois

Oct 11, 1968

Leftest party and merger of 2 ex-parties: Mouvement Souveraineté-Association (MSA) and Rassemblement pour l'indépendance national (RIN). Establish on October 11, 1968 and stand to protect Québécois rights and culture. Major players in making French an official language in Canada. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/parti-quebecois

Official Languages Act

Sep 9, 1969

Declares that French and English are the official languages of Canada. The Act is supported by all the political parties however public reactions vary. "In June 1987 the Conservative government introduced an amended Official Languages Act to promote official language minority rights." http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/official-languages-act-1969

October Crisis

Oct 5, 1970

James Cross the British trade commissioner from Montreal was kidnapped and shortly after Qubec minister of labour and immigration Pierre Laporte was kidnapped. During this time more than 540 people were arrested. Pierre Laporte was soon found in a car trunk near St Hubert airport and James Cross was found in a cell holding.

Montréal Summer Olympic Games

Jul 17, 1976

From July 17 1976 until August 1 1976
First time Canada hosted the Olympics. the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and Los Angeles, which later hosted the 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympic Games.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Summer_Olympics

Québec Referendum

May 20, 1980

A Québec referendum, called by the PARTI QUÉBÉCOIS (PQ) government, was held on 20 May 1980 to ask the people of Québec for a mandate to negotiate, on an equal footing, a new agreement with the rest of Canada, thus honouring the promise it had made in 1976 to hold a REFERENDUM before making any radical change in Québec's status. The concept of SOVEREIGNTY-ASSOCIATION was rejected by about 60% of voters, although it is estimated about 50% of the francophones supported it.

Constitution Act of 1982

Apr 17, 1982

Born out of a desire on the part of the Trudeau government to patriate the Constitution of Canada from the United Kingdom, the Constitution Act, 1982 came into force on 17 April 1982. The Act forms a part of the Constitution of Canada and is itself comprised of 7 parts. The first part is the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the "Charter"). http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/constitution-act-1982

Charter of Rights

Apr 17, 1982

The Charter is founded on the rule of law and entrenches in the Constitution of Canada the rights and freedoms Canadians believe are necessary in a free and democratic society. It recognizes primary fundamental freedoms, democratic rights, mobility rights, legal rights and equality rights, and recognizes the multicultura.

The Meech Lake Accord

Jun 3, 1987

The Meech Lake Accord is a set of failed constitutional amendments, proposed in the late-1980s. One of the key objectives of the Meech Lake Accord was to gain Quebec’s explicit acceptance of the Constitution Act.

Charlottetown Accord

Oct 26, 1992

The Charlottetown Accord is a set of failed constitutional amendments, proposed in the early 1990s, to gain Quebec’s formal acceptance of the Canadian Constitution. The Charlottetown Accord was the second attempt to bring Quebec into the constitutional fold, and was initiated after the failed Meech Lake Accord of 1987.

Québec Referendum 1995

Oct 30, 1995

The failure of MEECH LAKE and the CHARLOTTETOWN left uncertainty about the constitutional future of Canada. The first sign was a dramatic change in the political landscape of the House of Commons in the 1993 election. TheConservatives, associated with former prime minister Brian Mulroney and the failed accords, was virtually wiped out. While the federalist Liberals under Jean CHRÉTIEN won a majority.
- Canadian Encyclopedia