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World War I Conscription Crisis
Conscription in 1917 created a rift between English-Canadians and French-Canadians. French Canadians did not feel strong ties to the British nor the French. Furthermore, a protestant clergyman was appointed to supervise the recruiting of the (mostly) Catholic Quebec citizens. English-Canadians believed French-Canadians were not doing their part, which further divided Canada and resulted in riots in Quebec. -
Creation of the Union Nationale Party
The Union Nationale party, a Quebecois political party, was formed on the basis of defending provincial autonomy, conservatism, economic liberalism, and rural life. It was originally a coalition of the Conservative Party and the Action liberale nationale, created after their defeat in the the 1935 provincial election. Its leaders were Maurice Duplessis and Paul Gouin. -
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The Great Darkness (I)
Maurice Duplessis, known as le chef, served as the Union Nationale (conservative and nationalist political party) premier of Quebec (1936-1939 and 1944-1959). He was a Roman Catholic and political conservative who avoided English influence at all costs and refused money from the federal government, believing in provincial rights. This era was characterized by bad working conditions, with unions being discouraged and brought down with strong-arm tactics, hence its name - The Great Darkness. -
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World War II Conscription Crisis
Despite having made a promise to not introduce conscription in 1939, Prime Minister King ended up holding a plebiscite in 1942 to release him from his promise. Although many Canadians supported this, French-Canadians were not in favour of conscription. This created further tension between English-Canadians and French-Canadians, and though it was much less extreme than the crisis in 1917, relations were still strained. -
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The Great Darkness (II)
See the Great Darkness (I). By 1959, with the arrival of the "swinging sixties" social change came around, and Duplessis lost support as he was considered old fashioned. -
1960s Separatist Movement
The Quebec separatist movement took place throughout the 1960s. It was a political movement supporting the separation of Quebec from Canada. During this time period, the FLQ was formed and several diverse political groups came together in the late 1960s to form the Parti Quebecois, a provincial political party. -
Quiet Revolution Begins/Maitre Chez Nous (1962)
Jean Lesage (Liberal Party) was premier of Quebec from 1960-1966, campaigning under the slogan "maitres chez nous", meaning masters of our own house. Lesage wanted to created a new and equal partnership between Quebec and English Canada. Under Lesage, Quebec went through la Revolution Tranquille ("the Quiet Revolution"), where rapid reform and modernization took place. The federal government allowed Quebec some sovereignty. Quebec nationalism increased and French Canadians became Quebecois. -
Front de Liberation du Quebec LQ party is formed
The Front de Liberation du Quebec was a Montreal-based terrorist and Marxist-Leninist separatist group. They were committed to using violent actions if necessary to achieve have Quebec separate from the rest of Canada. They operated via cells, where members would only know others in their cell. Throughout the 1960s, members were trained by supporters of Che Guevara and by Palestinian commandos in Jordan. The FLQ would go on to commit dozens of violent political actions. -
Bi and Bi Commission investigation by Lester B. Pearson
The Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism was established by Prime Minister Pearson to look into bilingualism and biculturalism in Canada and to recommend what steps should be taken to create an equal partnership between English and French Canadians. Recommendations included that bilingual districts be created, parents be able to have their children attend school in a language of choice, Ottawa become a bilingual city, and English and French to be the official languages of Canada. -
Canada's New Flag 1965
The debate over the new Canadian flag opened in June 1964 and closed December of that year. Controversy over the design of the flag ended up with divided opinions among many English speaking Canadians, which French Canadians keenly followed. In the end, a decision was made and the royal proclamation was signed. -
1967 Canada's Immigration Policy becomes "Colour Blind"
The points system is considered Canada's first real attempt to eliminate discrimination in the immigration process. The new, more objective policy, assessed potential immigrants according to criteria such as level of education and ability to find work in Canada. Ethnicity was not part of the criteria, and many potential immigrants supported the new policy. -
Trudeau Becomes Prime Minister
Pierre Trudeau was a controversial figure who was instrumental in negotiating Canada's constitutional independence from the British parliament and establishing a new Canadian Constitution with an enshrined Charter of Rights and Freedoms. A French Canadian Liberal Party member, he resisted Duplessis' governing during the Quiet Revolution. He supported Canadian federalism, in which English and French Canada would find a new equality, rather than Quebec nationalism. -
Official Languages Act Passed, 1969
In 1969, Prime Minister Trudeau signed the Official Languages Act, which officially made Canada a bilingual country. This gave all Canadians the legal right and ability to deal with the federal government in either English or French. Furthermore, all products sold in stores across the country were to be labelled in both French and English. As a result of this act, French immersion programs were created in schools all over Canada. -
FLQ Crisis, aka October Crisis
British Trade Commissioner James Cross was kidnapped by an FLQ cell, who made demands such as passage to Cuba, a publice reading of the FLQ Manifesto, and the release of FLQ "political prisoners" jailed for terrorist bombings. They set a ransom at $500,000. 5 days later, another cell kidnapped Vice-Premier and Minister of Labour of Quebec, Pierre Laporte. After Laporte's dead body was found, Trudeau agreed to broadcast the FLQ manifesto and transport several FLQ terrorists to Cuba. -
The War Measures Act 1970
In response to the October Crisis, the War Measures Act was invoked, giving the government the power to take away certain civil rights. Searches and arrests occured, membership in the FLQ became criminal, and political rallies were banned. The government could arrest, question, and detain suspects without charge for 90 days. This act was invoked because of the belief there was a widespread conspiracy to overthrow the government. Trudeau showed no sympathy in using the War Measures Act. -
Policy of Multiculturalism 1971
The government, under Prime Minister Trudeau, announced multiculturalism as an official government policy based on recommendations of the Bi and Bi Commission. In doing so, Canadian society, including its diversity in languages, customs, religions, and other cultural differences, would be recognized and respected. Multiculturalism would later be recognized in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Multiculturalism Act would be enacted by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. -
1974 Bill 22 Introduced by Robert Bourassa
The Liberal premier of Quebec, Robert Bourassa introduced Bill 22 (aka The Official Language Act of 1974), which made French the sole official language of Quebec and strengthened French in the workplace. Furthermore, children had to pass an English proficiency test before being allowed to register at English schools in Quebec. This bill was introduced on the basis that the French language might disappear as birth rates in Quebec were declining while immigration was increasing. -
1976 Immigration Policy Moves to "Sponsorship Program"
The Immigration act of 1976 took place in 1978 and established the main objectives of Canada's immigration policy for the first time. These included the promotion of Canada's demographic, economic, social, and cultural goals, as well as the priorities of family reunion, diversity, and non-discrimination. The act defined refugees as a distinct group of immigrants in Canadian law, which would later allow private groups to sponsor refugees and bring them to Canada as permanent residents. -
1976 Bill 101 Introduced by Parti Quebecois, Rene Levesque
Bill 101, aka Charte de la langue francaise, was introduced by Camille Laurin under the Parti Quebecois government led by Premier Rene Levesque. If passed, it would make French the official language of government and of the courts in Quebec. It would also make it the normal and habitual language of the workplace, instruction, communications, commerce, and business. -
1976 Parti Quebecois Wins Provincial Election on Quebec
The non-violent separatist Parti Quebecois (PQ), led by Rene Levesque, defeated the Liberals (Robert Bourassa) in the provincial election. The PQ was dedicated to winning independence for Quebec by following the rules of Canada's political process. -
1977 Bill 101 Passed
Bill 101, which had been introduced the prior year, was passed. It was created to replace Bill 22 and it required that French be the language used by governments, courts, and businesses in Quebec, and that commercial signs be displayed in French only. It also required at least on parent of a child to have previously attended an English school in Quebec before that child could attend an English school. Bill 101 created backlash across the country, and many English businesses left Quebec. -
1980 Referendum on Sovereignty Association
Quebec held its first referendum on sovereignty vs association with the rest of Canada. The proposal was that Quebec would be an independent state, with control over its own taxes, social policies, citizenship and immigration, but would maintain close economic ties with the rest of Canada. Over 90% of the people in Quebec voted, 60% of which voted "non". As a result, Quebec remained part a part of Canada. -
1982 Patriation of the Constitution
During the Quebec referendum, Prime Minister Trudeau had promised the people of Quebec a new constitutional arrangement if the referendum was defeated. After the referendum, Prime Minister Trudeau's promise was kept as he repatriated the constitution so it would be brought home to Canada from Great Britain. This severe the symbolic link between Canada and Great Britain. -
1982 Constitution Act
The Constitution Act allowed Canada to become a truly sovereign nation with its own constitution and amending formula. On the final night of the talks to draft the new constitution, all the premiers except Levesque were awakened in the middle of the night to look at last minute revisions. Despite the 9 Anglophone premiers and the Prime Minister reaching an agreement, Quebec did not sign as it felt betrayed after it was not invited to the final talks. -
Brian Mulroney Becomes Prime Minister
When Mulroney, a Quebec native, won election as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, he had never run for public office, However, he offered the public a new face from Quebec, where the conservatives had traditionally been weak, winning by a landslide over the Liberals. Mulroney sought closer cooperation with the US on double sided issues such as trade policies and measures to deal with acid rain in North America. -
Meech Lake Accord (I)
In 1987 the Progressive Conservative government of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney attempted to win Québec's consent to the revised Canadian Constitution — following the Québec government's rejection of it in 1981. The result was the Meech Lake Accord, an agreement between the federal and provincial governments to amend the Constitution by strengthening provincial powers and declaring Québec a "distinct society." -
1987 Reform Party Created
The Reform Party grew out of a coalition of Western Canadian interest groups discontented with the status quo in federal politics. The Reform Association of Canada was voted to create a broadly based party to voice western economic and constitutional concerns and was founded in Winnipeg, with leader Preston Manning. While its platform included free trade, direct democracy, and contemporary proposals, its major goals were decentralizing the federal government. -
1988 Department of Multiculturalism Formed
The Multiculturalism Act, passed by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservative government, followed through on the 1971 policy of multiculturalism by establishing legislation to protect ethnic, racial, linguistic, and religious diversity within Canadian society. Multiculturalism was celebrated as a new vision of Canadian identity, which would foster a global understanding of all ethnic communities. -
Meech Lake Accord (II)
In early June of 1990, all premiers finally agreed to ratify the Accord — subject to guarantees of further constitutional discussions following the Accord, on such issues as an elected Senate, the amending formula itself, and equality and aboriginal issues. However, due to problems in Manitoba, the ratification date is extended by three months. In 1990, the Manitoba delay gave Wells an excuse to avoid bringing the issue to a vote, ultimately ensured its disintegration. -
Bloc Quebecois
Founded as a parliamentary movement composed of Québec MPs who left the Conservative and Liberal parties after the failure of the Meech Lake Accord, the party promotes Quebec's interests and Quebec sovereignty in the House of Commons. -
Fail of Charlottetown Accord
The Charlottetown Accord made provisions for Indigenous self-government, Senate Reform, universal healthcare, worker's rights, and environmental protection. The proposed accord included a "Canada" clause in addition to the "distinct society" clause for Quebec. The Canada clause includes a commitment to the equality of men and women, and to the well being of all Canadians. Only four provinces approved the accord. Others felt that the provisions were too large and open to too much interpretation. -
Parti Quebecois returned to power
The Parti Quebecois defeated the Liberals in the Quebec provincial election and Jacques Parizeau became the Premier of Quebec. -
2nd Referendum on Sovereignty Association
Jacques Parizeau held a referendum on the questions of Quebec's sovereignty. This time the question was whether Quebec should actually separate from Canada. The "non" side won with 50.6% of votes. After the referendum, Parizeau resigned and was replaced by Lucien Bouchard. -
Clarity Bill and the Supreme Court decision
The Supreme Court ruled that Quebec did not have the right to separate unilaterally from Canada. In order to achieve independence, Quebec would have to negotiate with the federal government, the nine other provinces, the Indigenous nations living in Quebec, and the other minorities living there. Additionally, negotiations could begin only after a referendum in which a "clear" majority voted "yes" to a "clear question".
