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French-English Relations
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The Union National (Event #1)
The arrival of the great depression in the 1930s affected Quebec badly. The people’s cries were answered by the Union National, a nationalist political party in Quebec led by Maurice Duplessis; who became a father figure to the French people. He vowed to protect French language and culture, and help Quebec gain power so it can control its own purpose. This is significant in French-English relations, for it is an example of the French trying to stand up for themselves and make Quebec better. -
La Grande Noirceur (Event #2)
People began to realize that Duplessis was very corrupted in his ways, for he only did things that only benefited himself, not Quebec; he made none of the progress he said he would. Perhaps the only benefit of having him was that he gave rural areas electricity and free beer to people. Maurice left Quebec in the dark, thus the name “La Grande Noirceir.” This is an important part of history as it was the spark which soon became a fire known as the “Quiet Revolution,” a major event later on. -
The Richard Riots (Event #3)
Maurice Richard was a known French hockey player, he got into a fight and was suspended for the season and playoffs. The French saw this penalty as too severe and bias, for it was done by Clarence Campbell, an Englishman. Campbell came to the first game after the suspension and it caused a riot. This event helped the French realize that they don’t want the English ruling over Quebec; this created more fervor for French nationalism and even separation, it also led to the Quiet Revolution. -
the Quiet Revolution (Event #4: 1/2)
After Duplessis died, the Quebec government took control while being led by Jean Lesage. Lesage wanted a change from the corruption and promised three main things: to raise the social and economic standards of the population, to increase recognition of French-speaking people, and to create a Quebec run by Quebeckers. This change was known as the Quiet Revolution. This was is significant because it shows how the government is trying to improve the French image, but without any violence or war. -
The Bi and Bi Commission (Event #5)
The prime minister at the time, Lester B. Pearson, decided to respond to Quebec separatism by creating the Royal Commission on Bilingual and Biculturalism in 1963. This commission wanted to make Canada Bilingual by giving it two official languages: English and French. It also wanted to help promote both languages, protect language rights, and let people attend schools with the language they want. This was a strategy the prime minister used to try to keep Canada together, making it significant. -
Magnificent Expo 67 Speech (Event #6)
During the 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67 which was a world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, the French President Charles de Gaulle delivered a speech where he supported the separatists in Quebec and compared the Canadian government to the Nazis. This infuriated prime minister Pearson. Obviously, this is an important part of the story, for it intensified the tensions between the French and English a lot. -
The Official Languages Act (Event #7)
Once Pierre Trudeau became prime minister in 1968, he wanted to try to satisfy Quebec; he did this by passing "The Official Languages Act." This act officially made Canada bilingual, all federal government services to be offered in both languages, allowed more French people to be put in senior government positions, and let the English and French know more about each other. The French began finding reasons not to separate from Canada which changed the trajectory of future events. -
The Quiet Revolution (Event #4: 2/2)
The result of the Quiet Revolution didn’t disappoint, for it limited the control of the Catholic church, helped increase the status of women and minors, took control of hydroelectricity creating Hydro Quebec, modernized education, and gave big businesses and high-level positions to Quebeckers. However, this revolution also allowed French nationalism to evolve into separatism. This event is an important time in French history as it helped Quebec gain enough courage to begin to aim for separation. -
The October Crisis (Event #8)
This began when the FLQ, which was a terrorist organization that believed in separatism, kidnapped the Trade Commissioner of Montreal and the Labour Minister of Quebec. All in an attempt to bring Quebec closer to independence. Prime Minister Trudeau chose to enact the "War Measures Act" to retaliate against these kidnappings, and it helped defeat the FLQ. This event allowed people to see how severe Quebec separatism was and helped the French realize how much Quebec was controlled by the English. -
Bill 22 (Event #9)
Many of the immigrants which came to Quebec chose to adopt the English Language instead of French, this didn’t sit well with Quebeckers; so the provincial government decided to create Bill 22, this made French the language for all public services and made it so that the default language for schools was French. The only way to enter an English school was to take an English test and pass. This event portrays how Quebeckers are trying to preserve their culture. -
Le Parti Quebecois (Event #10)
Le Parti Quebecois was a provincial political party in Canada, its goal was to help Quebec separate, and the leader was known to be René Lévesque. This is significant because it was the first political party in Quebec to be elected with the sole purpose of independence. Many Canadians began wondering what would happen to Canada if this political party was to succeed. -
Bill 101 (Event #11)
This was Parti Quebecois' first move. Bill 101 made French the only language to be used in the government, the courts, the workplace and even commercial signs. This caused all of the English speaking Quebeckers to perform a mass exodus from the province. A group of people known as “Alliance Quebec” took this law to court for 11 years; this concluded in the realization that English couldn’t completely be cut out. This event depicts how simply changing the dialect of Quebec had a drastic impact. -
The Sovereignty Association (Event #13)
Lévesque offered the people The Sovereignty Association, this essentially allowed Quebec to be politically independent, but also have close economic ties with the rest of Canada. Once again, there was a referendum to make the final decision. 90% of Quebec’s population voted, 40% voted "yes" and 60% voted "no"; this ultimately caused this idea to also get scraped. This is important as it shows how the population of Quebec began straying from the idea of separation by voting against these offers. -
Independence Round 1 (Event #12)
During the 1980 referendum for independence, 20% of the people favored separation, but the rest feared American dominance and invasion. 84% of the Quebeckers still wanted some kind of change within Canada. This referendum was important, for it revealed the truth about how the majority of Quebeckers felt about separation and why. -
The Night of The Long Knives (Event #14 1/2)
Prime Minister Trudeau was passionate about keeping Canada united, he promised to change Canada’s constitution so it no longer included Britain. He proposed to create a charter of rights and freedoms, but 8 provincial premiers didn’t agree with him, for they thought they would lose power. Trudeau arranged one more meeting with the premiers, and in that night when the French premier went to bed across the river, Trudeau got the approval of the majority of the leaders, what he needed. -
The Night of The Long Knives (Event #14 2/2)
René Lévesque felt betrayed when he heard the news in the morning, but since Trudeau only needed the approval of the majority of the premiers, he was able to bring the constitution home without Quebec. This event is very significant, for it shows how the French were excluded from such a big decision, they didn’t even have a say in it and they have yet to sign the consitiution. -
Meech Lake Accord (Event #15)
Since Quebec still didn’t agree with the constitution, the prime minister at the time Brian Mulroney tried to get Quebec to approve and sign, but the biggest problem was that Quebec wanted to be seen as a distinct society. Other groups in Canada which were seen as distinctive like the first nations or women didn’t get any special treatment; so this agreement failed. This was a second attempt to include Quebec in what they were excluded in years ago, but it still didn't work out. -
Independence Round 2 (Event # 16)
The powerhouse leaders of Bloc Quebecois and Parti Quebecois had another referendum pushing for separation again. The votes were close, but the “no” won at the end of the day with 50.6% of votes. Most of Quebec didn’t even want to separate anymore because it was doing well economically, the jobs were secure, and they didn't have to worry about the government or invasion. This is important, for it shows how the movement for separation died over time and how it is today. -
The Clarity Act (Event #17)
As a conclusion of the 1995 referendum, the supreme court declared that Quebec couldn’t separate whenever it wants and that it would have to deal with the federal government, the 9 other provinces, and the First Nations people living in Quebec if it ever wanted independence. This is important because it is just about where this independence situation was left off in the past.
