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Founding of Quebec
In 1608, Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City; this is considered the birth of the French regime. The colony was first administered by trading companies that were granted a monopoly of the fur trade by the King. -
Creation of the Company of One Hundred Associates
The Company of the 100 Associates had the monopoly of the fur trade which was given to them by the King. However, this power was taken away from them by the King once they failed to meet their obligations of settling New France in a certain period of time. -
Royal Government
The Royal Government (democracy is non-existent) was put in place because the fur trading companies did not fulfill its promise to colonize New France. By 1663, Louis XIV assumes all powers: this is called absolute monarchy. In New France, the king organizes the political structure and defines the roles of each person within the system. In the Royal Government, there is the King, Minister of Marine, the Sovereign Council, Captain of Militia and the population. The citizens have no say. -
Mgr. de Laval, first bishop of Quebec
Mgr. de Laval is the first bishop of Quebec. He is the highest dignitary in the colony. He has no real power. His role is to ensure the spiritual wellbeing of the citizens of New France. He takes care of all religious aspects of the colony. -
Great Peace of Montreal
In July 1701, discussions were held with approximately thirty nations represented by approximately 1300 people who gathered at a camp in Montreal. On August 4, the Great Peace of Montreal was signed, putting an end to the Franco-Iroquois Wars. The French recognized that the Iroquois were free to trade and the latter agreed to be neutral during conflicts between the French and the British. -
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War of the Conquest
The war of Conquest was a war between New France & the Thirteen British Colonies where the British won and took over New France while waiting for Seven Years War to end. The transition of empires was official after the War was over. The Conquest of 1760 would profoundly modify all relationships of power in Canada. The Royal government would be dispersed, the Catholic Church would lose its direct political influence and new colonial administrators would be put into place by Great-Britain. -
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British Military Regime
By the end of the battle of the Plains of Abraham, in 1759, Quebec was in British hands. In 1760, Montreal capitulated. After the Conquest, the clergy lost the right to collect the tithe & after the bishop died, he wasn't replaced. From 1760-1763, the Province of Quebec was administered under martial law, a system of temporary rule by the army with special military courts instead of civil authorities. Because the Seven Year's War wasn't over yet, British control of New France was not definite. -
Royal Proclamation
In October 1763, the British government issued an official announcement called the Royal Proclamation. The aim of the Royal Proclamation was to assimilate French-speaking Canadians and make them British. This was the first constitution of the Province of Quebec. It describes the operation of the new British colony. All aspects of the life of the Canadians are mentioned. -
Quebec Act
The Thirteen colonies are starting to talk about war and independence. To ensure the loyalty of the French Canadians in the event of war with the Thirteen Colonies, the king of England decides to grant a new constitution to the Province of Quebec. This constitution is called the Quebec Act. -
Constitutional Act
In 1791, the Constitutional Act attempted to satisfy the requirements of both the Loyalists and the French in Quebec. Quebec was divided into Lower Canada and Upper Canada. This constitution also granted a legislative assembly to each colony. -
92 resolutions
In 1834, the Parti Patriote drafted the 92 resolutions with which they demanded more autonomy for Canada with respect to Great-Britain and a more democratic system. These are a few of their demands: 1. The election of members in the Legislative Council. 2. Control of the budget by the Legislative Assembly. 3. Implementation of ministerial responsibility, therefore the abolition of the power of veto which would ensure a more democratic government. -
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Rebellions in Lower Canada
After the governor prohibited the assemblies that were held by the Patriotes, spreading their ideas, in November 1837, the Patriotes were ready for an armed confrontation. The rebellion in Lower Canada failed partly because there was little active support of the Patriotes outside the Montreal area, no support from the clergy who had an influence on the people, the rebels were poorly organized & poorly equipped. They had little chance fighting against well-armed professional soldiers. -
Act of Union
The British parliament passed the Act of Union July 1840. This changed the structure of Canada's government. The Act of Union united Upper and Lower Canada into the Province of Canada or United Canada. It was to be a legislative union where one government controlled the whole colony. There was to be one United Assembly with 42 elected members from each territory: Canada West and Canada East. -
British North America Act
With the British North America Act of 1867, Canada became a federation. At first, it was composed of four provinces: Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Powers were separated between the federal government and the provincial governments. The British North America Act granted powers to the provinces in domains like education, health and social services. -
Conscription Crisis
When World War I broke out in Europe, many English-speaking Canadians enlisted in the army to back up the British troops. French Canadians were less willing to volunteer their services in the Canadian Army which functioned solely in English and where they were not treated as equals. In 1917, due to the lack of volunteers, the Government of Canada imposed conscription. This was not well received across Canada and especially not in Quebec where there were protests that led to violence. -
Women's right to vote
In the 19th century, the status of women was inferior to that of men: women had no legal or political rights and those who worked were paid far less than men. However, women's right to vote was recognized federally in 1918 giving them more power federally. -
Maurice Duplessis, Premier
Duplessis was the premier of Quebec. Duplessis's political ideas were based on liberalism and on French Canadian nationalism that emphasized Catholicism, agriculture, and provincial autonomy. This government granted the state a limited socioeconomic role. It financed infrastructure projects and attracted private investments in particular in the natural resources sector. It directly encouraged one single sector of the economy: agriculture. This government favored non-intervention of the State. -
Padlock Act
Relationships between the State and the unions were tense until the 1960s. Maurice Duplessis adopted the Padlock Law in 1937. This law permitted the police to close any establishment believed to be involved in communist propaganda. This law was also used to close down union offices. Duplessis also adopted anti-labor laws, notably by removing the certification of unions supporting strikes. -
Women's right to vote
As mentioned before, the status of women in the 19th century was inferior to men because women had no legal or political rights. However, women's right to vote was recognized provincially in 1940, giving them more power. -
Conscription Crisis
During World War II, the Prime Minister of Canada, William Lyon Mackenzie King, promised Canadians that he would not impose conscription. But because of the significant loss of life, the Government had to renege on his promise. In 1942, the King organized a referendum on conscription. The majority of English-speaking Canadians agree while the majority of French-Speaking Canadians were opposed to the idea of conscription. The Bloc Populaire, a new political party, was formed because of this. -
October Crisis
During the 1970s, some separatists believed that only radical measures would lead to Quebec sovereignty. This was the case for members of the Front de Liberation du Quebec. This group was founded in 1963. This group believed in striking fear in the population. In the early 1970s, this group launched several terrorist attacks. -
Referendum on Sovereignty-Association
In 1976, the Parti Quebecois was elected and formed the Government of Quebec. Once in power, the Quebec government wanted to negotiate an agreement that would allow it to be sovereign at the political level while maintaining economic ties with the rest of Canada. The referendum of 1980 divided Quebec's population. In the end, the No side won 59.56% of the votes, against 40.46% for the Yes. -
Meech Lake Accord
In the 1980s, attempts of reconciliation for the constitutional agreement of Quebec takes place. In 1987, the Federal Government led by the conservative Brian Mulroney proposed a new draft to the constitution that is first accepted by all the provinces and then rejected by Newfoundland and Manitoba. This project is called the Meech Lake Accord. -
Referendum on Sovereignty
In 1995, the Parti Quebecois held a second referendum on Quebec sovereignty but the results revealed a profound division between sovereignists and federalists. The No side won with 50.6% of the vote. Nowadays, people talk less and less about the separation of Quebec. -
"Paix des Braves" agreement
The Agreement respecting a new relationship Between the Cree Nation and the Government of Quebec is an agreement signed on February 7, 2002, between the Government of Quebec and the Grand Council of the Crees. This historic Agreement implements with respect to Quebec recommendations of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and provides for the sharing of revenues derived from mining, hydroelectric development and forestry carried out on the traditional lands of the Cree People.
