-
Founding of Quebec
Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec in 1608. It was founded as a trading post for the fur trade. When New France was first established, it was governed by the trading company, the One Hundred Associates. The One Hundred Associates had a monopoly over the fur-trading company in New France. -
Creation of the Company of One Hundred Associates
In 1627, the company of one hundred associates took over the colonization of New France. The fur trading company has certain obligations. To establish 4000 settlers over the course of the next 15 years, pay fees to sustain these settlers for 3 years, grant artisans the right to open up shops in in New France. The fur trading companies did not respect their obligations and in 1663, The king took back control of the colonial development. -
Royal Government
In 1663, the King put in place a Royal Government consisting of: The Minister of the Marine is responsible for all the colonies. The Governor is the representative of the King of the New France. The intendant managed the budget and was responsible for justice and internal affairs. The bishop is the highest dignitary in the colony and was part of the Sovereign Council along with the Governor and intendant. The captain of the militia main role was to defend the colony. -
Mr. de Laval, first bishop of Quebec
Mgr. de Laval was the first bishop of Quebec. He is the highest dignitary in the colony. He has no real power per say his role is to ensure the spiritual well being of the citizens of New France. -
Great peace of Montreal
The Great Peace of Montreal was a treaty between New France & 40 First Nations of North America. Through their alliances with Aboriginal nations, the French and the Canadians managed to control and defend a vast territory despite their small numbers. -
Period: to
War of the Conquest
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. The Treaty of Paris, signed in 1763, ended the War of the Conquest and France gave up all Territories in North America except the island of St-Pierre and Miquelon. -
Period: to
British Military Regime
For the first three years, 1760-1763, the newly named Province of Quebec Was administered under martial law, a system of temporary by the army usually with special military courts instead of civil authorities. Because of the Seven usually with the special military court, instead of civil authorities. Because the Seven Years War wasn't over yet, British control of New France was not definite. -
Royal Proclamation
The British government issued an official announcement the first constitution of the Province of Quebec called the Royal Proclamation. The aim of the Royal Proclamation was to assimilate French-Speaking Canadians and make them British. Its territory was much smaller than the former New France. The colony is limited to the St-Lawrence. French criminal and civil laws are replaced by English laws. The Royal Proclamation set up a civilian government to replace the military government. -
Quebec Act
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. The territory included the Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes. The British criminal law was continued with its rights and the adoption of French Civil law would be used. The Test Act was replaced by an oath of allegiance to the king and the rights of freedom of worships for all Roman Catholics were introduced. -
Constitutional Act
The Constitutional Act attempted to satisfy the requirements of both the Loyalist and the French in Quebec was divided into Lower Canada and Upper Canada. A representative government was put into place. The people elected their representatives to be members of the Legislative Assembly. Its members could propose and pass laws, but the appointed governor or appointed Legislative Council could veto them. -
92 Resolutions
In 1834, the Parti Patriote drafted 92 resolutions with which they demanded more autonomy for Canada with respect to Great Britain and more democratic system. They demanded the election of members of the Legislative Council, the abolition of the power of veto to ensure a democratic government and the abolishment of Patronage. Lord John Russell responsible for colonial matters, gave his answers to the 92 Resolutions, his 10 resolutions turned down most of the nationalist request. -
Period: to
Rebellions in Lower Canada
The Patriotes spread their ideas to the population during a series of public assemblies that were held in the spring of 1837. The leader of the Patriotes, Papineau, delivered speeches demanding that the population boycott products imported from Great Britain to pressure the government. The rebellion in Lower Canada failed partly because there was little active support from the clergy and from the Patriotes outside the Montreal, Also fighting against well-armed professional soldiers. -
Act of Union
The British parliament passed the Act of Union that changed the structure of Canada's government. This act united Upper and Lower Canada to form the Province of Canada and was to be a legislative union where one government controlled the whole colony. -
British North America Act
The BNA Act of 1867 granted powers to the provinces in domains like education, health, and social services, where the Church was very present. Therefore the Catholic clergy would use their influence mostly on the provincial government. The clergy intervened in the elections by giving their support to candidates that promoted the values of the Catholic faith. -
Conscription Crisis
When World War 1 broke out in Europe, many English speaking or British-born Canadians enlisted in the army to back up the British troops. French Canadians proved less willing to volunteer their services in the Canadian Army which functioned solely in English were they were not treated as equal. The Government of Canada imposed conscription, which forced 19 000 Canadians to join the army. -
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. Women’s right to vote was recognized federally in 1918 and provincially in 1940. -
Period: to
Maurice Duplessis, Premier
The Duplessis government established the Union Nationale government, which advocated provincial autonomy and he also established a provincial income tax in 1954. Duplessis’s political ideas were based on liberalism and on French Canadian nationalism that emphasized catholicism, agricultural, and provincial autonomy -
Padlock Act
Relationships between the State and the unions were tense until the 1960’s. Maurice Duplessis Adopted the Padlock law in 1937. This law is 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
In the 1950’s, married women had no legal status. They technically were under the supervision of their husbands, The Catholic Church reinforced this idea, by preaching to the congregation that women must obey their husbands. In 1964, the civil code will officially recognize the equality between men and women. This granted women the right to perform legal acts without their husband's permission. -
Conscription Crisis
During World War 2, 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, King organizes a referendum on conscription. The majority of English-speaking Canadians agree while the majority of French-speaking Canadians opposed the idea. This crisis created the Bloc Populaire, which advocates the neutrality of Canada in world conflicts. -
Nationalization of electricity
The First Nations have been negotiating their autonomy with the governments of Quebec and Canada. The hydroelectric project on the La Grande River, in the Jamésie region located in the Amerindian land, re-opened old territorial disputes. Negotiations between the Quebec government, Hydro-Quebec and the residents ended with the signing of the James Bay-agreement treaty in 1975. -
October Crisis
In 1970, the Front de Liberation du Quebec kidnapped an English diplomat James Cross and the Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte. Cross was freed, but Laporte will be found dead a few days later. His body was found in the trunk of a parked car on the South Shore of Montreal. To solve this crisis, Robert Bourassa, Premier of Quebec, asked Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau to invoked the War Measures Act that allowed the federal government to arrest and detain people without laying charges. -
Referendum on sovereignty-association
The Québec 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 Québec’s population. In the end, the No side won with 59.56% of the votes, against 40.46% for the Yes. -
Meech Lake Accord
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. -
Referendum on sovereignty
In 1995, the Parti Québécois held a second referendum on Québec sovereignty but the results revealed a profound division between sovereignists and federalists. The No side won with 50.6% of the vote.
