Transcript Révolution Tranquille

Ville de Quebec
Half a millennia of civilization.
The Acadian colony
was lost to the British
in 1713. Over the
next half century, the
British would remove
nearly all Acadians
from the colony.
Over 11,500
Acadians were forcibly
removed from the
region. An early
example of what
would now be referred
to as ethnic
cleansing.
The Plains of Abraham
THE FALL OF QUEBEC
Emboldened with their victories over French forces in Acadia, the British now turned their
eyes toward the Canadian colony and its capital of Quebec.
Before the British would be able to take Quebec, they would have to defeat the French at
Louisbourg, which guarded the sea lanes leading into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This was
accomplished after a six-week siege in 1758.
The next year, James Wolfe would lead a fleet of British men-of-war and a force of over five
thousand soldiers up the St. Lawrence. Many French-Canadian homesteads were burned
as the British fleet sailed toward Quebec City.
The British forces landed opposite the city and bombarded its port. Wolfe then surprised
the French by crossing the river at night and scaling the cliffs at L’Anse de Foulon. The
next morning, Montcalm, the leader of the French, went out to face the British forces on
the Plains of Abraham. A short, but decisive battle followed. Both sides suffered heavy
casualties, but the British had won the day. Within days the city of Quebec surrendered.
In 1760, Montreal fell. The 1763 Treaty of Paris ceded the Canada colony to the British, in
exchange the French were permitted to keep the sugar producing island of Guadeloupe,
which was considered at the time to be a far more valuable colony.
Do you think events that occurred in the
1700s still help to shape the thinking and
attitudes of French speaking Quebecers?
Maurice Duplessis leader of the Union Nationale.
THE DUPLESSIS ERA
Maurice Duplessis and his Union Nationale party ruled the province of Quebec from
the close of WWII until 1959. During this time Quebec received its distinctive fleur-delis flag and began to see itself as distinct society within Canada.
During this period of time, the Roman Catholic Church was responsible for the delivery
of health and education across the province. Traditionalists within the clergy
encouraged their congregations to defend farm, faith and family.
Most Quebecois of this era did not receive a quality education and women were
encouraged to marry young and bear as many children as possible.
Duplessis encouraged a lot of foreign investment in his province and filled the coffers
of the Union Nationale through ‘donations’ to the party from foreign investors.
Lots of resources, low taxes and curtailing of the power of trade unions, meant that
many businesses invested in the province.
Unfortunately, due to the corrupt practices of the Union Nationale, few of these gains
were passed on to everyday Quebecers.
Why do you think that the Catholic Church
remained so powerful for so long in Quebec?
What problems arose because of this?
The Fleurdelise was adopted as the official flag of Quebec by the Duplessis government in 1948.
Premier Lesage champion of everyday Quebecers.
THE QUIET REVOLUTION
After the death of Duplessis, Quebec elected a Liberal government under the
leadership of Jean Lesage. Lesage worked hard to root out corrupt practices.
Wages rose as trade unions gained strength across the province.
The government wrested power away from the Church and introduced reforms to
the delivery of social services, health care and education across the province.
The Liberals won again in 1962, under the slogan “Maîtres chez nous.”
Following the victory the provincial government nationalized the Anglophone
owned power companies to form Hydro Quebec.
During the 1960s, Francophone nationalism increased and Quebecers began to
question their place within the larger Canadian nation.
Quebecois awareness and nationalism continued to rise throughout the 1960s.
Some younger, more radical Quebecers began to call for independence from the
rest of Canada.
Do you believe that Francophone Quebecers
were right to challenge the status quo? Why
or why not?
Roche Perce, Gaspesie
SEPARATISM AND THE FEDS
During the 1960s, a distinct Quebecois consciousness began to emerge.
Some expressed their dissatisfaction with the status quo violently, but for the most
part Francophone-Quebecers just wanted to be given the same opportunities to
succeed in life as their Anglophone neighbours.
PM Lester Pearson formed the Bilingualism and Biculturalism Commission (Bi and
Bi Commission) to look into this problem of perceived inequality.
In 1965, Parliament approved a new flag for the country to replace the Red Ensign.
In 1968, Rene Leveque helped to form the separatist-minded Parti Quebecois.
In 1968, Trudeau won a landslide victory and decide to pass the Official Languages
Act that made Canada officially a bilingual country.
In 1976, Rene Levesque’s Parti Quebecois won the provincial election and soon
passed Bill 101, which severely limited the use of English in Quebec.
In response many English Quebecers and businesses left the province.
Toronto soon surpassed Montreal as Canada’s commercial center.
Do you think that BC, or Vancouver Island,
would be better or worse off if we decided to
separate from the rest of the country?
Pierre
et
Rene
THE FLQ AND THE OCTOBER CRISIS
As Francophone-Quebecers began to realize gains in their own province, they also
began to question their place within Confederation itself.
The Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ) emerged during this time whose stated
goal was to stamp out the influence of Anglophones within the province.
They subscribed to a revolutionary, anti-capitalist, philosophy and were not afraid
to use violence to meet their goals. Throughout the 1960s, the FLQ exploded
several bombs against targets that reflected the power of the federal government.
In October 1970, the FLQ became a far more serious threat to peace, order and
good governance when they kidnapped James Cross, a British diplomat.
On October 10, 1970 the FLQ kidnapped the Quebec Labour Minister, Pierre
Laporte. PM Pierre Trudeau responded by implementing the War Measures Act,
which allowed the government to suspend civil liberties of Canadian citizens.
Canadian troops descended on the streets of Montreal and police detained
hundreds of Quebecois without formally charging them. Laporte’s body was later
found stuffed into the trunk of a car. Cross was released two months later, in
exchange for a safe passage to Cuba for all those involved in the kidnapping.
Do you think that Trudeau was right to
implement the War Measures Act? What is
meant by peace, order and good goverment?
1980 REFERENDUM
Before the end of their first term in office, the separatist PQ government decided
that they would hold a referendum to determine the fate of their province.
The PQ wanted to establish a sovereignty-association relationship with the rest of
Canada.
Under this type of agreement, Quebec would control its internal politics, but issues
related to the larger economy, foreign affairs and defense may still be decided upon
by Ottawa, but the details of how this would work were rather sketchy.
During the referendum campaign the PQ and Levesque supported the yes/oui
camp, while Trudeau lead the no/non camp that was fighting to keep Quebec as a
full-fledged province of Canada.
In the end, the separatists lost the referendum by a 20 point margin, as only 40% of
Quebecers voted for sovereignty-association. Sixty percent remained unconvinced.
Do you think the rest of Canada has a right to
participate in democratically deciding the
possible future of our nation?
CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING
How do the events of the past
continue to shape the current
political climate in Quebec?
What did the Official
languages Act accomplish?
What were some hallmarks of
the Duplessis era?
What was Bill 101? Do you
think Bill 101 contradicts the
Official Languages Act?
How did Jean Lesage help to
reform Quebec in the 1960s?
What is the Parti Quebecois?
Who was their first leader?
What was the Quiet
Revolution? Why was it
‘quiet’?
What occurred during the
October Crisis of 1970?
What was the Bi and Bi
Commission?
Who were the FLQ?
What were the results of the
1980 referendum?