The Duplessis Era (1936-39) (1944-59)
Duplessis
•1.The leader of Quebec and Union
Nationale (see dates above)-known as “le
chef”-the boss!
•Avoided English influence-supressed
4.Why the Great Darkness?
•Quebec nationalist-wanted Quebec to be
its own nation-no federal support
•No foreign influence
•No unions=communisms
• foreign investment
•cheap labor
•low taxes
•Had to contribute to Duplessis’s party,
Union Nationale
•US and Ontario invested in Quebec
•Bribery and corruption.
Supporters of Duplessis
•3.Roman Catholic Church
•Tradition=farm, faith (religion) and family
•Operated Quebec’s hospitals and schools
The Quiet Revolution
1960
•5. Jean Lesage-Liberal leader in Quebec
•“Time for change”
6. The Quiet Revolution (no violencepolitical and economic change)
•Stop corruption in government
•Wages and pensions were raised
•Wanted to change economy, politics,
education and culture of Quebec
•Control of social services and the education
system
•Encouraged people to think of themselves as
citizens of the 20th century
•Roman Catholic Church declined
•Quebec was led through a Quiet Revolution
•a movement that modernized Quebec society
Jean Lesage (L) and René Lévesque (R) are drawn into a
common handshake by jovial Daniel Johnson Sr. (C). This
picture was taken on the eve of Daniel Johnson's passing. All
three are past Premiers of Quebec and actors of the Quiet
Revolution.
1962
7. Motto: “Masters in our own
house”—“Maitres chez nous”
•Quebec controls its own
economy
•Decided to nationalize (buy)
several hydro companies and
turned them into a large,
provincially power company
Hydro-Quebec
 FrenchThe
SpeakingQuebeckers vs.
EnglishSpeakingCanadians
 FrenchSpeakingQuebeckers
did not like how
Canada seemed
to be more
English than
French
 Separation
 Remember “De
Gaulle’s Speech
in 1967?”
Birth of Separatism
•Terrorist groups such as the
FLQ (Front de liberation du
Quebec) emerged.
•Wanted free Quebec from
Canada
•Used bombs and explosives to
attack symbols of EnglishCanadian power in Quebec
•Example
•Royal mailboxes and downtown
office towers owned by Canadian
National Railways were attacked
•Most Quebec nationalists did
not like what the FLQ did BUT
still felt that it was better for
Quebec to separate from Canada
1967: Rene Levesque
•A powerful politician formed a
party called Parti-Quebecois
(Provincial)
•Seperatism-first party to
represent this!
Ottawa’s response
•Lester Pearson (PM) during “Quiet
Revolution”
•Felt that the Canadian government
should make French feel more at
home in Canada
•8. Royal Commission on
Bilingualism and Biculturalism to
find solutions (aka BI-BI
COMMISSION)
9. Recommendation: make Canada
bilingual
•Canada should make French and
English the official languages of
Canada
In 1964
10. Pearson decided to have a
different flag for Canada to make
sure that it not too British
•Pearson chose the maple leaf as a
symbol for the new flag because it
seemed to represent ALL Canadians
•BUT new flag increased tensions
between French and English in
Canada
The Commission on Bilingualism and
•February 15, 1965
Biculturalism, 1963-1971, established under
Prime Minister Pearson to examine cultural
•New flag was raised.
dualism in Canada.
1968
11. Trudeau
•Became PM-Remember idea of a “Just
Society?”
•Quebec stays in Canada
10. Passed the Official Languages Act, 1969
•Making Canada an officially bilingual country
•All federal government agencies across the
country were required to provide services in
both languages
•English-speaking civil servants had to learn
French
•More French-Canadians in government positions
•Called on all Canadians to understand the
French-Canadian culture
Responses:
•French Canadians “unimpressed”
•Wanted more special status
•West felt alienated
•French forced on them
The October Crisis
October 1970
A) Members of FLQ
kidnapped James Cross, a
British diplomat on October
5th, 1970
B) FLQ reads manifesto;
demanded a ransom $500,
000; wanted transport to
Cuba and release of
members
•Government did not agree
to this
C)Result: FLQ kidnapped
Quebec labour minister
Pierre Laporte-read letter
on p. 177 of Falk
•Trudeau’s actions-next
slide.
D) War Measures Act
•Civil rights were suspended
•Anyone could be arrested and detained
without being charged with an offence.
•Membership in the FLQ became a crime.
•October 16
•Federal troops were sent in to watch
the streets of Ottawa and Montreal
•Pro-separatist Quebeckers were
arrested
•Trudeau felt that he needed to do this
because he wanted to stop FLQ
terrorism and help free FLQ hostages.
E) October 17
•Pierre Laporte’s body found
•Government knew that it needed to find
James Cross, the other hostage
•Two months later
•Found James Cross
•FLQ kidnapers were sent to Cuba
•October crisis was over
Watch CAPH chapter-dvd 1
Pierre Laporte
James Cross
The PQ in Power
Questions 17-21
1976
 Quebec voters chose the Parti
Quebecois (PQ) as their next
provincial government (Leader: Rene
Levesque)-Provincial party
 PQ promised Quebec separation from
Canada.
 PQ goal—to strengthen French
language
Rene Levesque
 Passed Bill 101—Charter of the
French Language in 1977
 Made French the only official
language of Quebec
 Quebec government employees had to
work in French
 Commercial outdoor signs would have
to be in French only
 Children of immigrants would be
required to attend French rather
than English Schools.
The 1980 Referendum
Question 22
•Referendum (occasion to
vote) to determine
Quebec’s political future
•Levesque, Quebec’s
leader, wanted Quebec to
be politically independent
yet to keep a close
economic association with
Canada
•Trudeau wanted a strong
and united Canada
•Promised to negotiate a
new Constitution that
would allow both Quebec
and English-Canadians to
be happy
•Result of Referendum
•Majority of voters wanted
no separation –watch the
Choice DVD 2
Patriating (Bring it home) the Constitution
Questions 23-26
•BNA ACT of 1867
•Canada’s constitution
•Powers of the federal and provincial governments
•Guaranteed the language and education rights of
Quebec’s French-speaking majority
•In order for Act to change, needed British
approval
•Trudeau wanted to patriate the Constitution
where the Canadian government would have the
authority because he hoped to include the Charter
of Rights and Freedoms.
•How would Trudeau create a new constitution?
•Amending formula.
•The process by which changes can legally made to
the Canadian constitution
•Changes to the Constitution could only be made
IF seven out of 10 provinces representing 50%
of the population agreed to the changes
Questions 27-29
“Notwistanding
clause”Kitchen compromise
 Allowed federal government or
nay of the provinces to choose
out of some of the clauses in the
Charter
 Quebec did not agree to new
conditions of Constitution
 Quebec felt that it was being
denied distinct status
 April 17, 1982
 New Constitution was still signed
into law by Queen Elizabeth II
and PM Trudeau.
 Canada is truly an independent In 1980, Pierre Trudeau was determined to
nation since Constitution was
repatriate the Canadian Constitution, come hell
or high water. He set his sights on getting all
brought home
ten Canadian premiers to toe the line on the
 But what about national unity? project. So I drew the premiers as Trudeau's
ten toes, being readied for the walk through the
Watch Night of Long Knives
process."
The Constitutions
Debate
•Mulroney promised to repair the damage
of 1982 by obtaining Quebec’s consent to
the Constitution “with honour and
enthusiasm”timing was right since Réné
Lévesque retired and Robert Bourassa
(pro-federalist Liberal party) was now in
power.
•Other provinces make demands on
Mulroney’s government e.g. Newfoundland
wants control over fisheries and Alberta
wanted more control over oil (their
resources)
oWestern alienation, which had grown through
the oil crisis of the 1970s, came to a head
once again when Ottawa awarded the
multibillion-dollar contract to repair air force
jets to the Bombardier company of Montreal,
even though Bristol Aerospace of Winnipeg
made a better proposal.
oWesterners felt that the contract was
awarded a means of buying votes in Quebec.
oIn addition, both Alberta and Newfoundland
demanded reforms to the Senate to give
their provinces a stronger voice in Ottawa
The Meech Lake Accord
• 1987, Prime Minister
Mulroney called premiers to a
conference at Meech Lake
• Change Constitution-offered
Quebec=distinct society.
• Provinces-veto constitutional
change.
· Trudeau-Quebec’s recognition
as distinct would create “two
solitudes” in Canada, isolating
the Francophones of Quebec.
• Quebeckers saw this clause as
vital to protecting French
language and culture, but
opponents claimed the Quebec
would use it to override the
Charter and deprive specific
groups of their rights.
 Aboriginal peoples wanted
recognition of their
distinct society (Elijah
Harper-Cree NDP member
in particular opposed the
Accord-from Manitoba
(look at fig. 8-10 to see
which delegate rejected
the Meech Lake accord
and why!)) and
Newfoundland didn’t
support=Meech Lake
disintegrated (failed) in
June 1990Quebeckers
felt rejected!
 By 1990 64% of Quebec
supported separation.
 Lucien Bouchard, a
powerful Quebec member
of Mulroney’s Cabinet,
resigned and formed the
Bloc Québécois.
The
Charlottetown
Accord
•Prime Minister Mulroney, appointed a special
“Citizen’s Forum”
•The Charlottetown Accord proposed Senate
reform, making it an elected body with equal
representation from all parts of the country and
support Aboriginal self-government (included
Quebec’s concerns outlined by The Meech Lake
Accord)
•The Accord was put to a national referendum in
October 1992Mulroney warned that a rejection
would endanger the future of the nationyet,
54.5% of the voters rejected ittoo many clauses
designed to please each groupeasy to find fault.
•Greatest opposition in B.C.68.3% voted “no”
"A nice image of former Premier Bourassa, a guy
objecting to the guarantee that Quebec would
heading in two directions at the same time!"
always have 25 % of the seats in the House of
With his party caught between defending federalism and seeking
more and more powers for Quebec, Robert Bourassa reluctantly
Commons, regardless of the size of population.
•Quebeckers felt that the Accord gave too many supported the Charlottetown Accord, which was rejected by
Quebeckers as well as a large portion of Canadians, although for
seats in the Senate to the West and feared
the opposite reason. Finalized in 1992 by the premiers, the accord,
Aboriginal self-government because it would affectan attempt to free Canada from the constitutional impasse in
which it had been embroiled since the Meech Lake Accord, was
a large portion of northern Quebec.
rejected by Canadians during the 1992 referendum.
last days of the 1995 referendum campaign, the federalists organized a huge rally "We love
Referendum of 1995 and After Inyou"therally
in Montreal. Among those in attendance were Jean Chrétien, Jean Charest and Daniel
•Angered by the Constitution
debated the Premier Jacques
Parizeau (PQ-1994) called a
provincial referendum of full
sovereignty— separation of
Quebec from the rest of
Canada.
•Results = 50.6 % “no” / 49.4 %
“yes”
•Prime Minister Chrétien set up
the controversial “clarity bill”
which set down the law that a
substantial “yes” majority
would have to be attained
before Quebec’s exit from
Confederation was negotiated.
•The new premier of Quebec,
Bernard Landry, remains
committed to restructuring the
Canadian confederation into
something resembling the EU
(European Union)
Johnson. To ensure that many people from other provinces would be at the Montreal rally,
organizers even chartered planes and buses, complete with discounted tickets for those willing to
travel to Montreal! That move was bitterly criticized by sovereignists.
Portrait of Jean J. Charest.
Separation (PROS/CONS)taken from Falk workbook
PROS

Increased power for
Quebec to make its own
decisions

Increased trade
opportunities (Quebec is a
strong exporter)

Appease French-Canadian
nationalism

Might strengthen the
French language and culture

Fewer French-English
tensions

More representation for
Western provinces in the
federal government and
Supreme court
CONS

Quebec might be forced to
renegotiate international trade
deals such as NAFTA

No longer receive federal
grants for assistance

Anglophone community
might move to other provinces

Foreign and domestic
investment might drop

Economic problems might
worsen

Quebec might be asked to
pay part of Canada’s debt

Slow to gain international
reputation

May lose land to Aboriginal
groups

Canada would lose 15.5% of
its land area, 25% of its
population, 23% of its GNP, 15%
of tis fresh water, and 14% of
its mineral production capability

Atlantic Canada severed
and separate
A Multicultural Nation
Immigration and Multiculturalism
•WWI  1960’s Canada’s immigration policy was quite
restrictive (look at figure 8-12)  majority of
immigrants from Europe and America
•By 1960’s more open attitudes1962 new regulations
removed most limits on immigrants of Asian, African,
and other origins.
• 1967 legislation made Canada’s immigration policy
“colour-blind”Canadian economy required people with
training and specific skillsimmigrants chosen by a
point system based on education and employment
prospects (Nationality and race no longer factors)
•1971 Prime Minister Trudeau introduced an official
policy of multiculturalismencouraged the country’s
different ethnic groups to express their culturee.g.
festivals/heritage language classesprograms were
also intended in preventing racism by promoting
respect for all cultures.
• 1976 immigration regulations changed to allow
immigration of family members with relatives already
in Canada and for refugees fleeing persecution (e.g.
11000 from Czechoslovakia fleeing Soviet Union
invasion)
•1980s immigration policy tried to attract skilled
workers and investors into Canada.
Multiculturalism becomes an issue
•Department of Multiculturalism and
Citizenship 1988
•Supporters=allows people of all ethnic,
racial, religious, and cultural backgrounds
to feel welcome and play a positive role in
the development of the nationhelps
Canadian national unity by drawing all
Canadians closer together in mutual
respect.
•Opponents=preventing Canada from
developing a common Canadian
identitynot a mosaic rather follow the
“melting pot” idea of U.S. where groups
were encouraged to assimilate—give us
their identities and take on the
mainstream culture.
•In B.C., traditional Canadian holidays
such as Easter and Christmas, holidays
rooted in the Christian faith and culture,
presented a challenge to the
multicultural nature of the schools.
•Solution=highlight the festivals of other
cultures=Chinese New Year, Muslim holy
month of Ramadan, and Sikh holy days
such as Baisakhi.