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Maurice Duplessis as Premier
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The Duplessis Era
The Cold War had two major results; the growth of the US military and the growth of Canadian exports of raw materials that were shipped to USA. The Federal government intervened in the economy to regulate the economic cycle, redistribute the money, and to reduce the inequalities. Maurice Duplessis' party, the Union Nationale, was in support of provincial autonomy (independence), economic liberalism, moderization of farming, social conservation, and the close relations with the Catholic Church. -
Adoption of the Fleurdelisé (Québec’s Flag)
Maurice Duplessis wanted provincial autonomy, he was committed to defending Quebec's independence by keeping the federal government out of Quebecs jurisdictions. Which meant that he refused to give up the powers from the BNA Act in exchange for participation in the federal programs. In 1948, the new provincial flag was created to show the world that they had autonomy. -
Refus Global Manifesto Published
Duplessis had very traditional, conservative, and close ties with the Church, people began to oppose him. 15 artists signed a manifesto called the Rufus Global which limited the Churchs power over society; they wanted the state to be in charge of education and health. They wanted secularism, which is the seperation of the state and church. -
Asbestos Strike
The people of Quebec did not always agree with Duplessis and his government, hence the Asbestos Strike in 1949. Miners wanted safer working conditions and more money. The police brutally tried to keep the strikes down, Duplessis supported the employers, not the employees, and declared striking illegal. -
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The Korean War (The Cold War)
- It was considered a cold war because the US and USSR never engaged in actual battle, they fought by supporting opposing sides during proxy wars.
- led to growth of United States military, which increased Canadian exports of raw materials to the US
- It was happening at the end of WWII, US was democratic capitalist, while the USSR was communist
- Korea was officially seperated into South North Korea, civil war broke out when North Korea invaded South Korea to reunify the peninsula
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Majority of Immigrants Come from Italy
- Since the 1960's, Quebec changed its immigration laws to encourage immigrants to come, making Quebec a center of multiculturalism
- Italian immigrants come to Canada looking for better oppurtunities during the post-war economic boom
- Immigration Act of 1952 favored people from Western Europe and the US, immigration supported the development of new areas by meeting labor demands and contributing to the population of urban areas
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Arrival of Television in Québec
There was a big societal change due to the protest movements and Duplessis' government. The start of the consumer society consisted of mass consumption of goods, easy credit, and advertisments that encouraged people to buy a TV. Quebecers now had exposure to American culture through the television, radio, and movies. Americanism was a culture of freedom, material comfort, and success. -
Introduction of Provincial Income Tax (Fiscal Autonomy)
Duplessis' governments policies focused on foreign investment and regional development. They wanted to attract American businesses, and in doing so, they lowered their taxes and fees. And then in 1954, they introduced their own provincial income tax, which increased Quebec's economy. They wanted private businesses to lead instead of the government, this was called economic liberalism. -
End of Baby Boom
- a huge demographic change in the 60's was the end of the baby boom (falling birth rate)
- factors contributing to the decline were people began marrying at a later age, women were prioritizing careers over having big families, the availability of contraception methods became available (birth control, condoms), and the declining influence of the Canadian Catholic Church reduced the pressure for families.
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Rise of Consumer Society in Quebec
Wages increase, there was a leisure society, and more goods were wanted because of advertising, which meant that TV started to become popular. Mass consumption of goods was happening, and there was easy credit. -
Rise of Americanism (influence from the USA in Media & Culture)
There was a big societal change in this time, partly because of Americanism. The Quebecers had exposure to American culture, which included American radio, movies, and TV. It was a culture of freedom, material comfort, and success. -
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The Quiet Revolution
In the 1960's, the Lesage government modified the role of the state to make it more interventionist. Quebec then became a welfare state, which managed the social services that became modernized and secular. Lesage also nationalized the electric companies that belonged to the provinces and merged it with Hydro-Quebec, a crown corporation. They created a lot of other crown corporations for the development and control of the economy. -
Creation of Department of Cultural Affairs
A cultural affirmation was the creation of the Department of Cultural Affairs to promote Quebecois identity and culture. They built musuems, concert halls, and theaters. They established the 'Office du film du Quebec' to support local filmmaking. The 'Office du la Language Francaise' was created to promote the French language, marking a big step in preserving the French language. -
Nationalization of Electricity (Hydro-Québec Expands)
Cause - because Duplessis had the church in charge of everything, Lesage wanted to fix that by having economic nationalism. Meaning, the state is now the driving force, creating crown corporations, and nationalizing electricity.
Effect - Quebec is now integrating private companies into Hydro-Quebec, making them all crown corporations. This also leads to modernization of the state; reforming the civil service, and adopting the labour code. -
Creation of Department of Education (+ Parent Commission Act)
- in the 1960's, Quebec became a welfare state, meaning the state had a more interventionist role in providing services and directing the economy
- of the 3 services, education was one of them; the government secularized the system, made the compulsory attendance age to 15, free education was introduced, Parent Commission Act in 1963 recommended major changes to ensure proper education was being received, and in 1964 the Department of Education was created.
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Women's Legal Status
- Women gained legal rights in the 60's, including voting rights and legal status
- Before 1964, married women had zero legal status and were in their husbands' control
- in 1964, the Act Respecting the Legal Capacity of Married Women granted women the ability to perform legal acts without their husband's permission
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October Crisis – FLQ Kidnappings & War Measures Act
Cause - Since the mid 1960's, a seperatist group were targeting symbols of Anglophone power and British colonialism. They 'targeted' by bombing Westmount mailboxes and the Montreal Stock Exchange.
Summary of October Crisis - the FLQ kidnapped the British diplomat, James Richard Cross, and Quebec's Minister of Labour, Pierre Laporte. Pierre was found dead, making the situation worse.
Effect - Robert Bourassa requested federal intervention, and Pierre Elliot Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act. -
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The Oil Crises & Economic Downturn
Cause - the Arab-Israeli war in 1973 led to the creation of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries). This raised oil prices to weaken non-Arab nations supporting Isreal.
Effect - The oil shortages caused economic stagnation in the Western countries, increased transportation costs, and reduced consumer purchasing power.
Impact on Quebec - the Bourassa government delt with significant economic challenges because of this, including inflation, and reduced purchasing power. -
Bill 22 – French as Québec’s Official Language
Cause - by the 1970's, the Francophones were really worried about the dominance of English in Quebec, mainly in education. A lot of allophone immigrants sent their kids to english speaking schools.
Effect - to address the issue, the Bourassa government passed the Official Languages Act (Bill 22) in 1974. This act made french the only official language of Quebec, restricting access to English-language schools so more kids got their education in french, and reinforced Quebecs french character. -
Superfrancofête – Cultural Affirmation in Québec
Cause - Quebecois artists started to address the social issues about Quebec's political future in their songs and art work, including nationalism and sovereignty. This emphasized Quebec's cultural uniqueness and its hopes for self-determination.
Effect - Artists contributed to encourage a stronger identity for Quebec through events and celebrations, such as Superfrancofête, which was a really big cultural event that promoted the french language and identity. -
James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement (JBNQA)
Cause - in 1973, the Bourassa government launched the James Bay Hydroelectric Project to harness Quebec's natural resources for energy. 2 years later, the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement was signed between the Quebec government and Cree and Inuit communities.
Effect - The agreement protected Indigenous hunting and fishing rights, represented an important step in balancing the economic development with respect for Indigenous rights, and compensated Indigenous communities. -
Adoption of Québec’s Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms
- In 1975, Quebec adopted the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. It was one of the most inclusive human rights documents in Canada at the time
- It ensured all individuals are equal and their rights had to be respected and promoted. It established mechanisms to investigate discrimination and promote equity across the Quebec society. It also protected rights such as the freedom of expression, equality before the law, and the rights related to work and safety.
- showed focus on social justice
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Election of René Lévesque & The Parti Québécois
- in 1976, Rene Levesque led the Parti Quebecois and won a historic victory in the provincial election, which was the first time a soveriegnty-focused party came to power in Quebec
- the PQ campaigned to hold a referendum , and promoted policies that aimed towards reinforcing Quebec's french identity and to reach greater autonomy from the federal government
- their victory was a turning point in Quebec's history, but it also increased tensions between Quebec and the rest of Canada
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Bill 101 – The Charter of the French Language
- Bill 101 was introduced by the Levesque Government to assert Quebec's cultural distinctiveness and negate the recognizable dominance of English, within the province and across Canada
- It required children of immigrants to go to francophone schools until the end of high school and imposed French-only signs and advertisments, both inside and outside businesses to keep French's visibility in public spaces
- the effect of this was over 5 years, 90,000 anglophones left for Ontario