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Period: to
Maurice Duplessis as Premier of Québec
Duplessis’ main policy was Economic Liberalism
- His parti was the Union National and he was very close with the Pope
- Duplessis’ era was known as “La grande Noirceur” because people felt he kept everyone in the dark
- During this time very few Francophones graduate from high school because of the traditional views that Duplessis held (The Economic Development Policies of the Duplessis Government and The Social Policies of the Duplessis Government) -
Period: to
Baby Boom
After the second world war the birth rate had gone up: population growth due to high rate of natural increase and low infant mortality rate Two millions babies were bornlow infant mortality rate = people live longer = most babies will make it (thanks to the medical)advancement Because of the Baby Boom, they needs to build more things
They build them for the boomers (A Changing and Evolving Society, A Period of Economic Growth) -
Adoption of the Fleurdelisé
At Quebec city parliament Premier Maurice Duplessis removed the Canadian flag and puts up the new Fleur de Lis
- they viewed too much of a connection between the flag and British heritage
- this flag becomes a symbol of quebec autonomy and culture
- The Duplessis government was eager to affirm Québec’s identity within Canada
- they demonstrated this desire by inaugurating the official fag of Québec
(r. 211, Duplessis and the Provincial Autonomy) -
Refus Global Manifesto Published
INTELLECTUALS and ARTISTS: wanted modernization and secularism
The Refus global manifesto was signed by 15 artists, including Borduas and Riopelle (as well as it's author Paul-Émile Borduas) 9 of whom were men and 7 were women, an exceptional show of gender balance at the time.
- the Refus Global would limit power of Church over society
- they wanted the state to take charge of education, health
(r. 216, Protests Movements) -
Asbestos Strike
Violent strikes erupted, suppressed by police
- miners wanted safer conditions, more money, he supported the employers and declared strike illegal
- The unions of the factories were trying to unionize.
- The workers of Asbestos didn’t want to keep breathing in the air
- Duplessis sided with the health owners of the mine and declared the union illegal
(Protests Movements) -
Arrival of Television in Québec
During the 50s Canadian society changed as a result of post-war
- Start of consumer society: mass consumption of goods, easy credit, advertising to encourage consumers to buy even more
- Exposure to American culture (Americanism) through TV, radio, movies: culture of freedom, material comfort, success
(A Changing and Evolving Society) -
The Seaway Opened
In order to meet the needs of increased
trade between Canada and the US, transportation infrastructure had to be improved.
- In 1954, the American and Canadian governments signed an agreement to finance the construction
- Boost American and Canadian trade between the two
- This waterway allowed transatlantic ships to reach the five Great Lakes, where strategic ports linked to the American market were located.
(r. 207, FEDERAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT POLICIES) -
Creation of the Department of Cultural Affairs
The Lesage government sought to promote
Québécois identity and culture
- they created the Department of Cultural Affairs, which was mandated, in particular, to promote Québec’s development in the arts
- the Lesage government created 4 more departments in that same year
(r. 229-230) -
Nationalization of Electricity
the state creates Crown Corporations
- Lesage nationalized the provinces electric companies by buying out all small electricity companies owned by Americans and merged them with Hydro-Quebec into one crown corporation
- built dams to ensure a reliable supply of electricity to remote regions
Jean Lesage ran his election with his logo being a lightning bolt to symbolize electricity
(Affirmation Measures, Slide 41) -
Bill 16
Married Women Gain Legal Independence:
Marie-Claire Kirkland-Casgrain was responsible for the adoption of the Act Respecting the Legal Capacity of Married Women
- abortion legalized under certain conditions allowed married women to:
- carry out financial transactions
- sign legal documents
- etc...
without requiring their husband’s consent -
Expo 67
Expo 67, the World’s Fair that took place in Montréal
- opens society and put Quebec on the world stage
- It offered Quebecers a chance to discover the culture, know-how and identity of the
many countries represented there. And consequently gave foreigners a chance to discover Québec and Canada.
- Expo 67 also allowed Quebecers to assert themselves as a modern society by presenting
their technological, economic and artistic abilities to the rest of the world.
(R. 234) -
Les belles soeurs
When the play Les belles soeurs, by Michel Tremblay, was released it caused a big scandal
- Theatre was mainly reserved for aristocrats
- The use of joual in this play, which was
the variety of French spoken by the French-speaking working class in Montreal
- the aristocrats who normally frequented the theatre were offended by the addition of 'slang' (r. 236, The Impact of the Quiet Revolution) -
Period: to
Pierre Elliott Trudeau as Prime Minister of Canada
Served as PM from 1968-1979 and from 1980-1984
Member of Liberal Parti of Canada:
- He passed the Official Languages Act making French and English the official languages of Canada
- wanted full legal autonomy for Canada to amend the Constitution without having to go to British Parliament
- He wanted to revise the division of powers
- Gov’t multiculturalism policy under Trudeau eases restrictions for immigrants
(Relations Between Quebec and Ottawa,The Affirmation of a Multicultural Society) -
October Crisis
During the 60s, the FLQ were radical separatists targeted symbols of British colonialism and Anglophone power
- They wrote a manifesto
- They targeted Anglophone communities
- They attack the Montreal Stock Exchange
- They also targeted banks, specifically Anglo ones -
Government of Canada on Indian Policy
the federal gov’t tabled a white
paper, it proposed:
- the withdrawal of the Indian Act and Indian status
- the abolition of previous legal documents
- the transfer reserve land into private property
- the transfer of responsibility for social services to the provinces Indigenous people opposed these proposals, believing they would harm their ancestral rights and threaten their land claims The opposition movement was so strong that the
federal gov’t dropped its proposals (r. 251) -
Period: to
Robert Bourassa as Premier of Québec
the Liberal Parti of Québec his first big crisis he has to face is the October Crisis
- during this crisis he realizes Canada doesn't have
any army to protect Quebec
- he asked for Federal intervention, for the first time
and he invokes the War Measures Act
Bourassa continues the commitment to social reforms and health care
Bourassa gov’t adopted Bill 22
- he restricts access to English school
(A Stronger Sense of Identity, Health Care, Socio-Political and Economic Tensions) -
Health Insurance Act
The Bourassa government adopted the Health Insurance Act:
- expanded free health care services, which until then had been limited to hospitalization
- all Quebecers could now
access free medical services The Act was recommended by the Commission of Inquiry on Health and Social Welfare, headed by Claude Castonguay, who is considered the father of medicare. *Prior to this Duplessis viewed health insurance as “socialist”, therefore communist. (Slide 12, r. 254) -
FLQ kidnaps British diplomats
FLQ kidnaps British diplomat James Cross and Pierre Laporte, killing the latter
- Pierre Laport was liberal, therefore the FLQ saw him as siding more with the English
- Laport was the liberal minister of labor
- When the police found the body, Bourassa realized Canada doesn't have any army to protect Quebec so he invoked the War Measures Act
- Some were FLQ arrested, others given safe travel to Cuba in exchange for the release of James Cross (Socio-Political and Economic Tensions) -
Victoria Conference
the provinces had to reach an agreement
with Ottawa on the arrangement and the amending formula proposed by Trudeau
- a constitutional conference was held in Victoria, which failed to result in an agreement, Quebec feeling that proposed agreement would not give it the same autonomy it already had
- this failure served to justify the Parti Quebecois claim that sovereignty was the only way for Quebec to defend its own interests (which was autonomy) (Relations Between Quebec and Ottawa) -
Bill 22
CAUSE: More immigrants are choosing English schools
Bourassa government adopted Bill 22 Official Language Act that made French the only official language of Quebec
-limited access to English schooling
- He restricts access to English school = children go to French schools instead
- this was designed to reinforce the French character of Quebec
- Only children with a good knowledge of English could attend Anglophone schools.
(r.263, A Stronger Sense of Identity) -
Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms
Bourassa gov’t adopted social reforms such as a Charter: all individuals are equal, rights to be respected and promoted, investigate discrimination
- One of the most comprehensive charter in Quebec at the time:
- Confirms all people in Quebec are equal and their rights must be respected and promoted
- Investigate discrimination
- Protected rights such as freedom of expression and equality before the law and right related to work and safety
(Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, slide 54) -
James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement
The projects planned in Baie-James threatened certain aspects of their traditional way of life. So...
: Inuit and Cree sign with Quebec gov’t regarding protection of land, hunting and fishing rights and money for hydro development
-The government says after they build the dams they will be done
-This marks a huge turning point in Quebec’s economic modernization
-considered one of the most successful agreements for Indigenous peoples in terms of monetary compensation (Hydroelectric Development) -
Period: to
René Lévesque as Premier of Québec
For the first time ever Parti Quebecois won an election
- separatist parties formed to make the Parti Quebecois with a mandate to separate but maintain economic ties with Canada
- The majority of Quebec wanted a sovereign parti to lead them
- They promised to hold a referendum on Quebec sovereignty -
Bill 101
1977 Charter of the French Language - passed to protect and promote language
- Levesque introduces it
- States that Quebec is culturally distinct
- required children of immigrants to attend Francophone school until end of high school
- imposed French only on commercial and public signs, inside and outside
EFFECT: This alienates Anglophones: many Anglophones leave for Ontario (90,000 over 5 years)
- many people who stay to have to learn french
(Greater Protection of the French Language) -
Economic Downturn & The Second Oil Crisis
Iran, a major oil producer, undergoes a revolution resulting in...
-reduction of world supply of oil
-another oil crisis
-high rate of inflation
-businesses look for cheaper countries to save labour costs
-high rate of unemployment
-low tax revenues for gov’ts = they into debt to pay for social services
EFFECT:The price of oil rises
-Running a Quebec business is expensive
-They shut down Quebec plants
-Quebecers lose their jobs
-People loose their jobs = can't pay taxes
(Economic Downturn)