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Period: Dec 20, 1500 to
Power
Everything to do with both official power and countervailing power -
Dec 20, 1501
Power In Amerindian Life
For Amerindians, there is no elected central governing body.
However, Iroquois follow a matriarchy and Algonquians follow a patriarchy. -
Life in New France
Inhabitants had happy lives but it was work.
There was work to be done everyday such as caring for crops, making clothes, fixing tools, and preparing for winter.
Settlers learned to take care of themselves since New France was not developing. They became autonomous and known as the Canadiens. In France, there was a gap between the rich and massive amounts of poverty/starving. There were 3 levels of civilians: The Nobility and Elite, The Middle class, and the Peasants, habitants and Artisans. -
Power Relations Between the French and the Amerindians
Looking for control over the fur trade, the French allied with the Hurons and the Montagnais. They all had one common enemy in the Iroquois. In order to have the Great Peace of Montreal, France made it so 40 aboriginal nations agreed to consider the king of France their father and allowed the governor general to resolve their disputes and help France in wars. -
Power of the French State in New France
After the chartered companies period, the French Monarchy took back control of its American colonies. The young Louis XIV set to making his kingdom absolutist. From 1663 to 1760, Canada lived under the Royal Administration. The following are all important figures politically and religiously in the colony: Governor, Intendant, Sovereign council, Bishop, Captain of the Militia. -
Collaboration Between the State and Catholic Church
The Church was automatically involved in political decisions because of its role in the sovereign council. In effect, the church had a monopoly on religious matters, expected to be a Catholic and practice was obligatory. The Church would encourage population to listen to the governor and intendant, in exchange the church was allowed the tithe and had insurance that religious matter were respected. -
British Take Over New France
Although the French had won a small battle at Sainte Foy in the spring major conflict ended in New France with the fall of Quebec the French troops waited out the winter in Montreal, and then in September a document was signed giving the terms under which the French would surrender. The doc was called the Articles of Capitulation. -
Articles of Capitulation (1760)
These articles state that French militia could return home, no one would lose their property, French Military would lay down their arms and leave, The people could still practice their RC religion but the Bishop would have to leave and The people who stayed would become British subjects.
The French Elite left because they could afford to do so and had a chance to still live as elite in France. People who could not afford to leave, stayed. -
Royal Proclamation
This Proclamation gives the King’s new colony a name, Province of Quebec. It also decreases the borders of Quebec to just around the St Lawrence river valley. It put in place a civilian Government to run the new colony: The King appointed a governor who then appointed members of an executive council to advise him. English Criminal and Civil laws were applied. Unused land would be divided by the Township System. No New bishop would be allowed
No roman Catholics could hold public office. -
Huge Problem with the Royal Proclamation
James Murray found the Royal proclamation unworkable, only 1% of the population of Quebec was English/Protestant. To make the rest of the French Roman Catholic content, he bent the rules.
He Allowed a new Bishop and did not call an elected assembly because it would favour the English Merchants. -
Response to Murray's "Exceptions."
The English merchants were strongly opposed to the Governor’s policies and demanded a new Governor from the King. They got Guy Carleton who would keep the same tolerant policies of Murray.
Carleton “sucked up” to the French because he didn’t want them teaming up with the Americans and then fighting the British. Nothing changed. -
Quebec Act
In order to guarantee French loyalty to the British king, the Quebec act was put in place to make French lives a lot easier under the Royal proclamation. The area of Quebec was enlarged, the notion for an elected assembly was denied, there was an appointed council and French civil laws were instated, tithe and seigniorial system are back and now there was a Test act oath: Test oath of allegiance ( swear to king you’re loyal, and now you could hold office) -
Situation in North America After Quebec Act
British Merchants who came were very unhappy because they wanted an elected assembly and expected the colony to favour British interests and felt as though the Quebec act didn't do that.
The Americans needed British Protection from the French and were upset they didn’t get control of the Ohio Valley after helping the British fight against the French.
The Canadiens were fearful of the new changes the proclamation brought, eased a little with the Quebec Act but still weren't seen as equals. -
American Independance
After the American war of independence, many people remain loyal to the King of Britain and do not want to remain in America. A lot of those loyalists, as they were called moved to Canada. Because of this, the English population of Quebec goes from 1% to 10%
and they settled the land using townships instead of seigneuries. Because the Loyalists in Quebec were used to English civil laws and an elected assembly, the petitioned London to demand changes to the way the province was being ran. -
Constitutional Act
This act split the territory in two; upper Canada and Lower Canada. Upper Canada was less populated but was almost entirely English. Power Canada had more people and was mostly French speaking people. This act also brought in a new form of government: Representative. This gave people their first chance at voting for anything. Land owning men ages 21 and over could now vote for the legislative assembly every 4 years. -
Faults in the Representative Government
The issue was that the Legislative Assembly had the power to make laws but were more often than not shut down by the Governors and the council’s right to veto. They had very different views on how things should be done as the wealthy wanted to invest into big business and tax property so they could build canals and railways but the Legislative Assembly wanted to tax goods, NOT property and didn’t want to invest into large projects that would not benefit them. -
Concerns in Lower Canada
British merchants wanted to increase taxes for canals, harbors, and roads for merchant use- few roads were built to help farmers which were majoritarily if not entirely French people. Also, Increased immigration from great Britain began to threaten French culture and language -
Concerns in Upper Canada
In upper Canada, the main concern was responsible government. The population saw it as the way to be and pushed for it everyday on every platform that they possibly could -
92 Resolutions
Louis Joseph Papineau, the leader of the Parti Patriote, wrote a letter containing the demands of the assembly in 1834.
The main demand was for Responsible Government: members on the council should be chosen from the elected assembly, therefore the government made up by the people would be responsible for its decisions. Papineau’s document was sent to London to be reviewed. -
10 Russell Resolutions
In response to the 92 Resolutions, Great Britain sends back the 10 Russell resolutions where they reject the request for an elected council. Instead of gaining power, the elected assembly actually lost some power because the governor, Lord Gosford, now had the power to take money from the provincial treasury to pay the officials in the colony.
This really upsets the Patriotes and thus begins the demonstrations that eventually lead to the rebellions. -
Violence because of the Rejection of the 92 Resolutions
William Lyon Mackenzie led the rebellions in Upper Canada which were dealt with quickly. Papineau led the rebellion in Lower Canada
Several battles including St Charles, St Denis, and St Eustache.
Finally, the British army overpowered the militia Patriote rebels.
They were poorly organized and not well equipped to fight these skirmishes either. -
Power of the Church (Contemporary Period)
After 1837, the bishops became more powerful, the cures became the most important person in the parish. The Church was still in charge of registering births, marriages, and deaths. They also were in charge of controlling education, orphanages, shelters, charities and religious festivals. Roman Catholic church attendance was very high. Protestants were divided. Ministers still influential but not as powerful as Roman Catholics. Towards the 1900s, the Church became dominant in politics also. -
Duplessis and the Great Depression
High volume of unemployment, meaning governments are looking to get into power. Direct payments and the welfare state arise to appease the citizens and get them to vote for that party.
Unemployment insurance was also introduced along with family allowances. Duplessis was in power for over 15 years and defended things like provincial autonomy, idealization of rural life, non intervention. He was responsible for a huge scandal where he misplaced orphans in psych homes for better subsidies. -
Challengers of Duplessis
The Union Leaders accused Duplessis of opposing social progress and of serving American interests rather than the interests of Quebec Workers. Numerous strikes were held during this time period including the Asbestos strike of 1949 in which even the Bishop and other church officials supported the strikers
Intellectuals also opposed him and pointed out the conservative nature of the province in press and other media outlets available at the time. -
Quiet Revolution
Was driven by cultural and political assertion of Quebecers and the desire for a government with a more interventionist role. Jean Lesage was a lawyer and a federal politician for 4 terms in the Federal Parliament with the Liberals and later ran for head of the Quebec Liberal Party when the Conservatives ousted Mackenzie King’s federal Liberals in 1958. -
Language Within Quebec
Allophones who adopted English as their language when coming to Quebec fed the separatist and nationalist movements. In response governments:
1961 - Lesage (Liberal) Creates the Office de la langue Francaise was created to promote the French Language
1974- Bourassa (Liberal) Adopts the official language act, Bill 22, making French the official language of Quebec
1977 - (PQ) enacts the Charter of the French Language, Bill 101. -
Referendum in Quebec Round 1
The first one was due to cultural differences and oppressive struggle since conquest had many Quebecois seeing themselves independent from Canada and not Canadians. They wanted full separation from Canada. This one would mean that Quebec would still keep the economic benefits of being part of Canada but be a politically independent nation.
Both referendums were denied after being taken to public vote. -
Quebec & The Canadian Constitution
In response to the referendum of 1980, Trudeau attempts to unify the country by patriating (BNA Act was transferred from Britain to the Federal and Provincial legislatures) the constitution meaning full independence from GB. All provinces agreed, except Quebec, but the Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms were implemented in 1982. Quebec is still yet to sign to this day -
Referendum round 2
This time, Quebec went for the full separation. However, once again we see that Quebec voters didn't want this as it once again did not separate, with 50.6% voting no split.
