The Quebec Separatist Movement

Brief Introduction about the Province

Quebec is the largest province by area and the second most populous province of Canada. It is known for its rich history, vibrant culture and economic opportunities. Being one of the highest contributors in the Canadian economy, this province is a home to popular tourist cities like Montreal and the provincial capital, Quebec City.

French is the official language because of the French history and about 84.1% of the Quebec residents being Francophones (Statistics Canada, 2021).

This province holds geopolitical importance too as it connects the Atlantic Provinces (Newfoundland & Labrador, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Islands and Nova Scotia) with the rest of Canada by land and it is a gateway to major cities or markets like Toronto, New York City, Boston and so on.

This province is also known for its hydroelectric plants generating fair share of clean energy, production, employment and exports.

History

Before 1608, today’s Quebec was divided among the indigenous groups like Algonquin, Iroquoian, Inuit etc. based on their territorial claims.

In 1534, French explorers like Jacques Cartier along with their forces explored today’s Quebec with the intention of trade and/or political expansion of the French Territory, New France.

By 1608, the French Explorer, Samuel de Champlain established Quebec City and the name “Québec” was chosen by the French Explorer, Samuel de Champlain. This word comes from an Algonquin (language spoken by Algonquin people) word meaning ‘narrow passage’ or ‘strait’. Playing politics around and triggering wars, the French were able to occupy entire today’s Quebec and make it a part of their French Territory, New France. The region was officially named as ‘Quebec Territory’.

In 1756, British Empire along with its allies attacked the French Empire to occupy New France Territory erupting a war known as Seven Years’ War (1756-1763).

By 1763, New France Territory was dissolved and the land was completely occupied by the British Empire. The British empire declared Quebec as their province naming it ‘Quebec Province’. The British empire allowed the Francophones to practice their culture and language but not with full rights. There were cases of persecution, discrimination and lack of representation in the politics.

In 1840-1841, ‘The Province of Canada’ was founded under the British Empire to unite Quebec (also known as Lower Canada back then) and Ontario (also known as Upper Canada back then) provinces of British Empire. This means, Quebec (Lower Canada) became a part of Province of Canada as ‘Quebec’ division or section.

In 1867, ‘Dominion of Canada’ was created to unite various British provinces and territories across North America. Quebec splitting from Ontario (called Province of Canada) was one of the four founding provinces within it. Hence, Province of Canada was dissolved.

In 1931, ‘Dominion of Canada’ gained partial independence from the British Empire allowing them to make laws without the permission of London. This also allowed the Canadians to raise their voice for the French-speaking Canadians.

In 1969, French-Canadians got a relief when Official Languages Act was passed making both French and English the official languages of Canada. This ensured equal representation of French-Canadians and safeguarded them from English-dependency.

In 1977, amid heavy protests, discussions and debates, Canada passed ‘Charter of the French Language (Bill 101)’ bill making it a law which protected the equal rights of Francophones and declared French as the official language of Quebec. This safeguarded French-speakers and gave them access to the administrative, political, educational and business aspects without the need of English.

In 1982, Canada gained full legislative independence from the British Empire where Quebec remained a part of the Dominion of Canada. Since then, the country has been found making pro-French decisions such as funding French communities, paying non-French speakers to learn French, mandating French-speaking skills in various governmental positions and so on.

French Separatism

Now, we are well-versed with the history of Quebec and French in Canada. Its time to dive into the main part of this article, that is the separatism.

French Separatism is a separatist ideology to separate the French-speaking majority regions from Canada to form a separate nation. These regions primarily include parts or the entire Quebec and even parts of New Brunswick (North) in certain theories.

First Wave of Separatism (the starting point)

During 1760s, French separatism developed soon after the defeat of the French Empire by the British Empire due to the following reasons:

1. Over 10,000 French soldiers died fighting the British Empire (Englishmen) and the theory that French came first to Quebec, so they have the first right over Englishmen.
2. Persecution of French-speaking population.
3. Lack of political representation.
4. Lack of promotion of French culture, language and values.
5. Timber, fur and agriculture (like maple syrup and potatoes) were major products of the Quebec which was grown/made by French-speaking people but exploited by the Englishmen.

Since then, there have been certain separatist attacks and freedom struggles from the French, but they were systematically suppressed by the British Empire.

Second Wave of Separatism

Second Industrial Revolution took place between 1870s to 1910s. It was a revolution in which industries were developed and expanded a lot to discover, invent, produce and trade the goods and services. This period is characterized by rapid advancements in technology, industry and production methods that greatly expanded the scale of industrialization. Quebec benefitted a lot from due to the introduction of the advanced agricultural technology, development of hydroelectric power plants and so on.

During 1890s, French separatism was spreading across the French due to certain unfair trade practices by the British Empire making more disagreements between the French and English. The differences were deepened amid rapid immigration changing cultural and linguistic demography of Quebec. It is believed that many French-speaking people migrated from rural areas in Quebec to major cities and towns in search of economic and education opportunities, but they were widely discriminated majorly by the English-speaking people.

There have been cases of widespread protests, attacks, riots and debates across Quebec, but they were suppressed and managed by the British Empire so that they don’t take a swift political or social turn.

In October 1970, the ‘October Crisis of 1970’ took place which was a period of political violence and civil unrest in Quebec, initiated by the Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ), a radical separatist group advocating for Quebec’s independence through revolutionary means. On October 5, 1970, the FLQ kidnapped James Cross, a British trade commissioner, and demanded that the government release political prisoners and implement certain reforms. On October 10, the FLQ also kidnapped Pierre Laporte, a Quebec government minister, who was later found dead on October 17. The Canadian government, led by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, invoked the War Measures Act, which granted emergency powers to the government, suspended civil liberties, and allowed for the arrest of individuals without charges. This move was controversial and led to debates over its appropriateness.

Quebec Referendums

Quebec Referendums refer to the referendums across Canada to determine if Quebec should gain sovereignty (independence) or remain a part of Canada.

There are two major referendums held till date:

1. 1980 Quebec Referendum

Parti Québécois (PQ) is a political party established in 1968 by René Lévesque with the motive to separate Quebec from Canada and form a separate sovereign state named ‘Quebec’ with French as their official language.

Amid massive protests, strikes, speeches, debates, riots and targeted attacks across the country especially in Quebec and New Brunswick, the country decided to undergo the first referendum called, 1980 Quebec Referendum, starting on May 20, 1980.

The results of this referendum were very interesting. The Canadian nationalism won since the majority (59.56%) voted for “No” (against the sovereignty) and the minority (40.44%) voting for “Yes” (in favour of the sovereignty).

2. 1995 Quebec Referendum

Parti Québécois (PQ) again comes into light by provoking massive anti-Canada sentiments through their rallies, protests and debates. This time, this party was led by Jacques Parizeau.

Amid massive outrage, Canadian Government decided to go for another referendum starting on October 30, 1995.

The results of the 1995 Quebec referendum were very close and highly significant where 85.61% of the eligible voters voted. The Canadian nationalism won, as the majority (50.58%) voted for “No” (against sovereignty), while the minority (49.42%) voted for “Yes” (in favor of sovereignty). This narrow margin highlighted the deep divisions within Quebec over the issue of independence.

Current Scenario

In a June 2022 survey conducted by Mainstreet Research, 67% of Quebec voters indicated they would vote against sovereignty if a referendum were held, preferring Quebec to remain part of Canada. Only 33% supported independence. These results reflect the stability of public opinion on sovereignty, with consistent levels seen over recent years. Younger voters, aged 18-34, showed the highest opposition at 73%, compared to 57% among those aged 65 and older. Support was notably lower among non-Francophones, where just 5% were in favor of independence. This survey was conducted among 1,404 participants, with a margin of error of ±3%.