TROUBLE IN QUEBEC

Duplessis’s (Union Nationale) Impact

 Dealt harshly with unions
 Disdained civil liberties
 Padlock Act – 1 year closure if used for bolshevism

 Was a strong nationalist – was devoted to the idea of

Quebec as a distinct society
 Turned Quebecers inward and towards their faith (3 Fs)
 restricted education (classical languages and philosophy)
 Foreign investment/
Foreign culture
Showing Quebec’s roots and culture
 Quebec as a nation, not another province
Why would this matter?
 Quebec was put into a subordinate position
 Those who were in positions of authority in the
workplace were Anglophone (contributed to
animosity and resentment)
1960 Brings Change
 Jean Lesage (Liberal)
 Stamped out corruption
 Increased wages and relaxed
restrictions on unionism
 This was a marked period of a
movement to modernize the
economy, politics, education and
culture
 Students had to take sci and tech
courses
 Taken out of the hands of the
church
 The Quiet Revolution had begun
1962 election
How?
 To start, take control of the economy

 Next, start pushing out Anglophones

 inthe wake of Quebec's Quiet Revolution, Anglos no
longer formed the business and social elite of the city
Resentment continued to boil
 Increased achievements led to increased pride and
increased anger at injustices
 The federal government was overwhelmingly Anglo
 Francophones rarely held Cabinet positions

 French schooling was only available in Quebec

 English was the language used in stores and at work

Pearson’s solutions?
 (1963) Appointed the “Bi and Bi Commission” aka
Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism
 Canada should become officially bilingual
 Children should be able to go to school in language of
choice if there was sufficient demand

 (1965) Selected a new flag to make more

encompassing symbols of Canada
 thoughthis was not without
controversy)
Officially Bilingual - 1969
 Trudeau was a staunch federalist and was
determined to persuade Quebeckers that their
future lay in Canada
 Allfederal government agencies were required to
provide service in both languages
 There was an encouragement to learn and appreciate
the two cultures of Canada
 Katimavik – youth cultural exchange and volunteer program
 (Similar to Laurier – no one is pleased)
The Quiet Revolution gave way to
Separatism
 1967 Rene Levesque left Liberal party and in 1968
formed the Parti Quebecois
 The aim of the PQ was to achieve an independent
Quebec (‘peacefully divorce’)
Not all separatists were peaceful…
 The FLQ the Front de liberation du Quebec
Canada’s Bill of Rights (1960)
 Freedom of life, liberty, security of person and the
enjoyment of property
 The right to equality before the law and its protection
(right to fair trial, innocent ‘til proven guilty)
 Freedom of religion
 Freedom of speech
 Freedom of assembly and association

 Invocation of the WMA meant that these rights were

suspended: anyone could be arrested and detained without
being charged with an offense and membership in the FLQ
became a crime
Are you a bleeding heart?
 What is Trudeau’s position?
 How do you feel about Trudeau’s response?
 What is the reporter’s position?
 How do you feel about the reporter?
 In your opinion, is there any circumstance,
including terrorist threats, in which civil liberties
should be suspended?
 If you were Prime Minister during the October
Crisis, what would you have done to resolve the
situation?
Are you a bleeding heart?
 What is Trudeau’s position?
 How do you feel about Trudeau’s response?
 What is the reporter’s position?
 How do you feel about the reporter?
 If you were Prime Minister during the October
Crisis, what would you have done to resolve the
situation?
That’s one reason…any others?
 NEP (National Energy Program)
 Reduce the consumption of oil
 Protect Canadians from rising oil prices

 Make Canada self-sufficient in oil

 Western Alienation
 The gov’t froze the price of domestic oil and gas and
put in a tax that would subsidize the cost of oil in the
East