Role of the State post-1945Power & Culture

Duplessis Years (1944-1959)

•Led the Union Nationale party •His political ideas were based on a strong

sense of French-Canadian nationalism, Catholic values, and agriculture

•Duplessis advocated for greater provincial autonomy

Duplessis Years (1944-1959)Who liked him? •The Church: They were well funded and

maintained control over areas of education, health, and charities

•Rural Communities: His traditional values appealed to them. His government would encourage projects that favoured rural areas (roads, electricity, etc.)

•Big Business: He favoured ownership over workers in labour disputes

Duplessis Years (1944-1959)

Who opposed him?•Secularist Intellectuals: Many

Quebeckers active in the media or universities thought Quebec was “backwards” and questioned the Church’s involvement in state affairs (ex: Pierre Trudeau, Andre Laurendeau)

Duplessis Years (1944-1959)

Who opposed him?•Anglophones & Urban dwellers: They

felt the policies of the Duplessis government did not favour them

•Unions: Felt the government was doing little to ensure worker rights were being respected

“Padlock Law”: aimed at targeting communists but was used against union groups in general.

The doorway of the newspaper "La Clarte", a weekly communist newspaper, padlocked by the police in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Cultural Trends During the Duplessis Years (1944-1959)

•“Americanism”: TVs were introduced during the ‘50s and spread US culture.

•Growth of Secularism: Ideology that power of religion should be limited to spiritual affairs and not intervene in matters of government. This was a criticism of the traditionalist view which Duplessis & the Church represented

•Across Canada there is continued growth in the feminism movement and urbanization

•Duplessis introduced the fleur-de-lis as the official flag of Quebec

The Quiet Revolution: Quebec in the 1960s•When Duplessis died his Union Nationale

government was replaced by Jean Lesage and the Liberals. This marked the beginning of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec.

•The Quiet Revolution was a rapid change in social, economic, and political domains in Quebec society.

•What were some of these changes...

The Quiet Revolution: Quebec in the 1960s

Education Gov’t takes control. Ministry of Education created and school made compulsory to age 15

Economy The gov’t got more involved in business, they nationalized some industries (expanded Hydro Quebec, SIDBEC)

Social Services Gov’t takes control of the healthcare system. Medicare free for all citizens. Quebec Pension Plan introduced to help those over 65

Political Overall gov’t gets bigger, creates many new departments and public sector jobs

French Canadian Nationalism

•The Quebec that emerged during the Quiet Revolution was a province with a strong identity

•Slogans such as “Maitre Chez Nous” were more than economic messages, but reflected a desire held by Quebec political parties for increased provincial powers

•Some within the province viewed Quebec as a nation with a distinct culture and language. They began to question the place of Quebec within Canada.

French Canadian Nationalism

• In 1968 The Parti Quebecois was formed in the province. They were a political party who desired the political independence of Quebec from Canada. This is also known as the movement for Quebec sovereignty.

•Many of the early “separatists” wanted Quebec to be independent but have a close economic partnership or association with the rest of Canada.

•Those who opposed separation are known as federalists

French Canadian Nationalism

Why separation?•Sovereignists felt that an independent

Quebec would be able to best defend the economic, political, and cultural interests of the French Canadian Nation.

How did they hope to achieve independence?

•By holding a vote, or referendum, asking Quebeckers if they wanted sovereignty from Canada.

1980 Referendum

• In 1976 the first PQ gov’t came to power in Quebec and their leader Rene Levesque became Premier

• In 1980, the first referendum was held and the results were:

Levesque Speech After Referendum Loss

•The PQ government also introduced Bill 101 in 1977 which made French the official language in Quebec (only French on signs, immigrant children had to go to French school)

NO YES

59.56% 40.44%

Constitutional Matters Post-1980•The referendum and general growth of

the sovereignty movement led to reaction from the rest of Canada

•The Federal government sought to revamp the constitution in a way that would give increased power to Quebec, as well as the other provinces

Pierre Trudeau was PM of Canada at the time of the 1980 Referendum. He promised changes for Quebec if the NO side won.

Constitutional Matters Post-1980

•The Patriating of the Constitution in 1982 was not signed by Quebec

•The Meech Lake Accord of 1987 and the Charlottetown Accord of 1992 failed to gain approval across Canada

•The years of constitutional negotiations led to frustration for many across Canada

• In Quebec the inability to hammer out a deal to the province’s liking led to a renewed discussion on the sovereignty option

Ultimately Unsuccessful

Referendum 1995•The PQ government was re-elected in

1994 under the leadership of Jacques Parizeau

•A referendum was held in 1995, the results were:

Infamous Quote by Parizeau after loss

NO YES

50.6% 49.4%

Quebec Post-1995 Referendum

•After the 1995 referendum loss, there was a general “constitutional fatigue” across the country

•The separatist movement in Quebec has decreased in popularity

•Economic, Social, and Environmental issues have become more important

Cultural Trends from the 1970s-Present

•Aboriginalism: There has been a growing sense of consideration for Aboriginal peoples’ culture and heritage. ▫Ex: Greater consultation with Aboriginal

groups & respect for traditional lifestyles•Media: The growth of television and the

internet has led to increase power of news media outlets

•Continued growth of secularism in society•Fight against discrimination due to gender,

race, sexual orientation, etc.