Quebec

Québec Separatism Chronological Review

Quebec definitely is the most important element that has contributed to the singular nature of the Canadian history, reality and structure. The only way to understand how this French-Canadian province has taken such importance in the Canadian’s record, is through and brief review of the evolution of the Québec separatism movement, since 1968 to nowadays,with a chronological understanding of the most important events that marked the relation of this proud, daring and strong province with a Anglo-federal system and millions and millions of Anglo speakers surrounding it.

1968 marks Canadians history as within this year, the Quebecois party is founded dedicated to Quebec’s independence under the leadership of René Lévesque, Radio-Québec andL’Université de Québec are created too, the “lundi de la Matraque” set up violence from the federal level to citizens of Montreal, and with this the beginning of the headaches of the Federal government with one of the two founding provinces and finally Pierre Elliot Trudeau becomes PM of Canada.
The next year, English and French are recognized as official Canadian languages and, the October crisis endsup with the life of the employment ministry of Québec, Pierre Laporte, as the “Front de Liberation du Quebec” sent a manifest through the media, killed him and abandoned his body in a car’s trunk while James Cross, is freed. This attacked terrified Quebec’s PM and he asks for help to Ottawa, which allows the federal level to declare and pass the “war measure act”, which permitted the army to takeup Montreal and take into custody any citizen without any judicial order, many of them were subject of torture with the purpose of revealing information that this innocent people didn’t know. In 1971, Robert Bourassa intents to pass the James Bay Hydroelectric project, but Quebec denied it’s signature and as deeply defended the nationalization of hydroelectric resources and in 1973 his governmentadopts the law 22 to make French the official language of the government and of the work in Quebec. By 1976 René Lévesque as leader of the Quebecois party, is elected head leader of the province and has the duty to organized a referendum about the sovereignty issue. In the same year, the letter of rights and liberties of Québec passes.
In 1977 the new government of Québec votes for the law 101,which stated French as the official language of the province and take harsh measures to protect and promote it, but the opposition, prevented its approval. In 1980, Lévesque makes the referendum but the opposition propaganda of Trudeau pushed the Québécois to vote against it, and at the end 60% voted for the NO. The next year, Trudeau passes a new constitution without Lévesque knowledge norapproval, and by the night the provincial premiers are invited to sign it, at the next morning Lévesque finds out and leave Ottawa furious, this event is better known as the " Nuit des longs couteaux ". The constitution is recognized by the Queen and the Canadian government in 1982, this weaker the provincial powers enabling Québec to step up its rules and at the same time the antagonist party AllianceQuebec started protests against the law 101 and fight for lease laws for Canadians Anglo speakers in Québec. This fights keep their natural conflictive develop until 1984 when Brian Mulroney is declared PM and promises to reintegrated the two Canadas. In 1988, the Supreme Court of Canada declares illegal the obligatory use of French in commercial posters. In the next year, a psycho kills 14students in one university in Montreal, which forced the government to armored arms and weapons’ laws in Canada. In 1990, the PM Mulroney, negotiates a new agreement to renew vows between Québec and all Canada through the Meech Lake agreement, which was rejected by Manitoba and Newfoundland and mostly important, the Bloc Québécois was created, the first party in favor of Québécois sovereignty in...