Quebec: State, Nation, or Stateless Nation
The nation is commonly described as a historically constituted stable community of the people formed on the basis of a common language, territory, economic life, and psychological makeup manifested in a common culture. According to Bluntschilli- A nation is a union of masses of men bound together specially by language and customs into a common civilization. Therefore, a nation is a culturally homogeneous social group. The state is a people organized for law within a definite territory. It is always sovereign, supreme internally, and independent externally.
Nation and state are distinct entities. The nation may not always be a state. For example, India was not a state before August 1947. A state may not always be a nation. For example, Austria- Hungary was a state but not a nation before World War I because the heterogeneous people did not form culturally homogeneous people. The state is a state because it is a sovereign. The nation is not a state if it is not a state. Sovereignty is the chief characteristic of a state. It is not a feature of the nation. A nation becomes a nation-state when the nation attains statehood. The state is a political concept while the nation is a cultural and psychological body. A nation is primarily cultural and only incidentally political. In short, the nation is not a political concept it is only spiritual. Laws bind the people together in a state.
Sentiments and emotions bind the people in a nation. To put in simple words, the unity of the state is always external, the unity of the nation is eternal. In the case of the state, unity is imposed, it comes from above through laws. In the case of a nation, unity comes from within, through emotions. There is an element of force connected with the state. The state’s laws are binding. There is coercion exercised by the state if its authority is definite whereas, in the case of the nation there is an element of persuasion. The elements of the state are definite. The elements of the state are population, fixed territory, government, and sovereignty whereas on the flip side, the elements of the nation are not definite. For instance, somewhere common language helps constitute a nation and somewhere else, the common race makes a nation. At last on top of it, a state may be larger than a nation. The former USSR had, within it, more than a hundred nationalities. Conversely, a nation may be larger than a state, a nation may spread over two states. For example, Korean nationality is spread over two states- North Korea and South Korea. This paper will focus on Quebec as an example and describe this topic in detail on a historical and political basis.
French- English tensions have existed for hundreds of years throughout Canadian history. Dating back to the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759 in which the British army defeated the French army and took decisive control of Quebec City. The more contemporary tensions, however, do not revolve around land disputes. Instead, Quebec’s inhabitants take issue with their lack of autonomy in the political and social spheres. Initial signs of a rise in nationalist sentiments emerged in the early 1960s with Jean Lesage and the quiet revolution. Liberal leader, Jean Lesage brought about major changes to the province of Quebec including taking control of healthcare and education from the Roman Catholic Church. Lesage also expanded the public service and invested heavily in infrastructure. His most notable accomplishment was the nationalization of electricity production and distribution. As a result, Hydro-Quebec became the second-largest crown corporation in North America.
Massive upheaval socially and economically in Quebec’s transition brought about major public opinion changes as well. Quebec citizens developed pride through the province’s success and their increased well-being. Being from Quebec carried added meaning thanks to Jean Lesage While the economy of the province prospered tensions with the federal government were not as positive. The government began efforts to stake out diplomatic ties with French president Charles de Gaulle creating educational and cultural agreements de Gaulle visited Quebec in 1967. Gaulle’s visit was cut short and the educational and cultural agreements were dismissed. Quebec nationalists took to the streets appalled by the federal government’s restriction of their rights. They formed numerous organizations focused on the independence of Quebec and the protection of liberties and its citizens the Liberal-National and the residue resistance formed as non-violent groups who participated in protests riots vandalism and civil disobedience. They were predominantly responsible for the majority of social disruption prevalent in the late 1960s. These organizations eventually pave the way for more violent organizations to emerge. René Lévesque abandons the Liberal Party and founded the party Quebecois. The party would go on to be first elected in 1976 on the platform of national sovereignty for Quebec involving secession of the province and establishing a sovereign state with loose economic and political ties to Canada. After the Quebec referendum was formed in which Quebec citizens were asked if they wish the government to begin negotiations on a new agreement between the province and Canada. Adding it would lead to an increase Authority in tax laws and international relations while maintaining some form of economic association. The results were resounding ‘no’ where 60% of people rejected the referendum. French-speaking Quebec was almost exactly evenly on the topic. René Lévesque despite suffering a major setback promised to his supporters that he will be back. Fortunately, is his time came almost immediately in the late 1980s to 1990s where two major packages of proposed amendments to the Canadian constitution introduced by prime minister Brian Mulroney intending on persuading Quebec to remain within Canada were rejected. The Meech Lake Accord includes the recognition of Quebec as a distinct society as well as increased political and cultural authority. The rejection of these proposals was responsible for the revival of Quebec nationalist and separatist sentiments Quebec wanted more than what these changes offered.
The 1995 referendum was a major blow to the nationalist movement party Quebecois leader Lucie Bouchard in the wake of the election promised to maintain the beliefs of the party but acknowledged that there was a lot of fatigue that we had given and it all we could that we had exhausted ourselves. In the years following the sovereignty movement lost significant support from the citizens of Quebec and the party Quebecois lost political control at the hands of the Liberal Party who won a number of majorities in the elections following based on reorienting Quebec and its economy. In more recent years, the party Quebecois federal party, the Bloc Quebecois suffered significant defeats at the hands of Quebec native Jack Layton’s new democratic party which identifies as a socialist Democratic Party. The trend and decreasing separatist support exist as most recent as 2014 where the party Quebecois was handily defeated once again.
Experts claim that the Quebec separatist movement is dead in the water while others hold on to the belief that separatism will never die. Quebec history is no doubt rich with compelling arguments as to why the province is and how it is today. Dating back to Liberal leader Jean Lesage and his quiet revolution where Quebec's economy skyrocketed and pride swept not just across the province but also around the country. Coupled with international trends of the liberation of colonies from British rule. Quebec’s sovereignty movement peaked in the 1970s. The mobilization of Canada showed Quebec the value of staying part of the country. In 1995 referendum served as the final blow for the sovereignty movement. Today, Quebec remains significantly distinct from th rest of the nation it calls home. For now, separatist sentiments are gone! But, question is - for how long?
References
- David H. Kaplan. (1994). Two Nations in Search of a State: Canada’s Ambivalent Spatial Identities. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 84(4), 585. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.myucwest.ca/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.2564145&site=eds-live
- Clift, D. (2014). Quebec Nationalism in Crisis. Kingston [Ontario]: MQUP. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.myucwest.ca/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=846565&site=eds-live
- Belanger, C. (2018). Quebec. Salem Press Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.myucwest.ca/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=94740492&site=eds-live
- Mills, S. (2013). Quebec, Haiti, and the Deportation Crisis of 1974. Canadian Historical Review, 94(3), 405–435. https://doi-org.ezproxy.myucwest.ca/10.3138/chr.1476
- Wyatt, H. E. (1978). Canada and Quebec: A role for business in a political crisis. Management Review, 67(4), 46. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.myucwest.ca/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=6025437&site=eds-live
