Rich Canadian History: Quebec

In the last federal election, the Bloc Quebecois experienced a resurgence. Do you think that this is an indication of greater support for sovereignty among Quebeckers? Might we be facing another referendum on Quebec sovereignty sooner than later?

Canada has a rich history that has shaped the nation. Its opinions and ideas determine how the country should be run and governed. Small fragments that question the status quo are always controversial, and Bloc Quebecois fit this criterion. It is without a doubt that within the last year, Bloc Quebecois are gaining popularity and are reclaiming their dominance in Quebec. We must analyze the Bloc Quebecois’ resurgence, the 1995 referendum, and whether there is an actual movement of independence.

In recent years, Bloc Quebecois has experienced a revival in public support, clearly noticeably in federal elections. In order to understand why we need to examine their ideology and political stance on key issues within Canada. Bloc Quebecois supports the independence of Quebec from Canada to become a sovereign state. The political party represents the ideas and interests of Quebecers- mainly French-speaking members. Lucien Bouchard created Bloc Quebecois as a result of the failure of the Meech Lake Accord. The Meech Lake Accord was a set of constitutional amendments and it would have granted provinces greater control over key issues such as immigration, federal spending that is provincial authority, and constitutional vetoes. It would have also recognized Quebec as a ‘distinct society’. This created conflicts with other provinces who believed that Quebec would have greater power over constitutional change and federal spending. The Meech Lake Accord failed to be ratified as it lacked the support from Newfoundland and Labrador, and Manitoba. As an opposition party, the main objectives of Bloc Quebecois are: to protect Quebec’s sovereignty, language and culture. Due to being a regional political party in Canada, it is understandable that Bloc Quebecois do not have views or ideas on the national economy or other aspects. Their sole purpose is to guard Quebecers and seek independence.

In regards to elections, Quebec can be unpredictable. Political commentator Daniel Beland compares Quebec to America’s Florida and Ohio, due to its political behavior and demographics which can change the results of an election. Quebec is the second-largest province after Ontario in regards to population size, and roughly a quarter of all Canadians live in the province, and thus have 78 out of 338 seats in the Houses of Commons. In Adam’s video, she states that Quebec is a big challenge for the main political parties as it is constantly changing its views, especially the Francophone population. The Francophone population accounts for 80% of Quebec and is heavily influenced by the French media, and it can be hard for the national parties to be heard. In Quebec, it is the smaller ridings where Bloc Quebecois perform well, and it is generally a contest with the Conservative party. There is greater support for Bloc Quebecois in “culturally homogenous” ridings than areas with a mixture of English and French. Thus, as Adam mentions, it is hard for Bloc Quebecois to win cosmopolitan areas such as Montreal, as it has a smaller Francophone population.

Though Quebec is considered the ‘wild card’ in Canadian politics, polls were able to predict the success of Bloc Quebecois in the last election. In the last federal election, Bloc Quebecois received a 7.7% share of the votes, and 32 seats in the House of Commons, more than triple the number of seats it earned in the 2015 election. The New Democratic Party (NDP) lost 20 seats to the Bloc Quebecois, which brought Bloc Quebecois to become the third-largest party in the House of Commons. It was the first federal election campaign for Yves- Francois Blanchet, which allowed the party to have a new, and younger look and appeal to the electorate. Also, the party is able to align themselves on key issues with Quebec’s public opinion even if that goes against the national view. A vital factor in Bloc Quebecois’ success was the role of the new leader- Blanchet. From the very beginning, Blanchet led a clear and concise campaign, focusing on Quebec nationalism rather than sovereignty, which shows how much Quebec’s attitude has changed. During the campaign, other main parties were mentioning the old policies of Bloc Quebecois- vielle chicanes which means old arguments or quarrels. This shows that the main parties have failed to realize how much Quebeckers have changed, and perhaps why Bloc Quebecois did much better in the province than others. This idea is further highlighted when Blanchet was able to oust two-term NDP MP Matthew Dube from the riding Beloeil-Chambly.

In 1995, Quebec voted in a referendum on whether to become an independent state from Canada. There was a very high turnout with 93 percent, but the overall result was ‘No’ with 50.6 percent compared to the 49.4 percent voting for ‘Yes’. The question incorporated both sides of the debate, which is vital to ensure the question did not seem biased. The question “Do you agree that Quebec should become sovereign, after having made a formal offer to Canada for a new economic and political partnership, within the scope of the Bill respecting the future of Quebec and of the agreement signed on June 12, 1995?”. It was a long question on a rather straightforward matter- should Quebec have independence? According to Lecours, the question was designed to optimize a ‘yes’ result, however, this perhaps failed due to the confusion surrounding the question. The wording is very important, as some voters who believed in a sovereign Quebec thought it did not mean an independent Quebec, thus if there was clarity on the question, the outcome could have been very different.

There are some reasons why Quebec failed for independence, there was a clear confusion about what the ‘Yes’ campaign was offering, and how Quebec would negotiate such a deal. The ambiguity surrounding the currency, defense and passports are some of the explanations for the ‘No’ campaign succeeding. One event that had an impact on the ‘Yes’ campaign was the Montreal rally. Prime Minister Jean Chretien spoke to a crowd in Montreal and pleaded with them to vote ‘no’. The rally included politicians who originally did not want to participate in the campaign; Ontario premier Mike Harris and Nova Scotia premier John Savage to name a few. Chretien emphasized the idea of unity and community which could have swayed undecided voters to vote ‘no’. The rally caused controversy as corporate sponsors outside Quebec were offering discounted travel to the demonstrators, which could be classified as illegal contributions. However, the subsidized travel was allowed since electoral rules only applied to Quebec, and not of the province. Either way, this act allowed the Montreal rally to be one of the biggest demonstrations in Canada and could have easily been the reason that determined the result.

Understanding the historical background of Bloc Quebecois and Quebec, we can now discuss whether the idea of sovereignty is a prevailing theme in Quebec, or is it mutually exclusive with Bloc Quebecois’ resurgence. It is clear that in the past the desire and want for independence was high, and this was conveyed with the number of referendums in Quebec. There is not a strong movement in Quebec for independence, and even if there was, there are not enough young people to take over the role from older separatists. The idea of separating from Canada is not a priority for young Canadians, with only 19% considering themselves separatists.

According to polling conducted by CBC, Quebecers believe the debate about independence is over with 82 percent of them saying that Quebec should stay in Canada. Furthermore, Francophones follow this idea with 73 percent agreeing that Quebec should remain; and 64 percent agree the argument around sovereignty has been settled. On the other hand, Francophones living in bilingual ridings were more likely to have separatist views, perhaps stemming from resentment of the English language entering their culture.

However, Quebecers have a different view on national pride compared to the rest of the country, only 31 percent of Quebecers were “proud” to be Canadian, which shows the differences with other parts of Canada. Quebec has a distinct society, and they want to uphold their culture and heritage, and perhaps this is the reason why they do not partake in the idea of Canadian pride. Regardless of their stance on pride, Quebecers look at the context of their lives before voting and determine how their vote will impact their daily life. If Quebec was to become independent, there will be economic ramifications that many Quebecers do not want to risk, hence, the debate of independence is not a primary concern.

The growing strength of Bloc Quebecois shows the development of the party, and how it has adapted to the changes in attitude within Quebec. Historical events have certainly impacted the political climate of Quebec. To say that Quebec may be facing another referendum is an overstatement, there is clear discontent in the province but they express their grievances by voting for Bloc Quebecois. Attitudes show that Quebecers are at peace with the topic of independence; but rather ensure their identity of being a distinct society is upheld. The debate of independence will forever be a topic in the province as it is a part of their history, but currently, there is not a strong movement for independence. However, we must consider future generations, with increased support for Bloc Quebecois, in the future, the topic of independence may resurface.

References

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