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Maurice Duplessis is Elected as Premier
- Maurice Duplessis was re-elected Premier in 1944 and stayed in power until 1960
- He was committed to protecting French Catholic identity and had strong ties with the Church
- During his time, education and healthcare were on the decline, becoming outdated due to poorl funding
- Nearing the end of his tenure, people began demanding a secular state, claiming the Church was holding QC back
- This allowed Lesage to win the next election and QC to enter new era of modernisation
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Duplessis Era
The Duplessis Era, aka "The Great Darkness" was a period known for conservative policies in which few progress was made (ex: new provincial flag, provincial tax). During this period, the Church and state (Premier Duplessis) were closely involved. The clerical system faced backlash later on as the population called for secularism after feeling that Quebec was falling behind. During this time there were 3 prime ministers: Mackenzie King, Louis St. Laurent, and John Diefenbaker. (Class Notes, 3.1) -
Adopting the Act to Promote Rural Electrification By Means of Electricity Cooperatives
- The majority of the voters in Quebec were farmers
- To gain their votes, Duplessis focused his efforts on modernizing agriculture by bringing in electricity to rural areas and stimulating rural development through cooperatives
- His support for the farmers allowed him to be re-elected, lengthening his time as Premier
- As time progressed, people began to disapprove of his ideologies, eventually leading to the Quiet Revolution under Lesage in which QC changed immensely
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Publishing of the Manifesto "Refus Global"
- Scepticism about Duplessis's traditionalist ways arose and many called for change
- A manifesto signed by 15 artists was published to publicly protest their unhappiness with the current system
- The manifesto called for modernization and a secular state, holding the Church responsible for the Quebec's cultural lag
- This event contributed to the election of Lesage and beginning of the Quiet Revolution, all leading to new events and laws which still impact Quebec today
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Asbestos Strike
- Duplessis did not approve of unions as he saw them as socialist and therefore communist
- Duplessis's government and unions had a tense relationship, made worse during strikes
- Due to miners poor working conditions and small wages, the 1949 Asbestos Strike took place
- Duplessis declared the strike illegal, supporting employers, and police used violence to suppress the strikes
- This event helped the start a new era, the Quiet Revolution, changing the course of QC history
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Arrival of the TV
- Post WWII was marked by economic prosperity in the West, meaning people had the means to buy new appliances such as cars and the TV
- With the resources to buy, and encouragement via exposure to adverts from TV, mass consumption began evolving
- The TV also introduced Quebec to the American culture which promoted success, material comfort, and valued individualism, establishing America as a dominant cultural influence in the West to this day
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Reintroducing Provincial Income Tax
- Committed to keeping Quebec's autonomy, Duplessis ensured that the federal government stayed out of Quebec jurisdictions
- This meant refusing federal programs and subsidies for Quebec universities, for example
- To have greater autonomy, Duplessis went further by decided to re-implement provincial income tax, which we still have today
- Re-introducing the provincial income tax meant that the federal government was forced to reduce the taxes it collected from Quebec
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Quiet Revolution
The Quiet Revolution was a period in which Quebec began to modernise socially, politically, and economically under Premier Jean Lesage's Liberal Government. The state expanded its control and secularisation was a large aspect, as well as the promotion of French autonomy and identity. During this period, the PM was John G. Diefenbaker, Lester B. Pearson, then Pierre Elliott Trudeau. (Class Notes, 3.2) + (Chap 3 Time Toast Prime Ministers) -
Jean Lesage's Liberal Government is Elected
- People were unhappy under Premier Duplessis (aka: Duplessis Era / La Grande Noirceur) and skeptical of his ideologies, feeling that Quebec was falling behind. This allowed Lesage's Liberal Government to be elected
- It was a period of drastic modernization for Quebec, socially, politically, and economically
- Education became free, the Church became less involved with state (secularism)...
- As as result, Quebec advanced in many realms including politics and economics
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Public Hospitals Act (1961)
- Under Lesage, Quebec aimed to be more secular by separating the state from the Church
- The state took control over healthcare from the Catholic Church, shifting to secular state-run system
- The Public Hospitals Act allowed universal access to hospital services regardless of income, creating a Welfare State
- As a result, the government invested more money into healthcare and the majority of the population had access to healthcare services
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Nationalization of Electricity
- The Lesage government promoted economic nationalism and created many crown corporations
- A main goal was to nationalize electricity
- Lesage's government bought many private electric companies and merged them with Hydro-Québec, taking over its management
- Hence, more dams were built, displacing some Inuit communities up North
- Electricity became more reliable especially in remote areas, many job opportunities were introduced, and gov generated large revenue
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Adoption of Act Respecting the Legal Capacity of Married Women
- Ever since the start of the feminist movement, women have fought and gained more rights and freedoms
- In 1964, an act introduced by Marie-Claire Kirkland-Casgrain granted married women greater legal autonomy
- The adoption of the Act Respecting the Legal Capacity of Married Women allowed married women sign legal documents and carry out financial transactions without husband's permission
- This meant women were becoming more independent and recognised as members in society
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Creation of the Department of Education
- During the Duplessis Era, many children, particularly Francophones, had high illiteracy rates and education was minimally funded
- During Lesage's tenure, improving education became a large focus
- The Dept of Education was created after being recommended by the 1963 Parent Commission
- A year after the Dept of Education was created, comprehensive high schools and vocational programs were established, allowing education to improve/modernise and attendance rates to increase
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Return of Union Nationale
- In 1966, the Union Nationale won the provincial election, making Daniel Johnson the new premier of Quebec, after Robert Bourassa's resignation
- Modernisation efforts that began under Lesage's government continued, and social conservatism under Duplessis Era ended definitively
- Under Union Nationale, CEGEPs were created (1967) and new measures included: building of more dams, Indigenous peoples given right to vote (1969), establishment of Dept of Education...
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Expo 67
- Senator Mark Drouin of Quebec developed the idea to celebrate Canada's 100th birthday, with Montréal being the focal point
- Expo 67 was an opportunity for Quebec to grow a greater global presence
- With the opening of Expo 67, the Montréal Metro opened, cultural hubs (ex: Place des Arts) were developed, and Quebec's identity became more unique due to heavy focus of developing the arts
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Passing of The Official Languages Act (1969)
- Relations between the Province of Quebec and the federal government were being strained due to Quebec's high interest in establishing its own identity
- Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau recognised that measures had to be taken and started the Laurendeau-Dunton Commission (1963)
- It was found that Francophones were underrepresented
- As a result, the PM decided to make Canada's official languages both French and English
- This promoted bilingualism across the country
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Tabling of White Paper Entitled "Statement of the Government of Canada on Indian Policy, 1969"
- PM Pierre Elliot Trudeau and Minister of Indian Affairs Jean Chrétien wanted to create "true equality"
- The federal government wanted to withdraw the Indian Act and eliminate special legal and political status of Indigenous to integrate them fully within Canadian society
- Anger spread among communities as they accused the gov of trying eliminate their ancestral rights and to assimilate them
- The backlash was so extreme that the government withdrew this policy in 1970
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October Crisis
- FLQ, a separatist group, emerged in 1960s, advocating for QC independence from Canada
- Their violent means of protest lead to the October Crisis, and political tension arose between the FLQ and federal gov
- Political leaders (ex: British diplomat James Cross and QC Minister Pierre Laporte) were kidnapped
- The immense violence prompted PM Pierre Trudeau to invoke the War Measures Act
- Hence, there was military presence in the province, mass arrests, and many were injured
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Social and Political Changes
During 1970-1980, many social and political changes took place under PM Pierre Trudeau then PM Clark and Premier Bourassa then Premier Lévesque. Minority groups like the Indigenous and women, as well as workers, gained more rights/freedoms and Quebec's cultural identity became more prominent. Although many advancements were made, this period began with arising political tensions after a separatist group known as the FLQ used violence and terror as forms of protest. (Class Notes, 3.3) -
Montréal Olympic Games
- On May 12, 1970, it was announced that Montréal would host the 1976 Olympic games
- As the stadium was being built, there was a lot of corruption, mismanagement, and delays in construction
- The Games were held in an unfinished stadium, and it was only completed in 1987
- By 1979, MTL and QC were struggling to pay off the debt and it wasn't until 2006 that everything was repaid
- Despite all the struggles, the Olympics helped make MTL a recognised international sports hub today
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Adoption of a New Immigration Act
- Beginning in 1971, the Trudeau government sought to promote equality among the various cultural groups
- The new Immigration Act in 1976 broadened eligibility criteria, allowing for larger influx of immigrants
- Thus, Quebec's diverse cultural landscape, as well as Canada's, expanded even more after receiving many immigrants and refugees, particularly Haitian's fleeing dictatorship and later Vietnamese refugees
- This changed the cultural communities and diversity in QC
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Election of the Parti Québécois
- Lévesque was a well-respected journalist and war correspondent before, helping shape his communication style
- As founder of the Parti Québécois, he became 23rd Premier of QC, pushing out Bourassa and Liberal gov.
- The election results came as a surprise to all of Canada as this was the first QC gov whose main goal was achieving QC sovereignty
- During his tenure, many key reforms were made (ex: QC's first laws regarding protection of tenants and workers)
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Bill 101: Charter of French Language
- In QC, most immigrants integrated into Anglophone communities, threatening the presence of French
- Bill 101 made French the primary language of government, business, and public life in QC
- Changes included: restricting access to English schools, prioritizing French in commercial signs, using French for laws, services, and official documents to reinforce linguistic identity
- Aware of the Anglophone's concern, the gov tried to reassure them, nonetheless many left to Ontario
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Economic Decline and Oil Crisis in Iran
- The late 1970s was a period of economic downturn
- With another oil crisis in Iran, unemployment and inflation rates increased
- Economic growth slowed after industrial relocation to low-wage countries caused job losses in QC
- QC and OTT began raising taxes to provide money for their instituted public services
- This increased debt and sparked debate on whether gov services should be cut to reduce pressure on the economy, helping shape future economic policy discussions
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1980 Referendum
- Levésque and the Parti Québécois heavily advocated for QC's autonomy
- As this was the first time the PQ was in power, Levésque wanted to prove to the people that he could lead a potential future country. So, he devoted his energy to governing before holding the 1980 referendum, which he spearheaded, to consult the population on whether QC should become a sovereign state
- He was ultimately defeated as 60% voted "no"
- Today, QC sovereignty is still debated