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Duplessis Era
During and after the Great Depression crisis, Maurice Duplessis became the premier of Quebec. Duplessis inspired the French and promoted French nationalism throughout Quebec and people loved him for that. The Catholic Church had lots of power over Quebec because of Duplessis, controlling schools and hospitals. Despite all the efforts of Duplessis, Quebec made no progress and was "in the dark". On top of this, Duplessis was taking bribes and was corrupt, leading to his downfall and death in 1959. -
Richard Riots
After the suspension for the remainder of the season and playoffs to Maurice Richard, a French-Canadian hockey legend playing for the Montreal Canadiens, riots began in Montreal, especially when the English NHL President Clarence Campbell attended Montreal's first home game after the suspension. Many fans claimed that Campbell was so harsh on Richard's suspension because he was French. The game was cut short due to a tear gas bomb going off in the arena. -
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The Quiet Revolution
After Duplessis' death, Jean Lesage was voted in as premier with the slogan "time for change", which impacted the Quebecers very much. Under this new government, the French were of equal status within the province, the Catholic church lost most of its power, and Quebec sought a special status within Canada. The French nationalism that was established earlier grew into the idea of separatism. The French believed that they were minorities still at this point. -
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FLQ
The "Front de Libération du Québec is a terrorist group that was formed to separate Quebec in extreme and violent ways. The group had bombed many places between 1963-1970, especially in mailboxes. They were well-known for kidnapping many political figures. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau came to power in 1968 and tried to please the Quebecers with the Official Languages Act in 1969 that made Canada a bilingual country, however, the results were mixed. -
Visit From Charles de Gaulle
French president Charles de Gaulle was invited to the Montreal Expo and gave a speech dedicated to separatists. He mentioned that he felt the same as he felt when France was liberated by the Nazis and said the famous slogan, "Vive la Quebec libre", which inspired many Quebecers. This outraged prime minister Lester B Pearson, as he was forced to keep Quebec under control before an uprising. He established the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism and de Gaulle went back to France. -
October Crisis
The October Crisis is the pinnacle of the FLQ. The terrorist group kidnapped James Cross (British Trade Commissioner) and Pierre Laporte (Quebec Minister of Labour), who was later found dead in St-Hubert, Quebec. There were ransom demands from FLQ demanding gold, broadcasting of FLQ and a flight to either Cuba or Algeria. A national crisis had begun as FLQ propaganda was spread on various radios and the military was on the streets. After James Cross was released, members of the FLQ went to Cuba. -
Bill 101
After the victory of Parti Quebecois, the party passed Bill 101, which meant that French would be officially used in governments, businesses, and any workplace. This helped many French-speaking citizens as they can work anywhere. This made it harder for English citizens to work as they were limited and are basically forced to learn English. Before Bill 101, Montreal was the financial city of Canada, but since all business signs had to be in French, many companies moved to Toronto and Calgary. -
Quebec Independence Round 1
Quebec Premier René Lévesque called for a referendum in Quebec about separation in 1980, but many didn't like it. Instead of separating completely, 84% of Quebecers wanted change in Canada to support Quebec. Lévesque offered the Sovereignty Association, which made Québec politically independent and will collect its own tax and have its own laws. Prime minister Trudeau agreed to negotiate as long as 50% or more said yes on the referendum. 60% of Quebecers voted no, so Trudeau didn't negotiate. -
Night of the Long Knives
Trudeau tried to bring the constitution to Ottawa, but 8 premiers (gang of 8) didn't like the idea as they feared they would lose power. Trudeau threatened that he'll go alone, and the premiers wanted to fight that in court. They all went to Ottawa, except for Lévesque, who told the others to call him if anything happens. During the night in the hotel, Jean Chrétien suggests the notwithstanding clause to give more power to the premiers and the votes became 8-1. Lévesque said he's been stabbed. -
Quebec Independence Round 2
In 1995, the second referendum for Quebec's separation happened. Parti Québecquois leader Jacques Parizeau was on the "Yes" side while Prime Minister Jean Chrétien was on the "No" side. The referendum occurred only within Quebec and the "No" side had 50.6% of the votes and because of that, Jean Chrétien didn't negotiate independence with Parizeau. -
Today
Today, it is extremely difficult for provinces to separate due to the Clarity Act of 1999. Quebec is now fully accepted into Canadian society and with the recent victory of the provincial party Coalition Avenir Québec and the downfall of Parti Québecquois, Quebec will remain a Canadian province for a very long time.