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Louis Riel
Louis Riel fought for Metis (half French/ half Native people) rights in Western Canada. Louis Riel felt like too many British people were settling their land in the west. He set up a temporary government in Manitoba and negotiated their entry in Canada. The significance of this event is that everyone deserves rights no mater where you are from. -
Northwest Rebellion
On the request of Natives and Metis peoples in the Northwest Territories, Louis Riel again returned to wage rebellion against the government of Canada. The rebellion was crushed by the Canadian government and the Natives lost a lot of land. -
Conscription Crisis
The Conscription Crisis caused tensions between French and English Canada because all French Canadians felt they didn't have to fight in the war to help Great Britain because they felt their loyalty was to Canada not Great Britain while English Canadians had strong tides to Great Britain. The significance of this event is how different French Canadians viewed the war compared to English. -
Duplessis and La Grande Noirceur (The Great Darkness)
Maurice Duplessis believed the French needed to keep faith and language for identity. He does allow English-American businesses into Quebec (tax breaks to all for luring businesses into the province). Many Quebeckers leave farms to work in the cities but they end up receiving poor pay. As a result, people strike often. Duplessis orders the police to arrest protest leaders. The significance of this event is that it is great to have people stand up against others. -
The Richard Riot
The Richard Riot was a riot on March 17, 1955 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The star ice hockey player Maurice Richard for the Montreal hit a linesman, NHL president Clarence Campbell suspended him for the remainder of the 1954–55 NHL season, including the playoffs. Public outrage from Montreal poured in about what residents felt was excessive punishment. Many Quebecois regarded the suspension as the English minority further attempting to humiliate French Canadians. -
The Quiet Revolution (Beginning)
After Duplessis death, Quebec's new leader is Jean Lesage. The Quebec government promised to improve economic and social standards of Quebeckers and to win greater recognition of all French-speaking people giving revolution leading to the desire for separation -
The FLQ
The FLQ is a terrorist group which formed in the name of a free Quebec, Le Quebec libre. Between 1963 and 1970, they had set off a number of bombs, mainly in Montreal, killing 6 people and wounding many others. -
The Bi and Bi Commission
Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson felt like the country needed a response to the separatist wave surging in Quebec. He then established the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism in 1963 -
Fuel to The Fire
French President, Charles de Gaulle, was invited by the Quebec government to visit the Expo 67. He felt the same as when Franch was liberated by the Nazi by saying "Vive le Quebec libre". This caused a lot of people to not like what Charles de Gaull said. Most Canadians were stunned by the comparison of the government to the Nazis. DeGaulle then cancelled the rest of his trip and returned to France. -
The Offcial Languages Act
When Pierre Trudeau came to power in 1968, he was determined to do more to appease Quebec. In 1969 his government passed The Official Language Act. This act made Canada offically bilingual. The significance of this event was that Pierre Trudeau's main goal was to bring equality to French and English sides of Canada. -
The Quiet Revolution (Ending)
At the end of this revolution the cities/towns were no longer run by the church. The status of women increase. Also management of businesses and high level positions to go Quebec. The impact of the Quiet Revolution caused the birth of separatism wanted by French people. It also made French culture flourished -
The Birth of Separatism
At this time, Quebeckers began to ask questions like: Why is Ottawa so English speaking? Why are there so few cabinet ministers from Quebec? Out of this frustration came the idea of a newly independent country entirely controlled by the Quebcois. Their belief was so long as Quebec was associated with the rest of Canada, French Canadians would never be treated as equals -
October Crisis (Beginning)
The October Crisis (French: La crise d'Octobre) occurred in October 1970 in the province of Quebec in Canada, mainly in the Montreal metropolitan area. Members of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) kidnapped the provincial cabinet minister Pierre Laporte and the British diplomat James Cross. -
The October Crisis (Ending)
Prime Minister P. Trudeau enacted the War Measures Act which took away the civil rights of Canadians. It also allowed police to hold suspects without charge. The FLQ members accused of kidnapping Pierre Laporte and were then arrested just outside of Montreal.The Crisis was then over. Effects of the crisis alerted many Canadians to the seriousness of the Quebec independent movement. Most Quebecers did not agree with the use of violence but did want a change with equality with the English -
Bill 22
Birth rates in Quebec had declined following WW2.
Many immigrants came to Quebec and they preferred to learn the English language. This upset the majority of French-Canadians.
The French had to protect their French language and culture. The provincial government led by Henri Bourassa passed new legislation called Bill 22. French was proclaimed as the official language of the public service in Quebec. Immigrant parents’ right to choose the language of instruction for their children was limited -
Bill 101
Bill 101 was more extreme then Bill 22. French was to be used in government, the courts and businesses. This meant that in Quebec businesses could only display signs in French. So French became the official language of the workplace. This caused Englsih speaking Quebecker outrage. Many companies more their head offices over to Toronto and Calgary. This law was then changed in 1988 so then English had to be somewhere on the signs.
