Quebec Independence Movement (university, organic, living in)

[Transhumanist]

Most of you have probably heard about Quebec nationalism at some point in your life, even if you aren't Canadian. This is the first thread of a collection of threads I will post at some point in the future regarding separatist movements around the world. So, I have spent quite some time researching the Quebec independence movement, as well as other movements. Canada has had several referendums asking the people if they think Quebec should become independent, and every time the majority of the people have said no. Personally I am against the independence movement, since the facts simply don't support Quebec's movement, and they wouldn't be self-sufficient. I do however recognize that the culture of Quebec is different from that of the rest of Canada.


Arguments for Independence
* In Quebec the official language is French, whereas the rest of Canada speaks English
* The goals and policies of the rest of Canada do not necessarily always align with those of Quebec
* Quebec's French culture is dying and arguably without independence or autonomy, it will eventually become like the rest of Canada
* Many separatists in Quebec feel as though the Canadian government didn't live up to it's promise for a new constitution in 1970
* Some websites recognize Quebec's distinct cultural differences from Canada, such as how Yahoo! has both Canadian and Quebecker Yahoo! Answers websites

Arguments Against Independence
* Quebec already maintains a degree of autonomy as a province of Canada
* The French language is dying out in Quebec and being replaced with English
* The withdrawal of Quebec from Canada could significantly hinder Canada's political, economic, and military strength
* The majority of the population of Quebec don't support independence or autonomy
* Terrorism committed by pro-independence guerrilla factions drives people away from supporting Quebec sovereignty
* If Quebec became independent, it would create a barrier in the middle of Canada, separating Eastern Canada and Western Canada
* It is questionable whether or not Quebec could be economically self-sufficient without the aid of Canada
* Quebec has no pre-existing constitution or framework for government
* Quebec is made up of many different ethnic groups, and an independent French-speaking Quebec could easily abuse minorities
* Historically speaking, the former French government of Quebec often ignored, suppressed, and mistreated the aboriginal population
* Many of the leaders of the separatist movement are discriminatory against the aboriginal population, including the former leader of Quebec, Robert Bourassa
* Many aboriginal tribes in Canada have expressed concerns regarding Quebec sovereignty, and some have even threatened to leave the confederacy
* The ideas on how an independent Quebec should be governed are very different, with many different parties and organizations, each with different ideological idea on what the future of Quebec should be. Many of the groups are far-left communist groups, while others are center-right and far right..


General Information
Proposed State: Quebec
Proposed Capital: Quebec City
Today Part of: Canada (Quebec)
Government: various
Population: 7,970,672 (5.63 /km2 density)
Land: 1,365,128 km2 land + 176,928 km2 water
GDP: C$303,747 billion (C$37,278 per capita)
Language: French
Culture: Canadian, French
Religion: Catholic
Denonym: Québécois, Quebecers/Quebeckers

Political Parties
Parti Québécois
Bloc Québécois
Action démocratique du Québec
Québec solidaire
Parti république du Québec (defunct)
Parti républicain du Québec (defunct)
Parti nationaliste du Québec (defunct)
Ralliement national (defunct)
Mouvement Souveraineté-Association (defunct)
Parti indépendantiste (defunct)
Parti indépendantiste of 1985 (defunct)
Parti canadien (defunct)
Parti canadien of 1942 (defunct)

Paramilitary Organizations
Mouvement de libération nationale du Québec
Société des Fils de la Liberté (defunct)
Front de libération du Québec (defunct)
Frères chasseurs (defunct)

Other Organizations
Les Intellectuels pour la souveraineté
Réseau de Résistance du Québécois
Mouvement national des Québécoises et des Québécois
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
Alliance laurentienne (defunct)


Links
Quebec - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Quebec sovereignty movement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
History of the Quebec sovereignty movement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Quebec nationalism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Quebec autonomism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Flag


Coat of Arms


Map

[jambo101]

Your post seems to indicate more than an impartial view on the topic of Quebecs potential separation. Your stats are totally missing any mention of the huge numbers of English people who settled in various parts of Quebec and were a big part of its growth..
As an Anglo Quebecer i could rant on and on but my thoughts are Quebec is a part of Canada and therefore belongs to all Canadians,Those that espouse the separatist viewpoint miss the fact that Quebec isnt theirs to separate with.

[poscstudent]

If Quebec voted to leave I'd be fine with it.

What is this about Quebec having a different culture then the rest of Canada?

As well there's some misinformation in the original post.

[East Coaster]

As an anglophone living outside of Quebec, my feeling is kind of, 'That would suck. I'd hate to see them go. But it's not really any of my business.' I feel like it would be hardest and most upsetting for francophone communities in the rest of Canada, like New Brunswick and northern Ontario. I don't have an ideological problem with separatists and am actually somewhat sympathetic to them. I also agree with a lot of the social policies of the Bloc Quebecois. But it would be a tough go for such a small province/country and probably unrealistic for them to expect a great deal of support from the rest of Canada should they decide to separate.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by poscstudent

As well there's some misinformation in the original post.

This same question is also here:
//www.city-data.com/forum/polit...-movement.html

You may not agree with everything I say but I have attempted to correct some of the misinformation as I see it.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by poscstudent

What is this about Quebec having a different culture then the rest of Canada?

Well... how many Rock et Belles Oreilles sketches can you quote word-for-word?

This is just an example but most people in Alberta know Trailer Park Boys even though they are from Nova Scotia. Most people in my generation in "the rest of Canada" knew Codco, even though they were from Newfoundland.

And yet all I have to do is cross over to Ottawa and Quebec popular culture disappears off the map for all intents and purposes.

So yeah, Quebec tends to have a different culture from the rest of Canada. It's no big deal, really.

[VirtualAmerican]

Originally Posted by Acajack

And yet all I have to do is cross over to Ottawa and Quebec popular culture disappears off the map for all intents and purposes.

You don't even have to leave Québec for that. As a Bishop's University grad, I have a bunch of English-speaking Québecer friends in their 20s. In a conversation, I once mentioned the most successful Québécois TV sitcom ever aired in the province (La Petite Vie - 1993-1998 IIRC) to two of them and they had never even heard of its existence. We're talking about a Jewish, English-speaking family from Ville Mont-Royal here (of which the members are somewhat bilingual). I was flabbergasted. It's as if many English speakers who live in Québec don't even live in the same world as their fellow French-speaking Québecers do.

Oh, and as a native French-speaking Québecer, Trailer Park Boys wasn't something I'd ever heard of until one of the actors visited us at Bishop's in 2009 and was introduced to us in one of my acting classes. All the ROC students were super excited and I was like, "who the heck is this guy anyway?"

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by VirtualAmerican

You don't even have to leave Québec for that. As a Bishop's University grad, I have a bunch of English-speaking Québecer friends in their 20s. In a conversation, I once mentioned the most successful Québécois TV sitcom ever aired in the province (La Petite Vie - 1993-1998 IIRC) to two of them and they had never even heard of its existence. We're talking about a Jewish, English-speaking family from Ville Mont-Royal here (of which the members are somewhat bilingual). I was flabbergasted. It's as if many English speakers who live in Québec don't even live in the same world as their fellow French-speaking Québecers do.

Oh, and as a native French-speaking Québecer, Trailer Park Boys wasn't something I'd ever heard of until one of the actors visited us at Bishop's in 2009 and was introduced to us in one of my acting classes. All the ROC students were super excited and I was like, "who the heck is this guy anyway?"

Of course, there are micro-realities out there as well. Caraquet, New Brunswick is not representative of "the rest of Canada" and Hampstead on the island of Montreal is not really representative of Quebec in general.

[hobbesdj]

Before living in Quebec I was in the mindset of "why do they want independence they have a decent deal" but after living there, I'm all for independence, much for the cultural reasons cited above. Besides, it's only "Canada" because the British conquered it....is that not the reason it is one country/federal government? Rather than forcing government policies and compromises (like bilingualism) that are neither popular in Québec nor the ROC to create a "nation" of Canada, why not just let the Québecois have their independent country? English Canada and Québec alike would be much more efficient and all the bureaucratic language nonsense could be resolved.

The nation of Québec is already in existence in reality, but not on paper. The bilingual nation of Canada does not exist in reality, but it does on paper and in theory. It is as if the Canadian government has been trying to create a "nation" from the remnants of the British North American Empire.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by hobbesdj

Before living in Quebec I was in the mindset of "why do they want independence they have a decent deal" but after living there, I'm all for independence, much for the cultural reasons cited above. Besides, it's only "Canada" because the British conquered it....is that not the reason it is one country/federal government? Rather than forcing government policies and compromises (like bilingualism) that are neither popular in Québec nor the ROC to create a "nation" of Canada, why not just let the Québecois have their independent country? English Canada and Québec alike would be much more efficient and all the bureaucratic language nonsense could be resolved.

The nation of Québec is already in existence in reality, but not on paper. The bilingual nation of Canada does not exist in reality, but it does on paper and in theory. It is as if the Canadian government has been trying to create a "nation" from the remnants of the British North American Empire.

I agree with much of what you said. My preference for a united Canada is based on the fact that it is an arrangement that works relatively well. The fact that I am very pragmatic and don't see "Canada" as an organic, cast-in-stone, immutable, logical "single nation" in the way that a place like Iceland might be, often puts me at odds with many so-called "proud Canadians" who like to live in those types of illusions.