Canada | Does Quebec still want independence?
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- čas přidán 16. 06. 2024
- In October 1995, Quebec narrowly voted against independence from Canada. A quarter of a century later, we rarely hear about its quest for secession. So, does Quebec still want independence?
Hello and welcome! My name is James Ker-Lindsay. Here I take an informed look at International Relations with a focus on territorial conflicts, secession, independence movements and new countries. If you like what you see, please do subscribe. If you want more, including exclusive content and benefits, consider becoming a channel member. Many thanks!
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In 1763, the French territory of Quebec was officially ceded to Britain, becoming a part of what would eventually become Canada. In the decades and centuries that followed, it retained its strong French-speaking identity, even as Canada became increasingly Anglophone. But starting in the 1960s, the province began its quest for independence. This led to two referendums, in 1980 and 1995. Although both saw independence defeated, in the second vote independence was defeated by the narrowest of margins. But a quarter of a century later, where do things stand now?
CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction and Titles
0:42 Quebec and the 'Independence Moment'
1:54 Geography and Demographics of Quebec and Canada
3:00 History of Quebec
5:37 The Independence Referendums in 1980 and 1995
8:01 Supreme Court Ruling and there Clarity Act
9:47 Contemporary Attitudes to Quebec's Independence
12:55 The End of Independence Sentiment in Quebec?
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At one point Quebec was considered to be one of the most significant independence movement in the world. And yet we hear little about it today. So, can we still expect to see an independent Quebec?
Yes, might be because the Canadian government is doing well, what push people to call for their statehood mostly rested on bad government.
This is something I have always wondered, thank you for this video!
Yes. I honestly don't know about the viability of Canada over the next century. Widely disparate regions with the bulk of our population living near the American border. Living on the prairies I think I have far more in common with someone in North Dakota or Kansas than I do with someone in Vancouver or Montreal. I'm going to get some hate for this but it's something I think about quite a bit. Quebec is an independent nation already but why leave when you can be over represented in Parliament and get billions in equalization payments. I just don't think this can last.
@@chewyduck1355 yes - and now that the shoe is going to other foot I wonder if a now rich Quebec will give billions to Alberta..
A good article remembering Quebec license plates state the poem "je me souviens" reminding the Quebecois of the French roots (as apart from English rule)
I'm a Quebecers and I've been following you for a couple months now. Love your videos. But when I saw this video in my CZcams suggestions, I told myself "no way he talked about us, this is an opportunity for me to see just how accurate and researched this guy is".
Listen, I'm a super politicized citizen of Québec and buddy, you nailed it. This video is super accurate from start to finish. You used points, arguments and data that are quite niche and that even most Anglo-Canadians aren't familiar with.
You're the real deal. I absolutely trust you now. Not that I didn't, but this video was like a test of your quality to me. You did not disappoint. Bravo
Thank you so much! That’s incredibly kind of you to say. I’ve actually been really surprised and pleased by the reaction to this video. It is such an amazingly interesting subject. It really did shape my interest in International Relations. I was keen to get a sense of how the debate has evolved since the 1990s. But I know how difficult it can be to cover, especially as an Anglophone Brit! I am just glad you felt I did the subject justice. Thank you so much once again.
@@JamesKerLindsay I was actually an elected member of the highest committee of the Parti Québécois (the "Conseil National"), so yeah take it from me, quality work right here. Probably the CZcamsr I trust the most now.
Please continue, cheers mate!
I agree, Yan. His being so fair and accurate about what I do know makes me trust him all the more on topics I don't know.
How does Qiuebec handle immigration? As a tourist, I loved the unique culture in Quebec. An equisite mixture of Americs and Europe.. In Ontario, Toronto I wasnt sute if I was not in the USA.
@@salzach353thomas8We can't handle it ...le chemin Roxanne est grand ouvert
Most accurate and professional video on Quebec independence that I've seen on english youtube.
Note: While independence is a contentious topic, quite a lot of federalists have no great attachment towards Canada, and will flip sides rather easily. In (I think) 2006, independance polled at 60% following the scandale des commandites, wherein it was revealed that the No camp had made many illegal spendings, and had employed otherwise shady tactics.
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I try to be as balanced as I can, but it is always really great to hear from those close to the situations that I cover. And really interesting point about the federalists.
@@JamesKerLindsay Yes you do good work!
C'est vrai qu'il est bon !
Je suis d’accord. Il est nuancé et assez impartial je trouve. Et je suis moi même indépendantiste.
As a Québécois who voted YES in both referendum, I find your analysis quite accurate and although a bit too brief, it paints a good picture of the actual situation.
good for you, very sad you didn't win.
@@professionalgambling6783 My sentiment exactly
@@geolam58 As a teenager from Ontario, I have never understood why some in Quebec want independence. I get the historical reasons but in modern times I do not understand why.
@@wirepirate343 va essayer de faire ton francophone unilingue en Ontario, deux heures après tu vas très bien comprendre pourquoi les québécois veulent l’indépendance.😘
@@wirepirate343 Quebec has nothing in common with the rest of Canada besides currency and weather.
As a francophone (if thoroughly bilingual) Canadian born and raised in Ontario, having lived in Quebec many years, and as a passionate student of history and especially Canadian history for the entire 50-odd years of my adult life, I can only testify along with many others here that you really, really, did your homework and you have grasped the situation, past and present, as well or better than . . . well, than many of my own compatriots of both languages. This is only the third of your videos I have watched (I'm now catching up on your production) and will be following you closely. Kudos!
I find americans know very little of hteir actual history, and canadians know even less. Maybe it just wasn't violent enough for them I don't know, but REGIONAL history is virtualy never brought up.
Thanks for this historic education. This was educational and thought provoking. Keep up the thorough treatments of sometimes unknown and unpopular subjects (to some).
Thank so much Mark. Really appreciated! I’ll try! :-)
I understand or at least I understood the resentment of Quebecers back in the 70s. I visited Montreal in 1974 and as a French speaker I spoke French wherever I was in Quebec if only out of respect. I was in a large store in downtown Montreal and approached a lady at an in-store information desk and asked in French where I could find the record department. To my amazement and utter shock she replied to me in English only to ask me to wait whilst she found a French speaking person to assist me. For this to happen in the second largest French speaking city after Paris this left me sympathetic to the people of Quebec in their desire for independence from the rest of Canada. My next visit was not until 2017 when I found that things had changed and that people were happier to speak to us in both language. To me in French and to my partner in English.
Coming from South Africa with 11 official languages it is usual for us to switch from one language to another and language choice is the least of our current problems.
France oppresses minority languages., It's hard to be sympathetic when a language I speak. Well a dialect of it anyway is dying. Breton is beautiful may it live on.
@@galinor7 well said.
Wow! Wonderful, concise, detailed, accurate, and informative. Thank you very much and greetings from Algeria!
Thank you very much indeed!
thank you for explaining, a truly very well researched overview!
Wow, I never knew about this interesting story behind Quebec! Thank you so much James for this revelation. You are a good lecturer I must say!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I hope all is well with you.
@@JamesKerLindsay Yes sir, am doing well.
English speaking Canadian CZcamsrs like J.J. McCullough give an impression that they prefer Quebec leaving Canada.
Thanks. Interesting. Yes, this has done parallels with Scotland and the U.K. Many English take the view that if they don’t like it they should leave, and get on with it. It’s sort of positive and negative. Positive that they respect the rights of Scots to go their own way, but negative as it shows that separatist nationalism can often have a deeper effect than people realise. You might get to a situation where you don’t want independence any longer, but in getting to that point they have alienated others in the union. As I said, Quebec offers so many interesting and important insights.
Always 2 sides to a story..i am french canadian...
I have watched pretty much all videos of JJ Mc About Quebec. The guy is probably insane. In some video his comments are accurate. In some others, he trashes and lies throught his teeths. There is a significant amout of english candians that have nothing but despising views of quebec and in hour country, it's remarcably accepted to publicaly insul the french speaking population.
@@MONFLYINGSAUCER as a bilingual Canadian from Ontario, I agree.
He seems to think Canada should not be a bilingual country because having bilingual prime ministers makes people from almost 100% english speaking provinces never get elected.
That is the issue of the western provinces, not the Quebecois!
@@merenranemtyemsaf7874 One concern that he seems to have, and I assume is wide spread in english Canada is that mandatory bilingality for the PM results in an overrepresentation of quebecers as PM. I beleive indeed that this missreprensentation is a problem, only 1/4 PM should come from Quebec, but I have no idea how to adjust this. He seems to not understand that, without this requirement, Québec would have separated. The reason is it would have prevented quebecers such as Trudeau and Chrétien to convinve just enought francophones to vote to stay in Canada.
It's strange to watch this from the perspective of a French Canadian, especially since every time I have heard an English speaker talk about Quebec, I automatically assume they're going to attack us. It's gotten to the point where I'm slowly beginning to take it personally. This may seem a little "overboard," but as a 15-year-old, it started to make me dislike certain people and places in the country. I don't desire it, but the level of verbal abuse we get from those people and places has made me see them as enemies rather than allies. When I first clicked on this video, I was afraid, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I was shocked to see someone truly cover this while remaining neutral. Thank you for making this and not identifying us as racists, even though we are stereotyped as such. I had to add that last part because it makes me feel like absolute garbage when people believe I am racist and a jerk because of where I was born and the language I speak. Once more, thank you.
And, as a side note, I am not attempting to generalize anyone, and I apologize if I upset you. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section; I will read them all. After all, there are two sides to every story, and if this helps me comprehend your viewpoints and feelings, I will gratefully acknowledge it.
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I look at independence movements and so I do naturally have a degree of sympathy for peoples who want to choose their own path. It may not always be the right thing for them, but I do believe that people should have the right to choose. And I find the case of Quebec so very interesting. I remember how big an issue it was at the start of the 1990s, and yet it seems relatively quiet these days, at least as compared to Catalonia and Scotland. I had wanted to take a look at it for ages. I am just glad that you felt that I did the subject justice and tackled it fairly. And you certainly didn't offend me. In fact a number of commentators have raised the same point, which makes me such that there is clearly a way that Anglophones approach the subject.
(Ironically, and as an aside, the week before I did this video, I looked at the Anglophone crisis in Francophone Cameroon. Not really a mirror image, of course, but there was an interesting symmetry.)
Quebec has made some pretty big enemies, especially in the west. The abuse is not warranted, but even as a quebequois I can understand why some western provinces dislike us. Mainly all the money they gave to quebec, quebec's attempt to stop Alberta's economy growth. The fact that Quebec is in terms of election more important than all of the western provinces even tough we are less people in QC we get more elected officials.
"You are racist, because you were born in Quebec"
That sounds quite racist to me 😅
The independance problem has pretty much solved itself . The Federal politicians fall all over themselves to please Quebec every whimper while turning their backs on the morals and integrity of the rest of the county . You can,t blame them for being anti Quebec . Many anglo Quebecers fought and died in wars and settied many parts of Quebec and then were stripped of basic human rights .
@@albertocruz.8034 There even was an university professor spewing that on Twitter.....
In 100 years, French will be forgotten, and Indian will become the second national
And English will become second language in the ROC. Jealous that we kept our identity?
Thank you for this video! Discovered your channel while doing resarches to raise awareness in my class about the Tigray conflict. Your videos helped me a lot and I am really glad I found someone like you who can provide very thin and clear analysis on very interesting topics. I am planning to study Politics next year and your video are my weekly appointment to learn more about international relations! I am a French student, my English might not be very fluent, nevertheless I wanted to share my thoughts with you! Keep up the great job and see you in the next video :)
Thanks so much for the really kind message Emile. I am so glad you like the videos and find them useful. It’s always wonderful to hear and I really appreciate it! And it’s really great to hear that you want to study politics. (And your English is absolutely fantastic.) Do let me know if there are any topics you would like to see me cover. I always like to hear suggestions. And see you in the next video. :-)
This video hurts me in the depths of my soul that I say that a free Quebec is coming to an end I am one of the few people who still thinks that Quebec should be independent and that I am Colombian I really love my province very much and it would be a dream come true reality see my independent province
Un jour ;)
Oh you poor thing🥲🥲 what a misery to be apart of one of the most peaceful countries out there 😔😔😔 i feel for you ❤️😔
@@itgw4658 it's his feeling. I don't think your blatant sarcasm will change his mind.... But perhaps leaving a sarcastic comment gave you personal pleasure.... Wehy not?! It's your right...
Lol perhaps me leaving this comment gave me pleasure too :) lol
Well, I can’t say the young generation will be all about independence, but I have definitely talked about independence with my friends at school and a good amount of persons in my class seemed to be interested in Quebec becoming independent (by the way I am 16)
Just to say that I know a lot of people back in the homeland, especially the young ones like me, that would be eager to see Québec become independent and offer it all the help it needs if it does so. So if what you fear from independence is the financial aspect or being ostracized, don't worry, I think that your cousins back in the motherland would be eager to help you
Avec amour à tous mes frères et sœurs du Québec, depuis la France. Et désolé pour la façon dont notre gouvernement a failli à sa tâche de protéger le Canada et ses citoyens en vous vendant à Albion, possiblement un des passages les plus honteux de notre histoire
As a Québécois, I am surprised at this very good analysis, thanks for making the video!
Thank you very much indeed Julien. It has been going through a bit of a renaissance this week.
A quite interesting and fascinating report - thank you.
I have always been very interested and concerned about Canada and specifically about Quebec, I enjoyed very much the video, thank you.
As a Quebecman, all I can say mister Ker-Lyndsay, is that you are quite accurate. By the way, our former prime minister Jacques Parizeau has also studied at the London School of Economics. Thank you for this report. One of the reasons why the support for independance has dropped is that with massive immigration the federalists parties get more voters, voters that are for Canada first.
Thank you so much. I appreciate the kind comment. And thanks for the extra insight.
uh if you can't figure out why all of Canada needs immigration you obviously are incapable of much fore thought.
@@alpearson9158 reading is not where you shine.
he did not say canada needs no immigration.
More likely you haven't got any good reasons to leave. The best excuse I've ever heard
was you think in Quebec you'd be better off without Canada, but it just goes to show the
lack of a good reason and lack of reasoning most of you cement head separatists have.
More likely crying wolf whenever you want more Federal funding.
@@hugostiglitz2388 We mostly want to protect what we have ( culture, nature, language ) and I dont see it happening if we stay in Canada
As a Canadian I am extremely impressed with this very balanced presentation!
Me too. All support for independence of Quebec.
Free Quebec from Canada's illegal occupation
Great video, that answers questions I’ve had
I’m surprised that the Meech Lake Accord and the Charlottetown Accord were not mentioned. The failure of these two was credited with re-igniting the separatist movement in Quebec. The failure of these two led Lucien Bouchard to quit the federal cabinet and start a federalist Independence Party, the Bloc Québécois.
As a Canadian who lived through the two referenda, I feel that the Meech Lake Accord is an important part of the story.
I would have also mentioned the cause of those failed agreements : the 1982 amendment to the constitution (which was the "change" that PET promised against a "no" vote in 1980l, and the refusal by Québec to sign it (and the fact that to this day Québec hasn't signed the amended constitution of Canada).
However there is an infinite amount of stuff that could be said about this issue. Overall the video is still quite good.
@@audetnicolas still a good video but the re-opening of the constitution for Quebec meant that it had been opened for other groups as well. Elijah Harper stopped Manitoba from ratifying but his issue was First Nations, not Quebec.
@@randalltilander6684 That is technically true about Elijah Harper but at the time including aboriginals wasn't the goal. It was intended to persuade the government of Quebec to symbolically endorse the 1982 constitutional amendments by providing for some decentralization, distinct society, etc. Charlottetown showed that there was no public support for such an arrangement. Quebec's minimum demands go beyond what Canada is wiling to offer. The final result is the same: Québec still hasn't ratified the latest version of the Constitution. It would be disingenuous to pretend that it is because of aboriginal issues.
@@audetnicolas it is not just technically true but practically true as well. While Mulroney and Bourassa may have had it as their goal to get Quebec’s signature on the constitution, they were two of eleven premiers. Beyond the premiers, there were others, like the First Nations, who needed to be onside because they had the power to block ratification. It was a back room deal.
From my part of the country, the problem was the vagueness of the “distinct society clause”. Our leaders refused to define the term. Mulroney told us to trust him but he had all of the trust-worthiness of a used-car salesman. That’s why the other provinces turned against Meech Lake.
@@randalltilander6684 From Quebec, the problem with "distinct society" was also the vagueness.
So in your opinion, the reason explaining the failure to get Québec back in the Constitution is aboriginal issues, not the failure to reach some sort of "overlap" between what Québec wants and what the ROC is willing to agree to. I think that this is nonsense.
Happy you made this video as I've been looking for a more modern discussion about Quebecois independence ever since accidentally biking past the Quebec building in central London. It blew my mind that they had a embassy-like office (so did Northern Cyprus').
Would love to see an explanation of Newfoundland's 1930's financial crisis and temporary return to British rule, though I know you tend to focus more on modern international relations.
Thanks so much Jack. Yes, it’s interesting how regions are increasingly establishing their own representative offices (embassies in waiting) abroad. Flanders also does this.
And it’s funny you should mention Newfoundland. I’ve actually started working on a script for it. (Not sure when I’ll make it though. I try to keep ‘evergreen’ scripts in reserve for when I hit busy work periods.) I’ve long been fascinated in the idea that it could’ve been the fourth independent North American country. I do tend to focus on current situations, but it’s great to throw in historical cases from time-to-time!
Many other provinces have embassy-like offices too such as Alberta
And it makes sense when you think about it. As the population within a representative democracy grows, that democracy becomes less and less representative. More representatives can be elected to make up for the population growth, but there is a limit to how many representatives a political system can have until it becomes too unwieldy. Secession is a way to decentralize the power and bring power back to the people.
Outstanding video! Thanks forvyoyr great objective videos. 👍
Thank you so much! Really appreciated.
Fantastic video, thank you very much
Thank you so much! It is such an interesting subject. As someone fascinated by secession and independence movements, and as a student in the 1990s, it is so interesting to see how the independence movement in Quebec has evolved over the past 25 years.
Amazing and informative video as always. Thank you so much James.
Thank you Michael. I really appreciate it.
A very clear and concise analysis. Good work!
That was a well informed video. As a Canadian I have to agree with pretty much everything you have said. You covered many of the aspects of the issue.
Thank you very interesting video! I'm now interested to have a similar analysis for Catalonia with Spain.
Quebecer here,
Really amazing video James. Well thought-out and it explained really well the political history of Quebec.
I would like to add some interesting points about the current situation in Quebec, as I currently live here and understands the current sentiment of the population.
- The Clarity act of 1998 has probably changed the way for political parties in Quebec to gain more autonomy. The CAQ leader, François Legault, has said that he was tired of the independence movement for every election, while still wanting the province to gain more autonomy from the federal governement bit by bit, which is what is happening right now. I think that probably a lot of quebecers now see the referendum has an impossible attempt, but nevertheless, the idea of a more autonomous Quebec has never faded and is still really strong.
- When PM Stephen Harper declared that "Quebec is a nation", it was kind of a hollow gift given to Quebec during elections as a PR stunt because it didn't changed anything legally. But now, Quebec government has decided to take this "nation" identity really seriously and has decided to declare to Ottawa that it can change its constitution on its own without federal intervention, which is a pretty big thing happening right now. It was also approved unanimously in Quebec parliament.
- While Quebec's core demographics will change over years with immigration, I don't think its cultural identity and political desire for autonomy will be discouraged by newcomers. The main reason is this : Quebec's approach to immigration is interculturalism while the rest of Canada (ROC) is multiculturalism. This is extremely important to understand how Quebec still feels apart from the rest because it is welcoming for anyone who wants to live in the province, as long as they learn and live within the "Culture Québécoise". The multiculturalism of the ROC doesn't explicitely wants people to integrate the culture of Canada and they can live within their own cultural and religious group, as long as they abide to the law. Quebec is way more upfront in wanting foreigners to integrate within the already existing québécois culture simply because we think our situation as a fragile one in America. In Quebec we talk a lot about being "A french sea surrounded by an english ocean" because of Canada and USA and so this intercultural system has been put in place for decades now. These Inter/Multi immigration policies is also again separating Quebec's and Canada's core values and over the years, it could well again be challenged by Ottawa and Quebec could still be really angry if they try to intervene.
Thank you so much Alexandre! That is incredibly interesting and helpful. It is always brilliant to get views from on the ground. I really appreciate the insights, as I’m sure others reading through the comments on this video will. (This is one of the things I really love about doing the channel. I get these wonderful contributions that really help to clarify things.) The thoughts on immigration were really fascinating. It will be so interesting to see how this all plays out. Will the Quebecois model of interculturalism really be able to add an alternative identity layer on new arrivals that maintains a sense of separateness within Canada or even keeps the possibility of independence in play.
Hi Paradis, I am a Couture descendant from the founders of Quebec. My line ended up in Alberta (the east populated the west) and I ended up moving to Quebec City not that long ago. I have a unique perspective as a French-Canadian descendant from the west. I was never for separation because I viewed it as Canada's origin. I guess its more of an identity crisis I am experiencing. I love Quebec because it's our heritage and origin. From Normandy to Canada, New France. We spoke French in Alberta with Quebec accents. I have a small accent I'm told from Quebecers. I agree with your comment.
Accurate....well when it comes to comparing areas of countries Mr Lindsay is NOT accurate AT ALL. Check what I had to write to Mr. Lindsay. Mr. Lindsay listen to yourself in minute 2:30. You say that Quebec is roughly the same size as Ukraine. WRONG. You confuse the meter ( International System) and the imperial English system of measurements (mile in this case). The area of Quebec is 1,542,056 km2 OR (595,391 sq mi). The area of Ukraine is 603,628 km2 OR (233,062 sq mi). For your information a mile is NOT a kilometer. You got confused 😕. Quebec is 2.5 ( two and a half) the size of Ukraine. Your statement is WRONG. If you do not believe me I suggest that you check Wikipedia yourself.
@@josevilas4927 and how many times have you copy pasted this comment now?
So I guess the ultimate long term goal is essentially a kind of non sovereign country (I believe is the term) such as Wales which falls under the umbrella of a sovereign country. I wonder if Wales would ever try for their own national sports teams as well...
Freedom is a fundamental rights of people (independence)
the 2023 polls for Québec independence are at 38% an increase of 6% and it continues to rise
We indians support you
So brilliant, thank you !
Thank you very much!
1837-1838 Rebellion was not about French against English, it's a common mistake to think so. It was about having a real democracy, and the chief and chosen president of the Lower Canada republic was Robert Nelson, an english speaker of Quebec!
In fact, a minor rebellion happened in Upper Canada (Ontario) too, where there was a big majority of english speakers.
Those events were used as a very good excuse to try to assimilate all the french people of Canada in 1840. French canadian were called an "inferior race" in official government report and was said to have no culture, so we should disapear by assimilation.
In many ways, the domination of the British rules over the citizen of Quebec created the independance movement and still explains it's existence today since this domination is not over (destruction of Quebec's law by the Canadian constitution not signed by Quebec, no control on immigration, big lack of french education funding all over Canada, and the list is still long).
Bonjour et merci M. Ker-Lindsay. Votre vidéo est le premier de langue anglaise qui ne déforme pas l'histoire. Votre prochain pourrait inclure l'église qui a joué un rôle primordial dans l'histoire. J'ajouterais que les pires ennemies du Québec ont été et sont encore les francophones élus au Québec. Le Parti Libéral du Canada et le Parti Libéral du Québec ont tout fait pour ridiculiser et détruire la fierté du Québec francophone et je pense qu'ils s'y sont parvenus. Quand même, comme vous pouvez le constater, le sujet du Québec soulève encore les passions parmi les deux solitudes sauf, peut-être, chez les jeunes montréalais qui jouent volontiers le rôle de porteur d'eau (waterboy) et courbent l'échine devant les anglophones. Nous récoltons ce que nous avons semé. Encore une fois, toute mes félicitions pour votre vidéo.
Merci beaucoup! J'apprécie vraiment cela. Et merci pour les pensées. Il sera intéressant de voir comment la situation évolue. C'est l'une de ces situations qui pourraient vraiment aller dans deux directions très différentes.
Very good objective video. Bon travail !
Thank you very much!
Great analysis. Bravo.
Thank you very much! One of my older videos. I hope to revisit the topic again at some point.
I want a independent Quebec Nation
I must say it's refreshing to see an objective english review of that subject.
Good summary and assessment. One point: Quebec is 1542000sq km whereas Ukraine is 603000sq km. Quebec isn't approx. the same size as Ukraine; it's almost 2.5 times larger in size and not that much smaller, geographically than all of Europe combined
The autonomist approach of the CAQ actually strenghtened Quebec nationalist expression, with most political parties in Quebec aligned on a variety of issues. That stance challenges Canada on key issues. If Canada would buck on these issues and impose restrictions on Quebec autonomy, no doubt that the discontentement could feed into the independance movement.
absolutely... Legault, in spite of himself (perhaps not?), might be a Trojan horse for independance...
@@francoislatreille6068 never gonna happen, even he wont, he says repeatedly that he wants to prioritize the economy, seperating or even talks of a referendum is economic suicide, quebec has still yet to fully recover from the 1980 referendum.
@@alainouellet7794 t’as du manquer le bout ou Trudeau père fait tout en son pouvoir pour détruire l’économie du Québec, merci à nos fédérastes colonisés de services.😘
Maybe, but Montreal is more English speaking than ever and that has happened literally in the course of two years or so. Now if you go to the Plateau, you hear English 80% of the time, whereas it was a French stronghold only 3 years ago. All "cool" parts of the city like Little Italy are being taken over by recent immigrants from Toronto and Vancouver who fled their provinces in the times of pandemic for the cheaper Montreal where, having more money than the locals, they bought a lot of properties (and rented even more). To their credit, it looks like they're making more effort to use French in shops and cafes than monolingual English Montrealers
Canada just has to wait a little longer and that's it. Netflix, Amazon Prime and CZcams / Tiktok have been Americanizing the youth very fast. If they wait for one more generation, there will be no local sentiment to speak of.
1995 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?”
If the question was not so convoluted it would not have been that close.
No. Everybody knew what it meant. I was in high school and everybody understood what was going on.
I was in high school when Bill 101 was passed, then in CEGEP for the first referendum, and in Ontario in 1995. Intense moments in Canadian history. Je me souviens.
We didn't abandon the idea...we are regrouping ...Je me souviens 1763.
Thanks for yet another enlightening video, James. I noticed the distinction between high level of nationalism and dwindling level of secession appetite. I've been to the state of Québec several times and have noticed the "more French than France" identity... among other things in such details as the red octagonal road signs not saying 'STOP', but 'ARRÊT', and McDonalds having no Quarterpounder, but a 'Quart-de-livre'... 😄
Thanks Dano! Yes, one gets the impression that they are more purist than the French. But it’s fascinating how this may have actually stemmed the tide of independence sentiment.
@@JamesKerLindsay I think people might just want to preserve the status quo. If Quebecois are now attaining more influence within Canada than they had in the past, then a radical movement towards independence could be seen as potentially being disruptive towards the gradual rise in nationalism and autonomy.
Well if you think about French culture and language won't die in France...but we're a population of about 8 million in an ocean of two English giants with a population of more than 300 million so...
@@Justin-df9ev La culture française est déjà en train de se faire remplacer par une culture africaine dans les grandes villes telles que Paris, Marseille et Lyon. En plus, y'a ghettoïsation comme à Montréal et certains quartiers de Québec, c'est vraiment dommage. La langue ne disparaitra pas, mais la culture, je n'en suis pas aussi convaincu...
*WE WILL NEVER SURRENDER. MEABE ITS POSSIBLE TO RETARD THE INEVITABLE. BUT YOU CANT KILL AN IDEA* !
*VIVE LE QUÉBEC FORT ET LIBRE MES FRÈRES ET SOEURS* !
Retourne ds les années 90
@@mat3714 l'Indépendance sera toujours nécessaire tant et aussi longtemps que les Québécois seront une nation distincte du reste du Canada (donc sera toujours d'actualité)
Vive le Québec libre 💙⚜️
@@sludgydude8187 vraiment bien dit ! :P
@@sludgydude8187 👍🏼
@@linefrenette9116 💙
One of the best english youtuber adressing Québec issues!!
One key point: it was revealed that federal funds were used to campaign against independence in 1995. Additionally, citizenship decisions were expedited to entice immigrants to vote against independence. Once these 2 facts were exposed, the former leading to a public inquiry, many people felt that any future attempt would suffer the same fate and thus gave up on ever revisiting the issue.
federal funds are justified seeing as it is a matter of national security
@@jamesfranklin458 If your democratic rights would be violated fraudulently by the government in the name of security, you'd have a different opinion on the matter.
@@jamesfranklin458 you are confusing security with integrity
It was nevertheless illegal.
@@mathieugariepy2948 absolument d'accord
I never heard about this history of Canada and Quebec existed until now, and even I never knew that Quebec want to get independent from Canada, it’s very interesting topic. Thank you 🙏James.
Thanks a lot. It is a really interesting story. At one point. It got a lot of attention. But these days it hardly seems to bed get any international coverage.
@@JamesKerLindsay exactly it’s very interesting story and a lot people don’t even know about it or heard about it and am the one among people who never heard about this part of Canadian story.
@@makeracistsafraidagain7608 i am french canadian...speak a little english...i can try to answer some questions if you want...i live 10 min from Montréal..province of Québec..:)
@@JamesKerLindsay French-Québécois population is in steep decline. From a statistical point of view, Québec's independence has become an impossible goal. That said, the latest Statistics Canada numbers also show a marked decline in Anglo-Saxons population in Canada as a whole. White people are dying & their ideals are dying with them. I can only laugh when I hear an anglo nativist Canadian whine about population replacement and over-immigration. This all sounds like a sweet Karma to me! ;)
Fix? at 4:29 : The reason of these rebellions wasn't really because of the language difference, but it was more a fight between French Canadians and the British people. (It was a fight for culture and power, not just language)
I used to have a coworker who was from Quebec who had narrated me the story and the reasoning why they wanted the independence from rest of Canada. At that time, I did not support him but now I would support any such movement.
As a Québécois, I find that we don't often get a fair treatment from anglo commenters when it comes to explaining these issues. This video is a shining exception. It's a bit brief and it skips over a few interesting points, but the big picture is accurate. I was worried when I saw the title, but what a relief it was to listen to the whole thing,
Are you sure you're a québécois? Ur not speaking French
@@puchokoffie8152 Ben quoi? Tu parles bien anglais même si tu es un bot Russe, non?
@@puchokoffie8152 dude why would we speak in french when we're adressing our comments mainly to english speakers.
@@puchokoffie8152 chill dude wtf
"As a Québécois, I find that we don't often get a fair treatment from anglo commenters when it comes to explaining these issues. "
Maybe if the Quebec government didn't keep passing laws designed to eliminate English from the province the rest of the country wouldn't view Quebec as the spoiled brat of the country.
I lived in Canada 14 years. 10 in Montreal & 4 in Ontario. They are like different countries. Language and culture feel completely different. I think the reason the independent movement died down is because Quebec is satisfied they maintained their francophone identity & culture without independence.
I guess you can say it has been maintained but with Quebec being a part of Canada it's going to be the death of Quebec, it already is.
Quebecois want to protect their identity and culture while the Canadian values are Diversity, inclusivity, and multiculturalism. I think if Quebec doesn't secede it will be the death of Quebec, especially with more and more other cultures moving in
Francophone strategy worked. All they had to do was whine about something or other, and with media support Ottawa coughed, whine again and Ottawa coughed, whine some more and Ottawa coughed. Two failed independence Referendum's and still Ottawa coughed. Today Quebec independence is yesterdays news and of little interest to new generations of educated Quebecers. They have taken over from backwoodsmen from back in days of yore and recognize Canadian citizenship is among the most prized and contains a whole host of goodies. Does it get any better?
Very interesting, I'm a French speaker from Belgium. Leaving into the Flemish part of the country. The will for an independent Flanders is decreasing but on the same time, political parties calling for this are more powerful then ever due to the fact that people choose those parties for several other reasons.
This is a very good video about the issue.
Thank you very much.
Funny it is how this video popped up on my CZcams suggestion page today when I'm having another anniversary since I was granted the Canadian Citizenship.
Do I personally want Quebec's independence? We'll see about that.
Prof. Ker-Lindsay, kudos to you for such an educational video.
I lived in Montreal during the 1980 Referendum. It was really inspiring. One of my separatist friends Michel said, 'Yes, he thought an independent Quebec would suffer economically, but it was so important an issue he was willing to accept this." I wish my fellow Americans (US) were as reasonable about their passions. (Since then I think several paths to economic success have become clear.) And on election day everybody left Vieux Montreal - where I lived and worked - to go home and vote. I've never seen an election in the States where everybody votes.
What happened is the polls were neck and neck with René Levesque's Parti Quebecois doing quite well. Then a week or two before the vote, Premier Pierre Trudeau came to Quebec and started to campaign against sovereignty association. The only thing bigger in Quebec than Trudeau, was maple syrup and Elvis. He seemed irresistible. Also one of the female leaders of the Sovereignty campaign made a wisecrack that any woman who voted against separation was just a little Yvette (some old school submissive wife in kid's books or something.) The backlash was immediate and significant. The anti-separatist women organized the Yvette Movement linking feminism, equality with anti-separatism.
The old/young gap you discuss also makes a lot of sense to me. I knew a lot of French Canadian women and they seemed to almost run everything, they'd run Canada, or the world, if the chance arose. They were almost all fully bilingual. Though it was their grandmothers who were the backbone of the Quiet Revolution, I've never met a population of women who insisted on complete equality in every facet of life and work. The working class men on the other hand, many of them the husbands of these women, often had weak English skills, lower education levels. often seemed frustrated and angry. I didn't see this in the Quebec youth of 1980 - 42 years ago. To me an outsider it often seemed that those French Canadian men were just angry for no reason, then I met a some old, wealthy, English Canadians who were incredibly bigoted. It was like the old racist American South. I can see where anyone being subjected to them would want to be as separated as possible. The younger people? Bilingualism seemed the mark of being urbane, cool, intelligent with lots of opportunities. I just met a Quebecoise in the Pittsburgh airport, we gave her a ride into town. She was there to do post doctorate medical research. Her English skills were good, but she struggled a bit. So clearly she had had an incredible medical or biology education, earned a PhD - almost entirely in French (as would be the case in France), and was at a level that a major research facility recruited her. That's the Quebec I saw well under way in 1980.
No ones reading any of this.
At the time during the year 1980 many tradesmen were continuing to adjust at work to the change in Canadian business law on April 1, 1975 which required the Metric System to be used always in any engineering firm office or on any construction site. Not all Canadian Francophones were living in Quebec at the time. Like my father here in Alberta. Towns like Beaumont, Alberta and Saint Paul, Alberta had a lot of Francophone Canadians back then and those western towns continue to have a lot of living Francophone Canadians today.
@@randomassname445 J’ai tout lu…
Well most of Quebeck wants have been met. There is now a vibrant and distinct french majority culture in Quebeck and french is everywhere. French language rights are protected and political persecution is mostly a thing of the past with now french being necessary for many federal posts.
The plant on the background need a bigger pot and fresh soil, with less watering. It is really nice specimen from originated the Guatemala's rain forest, and sent the first plant to The British Crown over a century ago ...
Thanks so much! Fortunately, it is still alive. Not terribly easy to manage. And it is very easy to overwater. I really appreciate the tips. :-)
One of my colleagues at work in Toronto, about 30 years ago, turned out to be a francophone from Quebec City, the provincial capital of Quebec. I remember something she said once, to the effect that her perception of the rest of Canada changed completely once she lived outside Quebec and saw how very different ordinary Canadians were from the perceptions Quebeckers got from their government and media. I expect the same would be said by most non-Quebeckers that spent more than a few days in Quebec. It made me think that every Canadian high school student would benefit from spending a year living outside of their home province in some kind of exchange program.
Canadians definitely need to see more of their country. There are people that basically just know Toronto or Vancouver or wherever. They just know their one area, and know nothing about the rest of the country.
Sorry to burst your bubble, I lived 5 years in Alberta and I often witnessed the discrimination faced by French-speaking communities,,,, And when I returned to Quebec I became a separatist.
Canadian Multiculturalism is just a shitty facade
@@linefrenette9116 Et moi j'ai travaillé deux ans en Alberta et j'ai eu de très belle rencontre. De plus, j'ai des amis anglophones qui viennent ici au Québec et ils se font répondre "ici c'est en français ostie". Par sur que cela soit plus accueillant. Ils doivent surement agir comme vous quand ils rentrent dans leur province et se disent "let them go away" . Malheureusement, la stupidité n'est pas une caractéristique d'un seul peuple mais elle est universelle. On doit juste s'efforcer de ne pas en faire partie.
@@ericcothenet9709 L'expérience peut être différente d'une personne à l'autre et moi aussi j'y ai eue des amis des deux langues qui ont eu de très bonnes expériences au Québec mes amis ne sont pas hautain comme plusieurs le sont.
Peut être que tes amis le sont.
En passant mon beau-père est Britannique et il ne s'est jamais fait dire "ici au Québec ont est français ostie"et pourtant ça fait 49 ans qu'il vit à Québec.
@@linefrenette9116 If Quebec seperates, this would weaken the position of francophones in other provinces
Quebec (1.68 million sq. kms) is more than 2.5 times the size of Ukraine (0.62 million sq. kms) and not at all comparable in size as you mentioned.
But the Ukrainians, have much more heart then we do.
As someone from the younger generation in Quebec, I think that a reason for the decline in wanting independence is that we think we don't have our shit together. I would be on the fence if another referendum came around tomorrow. I would love to see us independent, but we struggle in many aspects. Our hospitals are overcrowded, our infrastructure (for example; roads) is old and dilapidated, etc. I would be a lot more willing to have independence if we were able to get our house in order first.
Thanks, Nicholas. That’s really interesting to hear. I often get the sense that similar sentiments exist in Scotland. Many just feel that it wouldn’t be particularly well run if it became independent.
@@JamesKerLindsay However, what a lot of people fail to notice is that a lot of this "mismanagement" originates with people and parties that are overtly federalist. For instance, the many scandals we had in respect to the construction industry, which largely explain our crumbling infrastructure, were directly caused by our provincial Liberal party (under Premier Jean Charest). Many people feel like this was orchestrated at least in part to make our provincial government (i.e. national government in waiting) seem inept.
@@louisd.8928 Good point but still, too many civil workers over here who don't give a damn. Those civil workers are mainly Québécois. Them and their union demands killed us.
@@CdeHavillandMosquito Can you please elaborate further? I'm not entirely certain I understand your point.
Honnêtement en tant qu'immigrant, si l'indépendance passe le Canada va probablement se démembrer et intégrer les US. Si cela arrive, je rentrerai dans mon pays, car crise économique, financière, fiscale, infrastructurelle, garantie. J'ai choisi de rejoindre le Québec ET le Canada, en bon français ce serait un "dealbreaker". Mais vous inquiétez pas, si un autre référendum arrive, je voterai pas même si j'en aurais l'opportunité, c'est à vous vrais québécois et canadiens de choisir.
Very interesting information from a foreign (unbiased?) source. Thanks.
Thanks. I can confirm that I have no dog in this fight.
As a Quebecer, I feel way more Canadian than Quebecer. Yes french is my first language, but its also an official Canadian language. I am bilangual, but i never and will never lose my french or stop speaking it because I consume nore english. I would vote no everyday of the week, it makes no sense economicaly and socialy. Other Canadian love us now and we love them also. We are way stronger and better off economicaly as a province and we can still keep our Quebecer nationality and culture that is indeed, different from the rest of canada, even tho personally I really dont vibe with our culture lol.
Glad to know that there are Quebecer's that feel that way.
Tout ce que tu dit n’es que de l’endoctrinement fédéraliste. Non, la culture Québécoise, le français, la protection et nos institutions et de nos décisions n’ont aucune avenir dans le Canada. Les belles pensés que tu dit comme quoi les canadiens nous aiment et que nous les aimions en retour est (en plus d’être peu pertinent) un mensonge. Il suffit de regarder les nouvelles politiques quotidiennes pour y voir le Canada systématiquement se foutre du Québec. Le Canada ne respecte pas les décisions du Québec et se permet de faire du Québec bashing vu comment le Québec est de moins en moins important d’un point de vue nombres de siège à l’assemblée fédérale. Deuxième point, tu dit que les finances d’un Québec souverain serait absurde. Je suis d’accord avec toi que si nous voulons le Québec étant membre dans un État le plus puissant possible et bien restons dans le Canada. Puis formons un seul pays avec les États-Unis. Puis un autre énorme pays avec la Chine, l’Allemagne puis aussi la Russie…À ce moment nous serons dans la plus grande puissance économique. Cependant est-ce que nos volontés seront bien respectées. Là est tout le problème. Un Québec souverain pourra garder les 60 quelques milliards de dollars qu’il envoie à Ottawa puis les investir dans nos projets, nos problèmes et nos réalités qui sont biens différentes de ceux du reste du Canada. Dire que le Québec dans le Canada est plus prospère est un calcule non fondé qui relève de l’endoctrinement politique. Plusieurs étude prouve qu’un Québec souverain aurait largement les moyens d’être un pays et en plus prospère. Le jour 1 où nous serons indépendant, le Québec sera 21e selon le PIB par habitant nous hissant devant des pays que nul remettrais la légitimité de leur indépendance tel que l’Italie, le Japon, l’Espagne, le Portugal et bien d’autre.
Je finirai ce message en citant Pierre Falardeau: «Moi je n’abandonnerai jamais. [...] Si on choisit collectivement d’abandonner, y’a un prix à payer pour ça. Si on choisit de s’écraser, si on choisit de s’allonger, le monde y vont s’essuyer les pieds sur nous autres. Pis les peuples qui meurent, ça meurt longtemps. Pis c’est douloureux, pis ça fait mal. Faque, si vous décidez d’abandonner ça va être bin long, pis ça va être tough. Vous avez besoin d’être tough.»
De ce constat une seule décision nous reste, s’affranchir de tous nos pouvoirs en se battant pour l’indépendance du Québec.
Quebecer? You mean Québécois?
Bilingualism leads to anglicization. Quebec-bashing in the ROC is considered acceptable. You have the right to you opinion, but it is, ultimately, wrong.
They love you less than you think.
Take away the language laws and French would become a minority language in less than 100 years. Probably less than 50.
on the topic of canada, i've seen posts on the internet about a potential alberta/western canada independence movement, which claims that the ontario-based government are now paying too much attention to quebec and subsequently less to the western parts of canada. what do you guys think of this?
It's more centered around Alberta the anywhere else in Western Canada. There is a possibility of the Alberta independence movement growing to match Quebec's, but it'll take a lot more that anything that's happened yet for it to expand much past that particular province.
Thanks a lot. Interesting.
Thanks for the great suggestion. I do want to look into this. A few people have raised it as a topic.
@@Mangocharlie Nope, Saskatchewan is even more conservative. Libtards dominate Ontario and Eastern Canada but are marginal in BC and Manitoba too. It's a matter of time before Western Canada cannot take Trudeau-style idiocy any more. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Canadian_federal_election#/media/File:Canada_2019_Federal_Election.svg
@@duerandaggi Cats are fun.
No matter what it takes, French must be given a place of priority in Quebec. Every newcomer, and that includes the full gang at Ubisoft, must learn and use this language. If you want to see what will happen if French is not protected, book a trip to New Orleans, where this once majority language has been reduced to little more than folklore.
One should always learn the language of were he wants to live. I believe it respectful. If immigrants wants to only speak English, I understand. But just for convenience alone, there's many more provinces to chose from.
So the rest of Canada shouldn’t have to learn French, their language is English.
one thing that i've noticed while living in montreal is that people are really self conscious about their english proficiency and want to practice their english with me... but i want to practice my french with you! it's getting to the point where my french is very rusty. i honestly never would have thought i would have _lost_ french proficiency living in quebec
Essaye de sortir de ton quartier.😉
Surprinsingly he chose not to talk about the October crisis : rare moment in North America where Martial Law was implemented
Hello, someone from Ontario here. I really do t want to see Quebec independence as it would split our country in 2. I know we both English and French can work this out.
True British empire moment
Could you do a video about Singapore's independence and separation from Malaysia ? The event was unique because Singapore didn't want independence and was forced out from the Federation of Malaysia.
Thank so much. Great suggestion. In fact, I have a script for Singapore all ready. (I keep a few historical ones in reserve just in case I have a particularly busy week.) As you rightly point out, it is a fascinating case. The only example of a state that essentially came into existence by being expelled from another one. Most states do anything to hold on to their territory! Unfortunately, I’m not sure when I will make it. But I promise it is a topic I’m keen to cover!
@@JamesKerLindsay I will love to watch and learn the Singaporean way out. Please Sir, sacrifice for us! Bring it on. The world will love to know, especially since Singapore got very robust economy than Malaysia in terms!s of global GDP, if am correct! People will love to know how it all happened!
@@peacefulworld1717 actually Malaysia has a robust economy as well. Easily a top three economy in south east asia.
@@VanaeCavae Yes of course but am comparing the two based on past history.
In May of 2022, a study spanning Québec evaluates support for Sovereignty-Association to roughly 53% and outright independence to 40.5%. Both questions were asked respectively, so this does not equate to 93.5% of the population.
As a Canadian from Ontario I love the fact that we have a French speaking part.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the U.S. negotiations/withdrawal in Afghanistan. I feel like a Colombia-FARC style peace deal would be the best long term term scenario for Afghanistan, but I'm not an expert. I just hope the country doesn't fall into anarchy.
Thanks Michael. Great suggestion! Someone else raised this and I was also thinking about it a few days ago. I will see what I can do.
The US military presence in Afghanistan is the single largest obstacle to peace in the country. Their withdrawal is more or less the only prerequisite for any potential peace agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban, and the Biden administration’s decision to go back on agreements made under Trump and extend the withdrawal date only delays this. Any further death and destruction in the country past the original agreed upon withdrawal date of May 1st is the fault of the US.
The peculiar thing about independence votes is that the stakes are so asymmetrical. A separatist need only win once, whereas someone in favor of union needs to win every single time. Once separated voluntarily (rather than by force in Germany's case), re-unification is extraordinarily rare, even if as in the case of Quebec sentiments shift away from independence later. That would seem to indicate that, if we acknowledge a right to secede by democratic vote, then over a long enough timeline all democratic nations are destined to split apart. A separatist just has to pick that one perfect moment when a Yes vote will win the day, and then what people thought the day before or will think the day afterward won't matter.
You're forgetting that normally there's almost always a low-key cultural and linguistic genocide taking place that converts minorities into the majority over time and, therefore, the right moment to call a vote may become less and less of a reality as the time goes by. Majority nations impart a massive, disproportionate economic and cultural pressure on minorities, which is very hard to withstand. Look at Tibetans who are rapidly turning into Chinese after the Chinese semi-forcefully resettled there a few million Han Chinese, which turned the local economy, culture and traditions upside down so much so that the youth wear regular clothes and speak Chinese fluently now and there are many Chinese "lamas". Now, they plan on doing the same with Uyghurs (and are very open about doing it with the explicit purpose of forcefully assimilating them). Heck, even in Russia, young Chechens, whose fathers fought two bloody wars for independence very recently by historical standards no longer know some basic words in Chechen (like "squirrel", for example) and replace them with the Russian vocabulary (oh, and I learned this from CZcams street quiz videos based in Chechnya that Chechens also shoot in Russian, not in Chechen).
@@Limemill well said, I would go further and say that there is a cultural and racial passive genocide happening right now in the west, and immigration is the weapon of choice.
@@jasonhull1342 My comment was more of a statement of fact: each true minority nation in a multiethnic country is subject to powerful assimilation forces that make the prospect of independence less and less probable as the time goes by as the majority, explicitly or implicitly (usually in the West, explicitly in the past, implicitly now), is carrying out a cultural genocide by means of an economic and cultural colonialism. False minorities like speakers of English in Quebec or speakers of Russian in Ukraine, though, serve as a doorway for the cultural and economic imperialism of powerful neighbouring nations (the US + English Canada and Russia, respectively). They help in forcefully assimilating the local majorities without assimilating themselves. As for your observation, each immigration policy should be studied separately. I don't think many countries are willingly letting in more people than they can integrate. English Canada and particularly Ontario is a notable exception, though, because of its policy of multiculturalism. Unlike the US, they don't seek to integrate newcomers and, in fact, encourage the opposite, which results in a plethora of monoethnic communities that often don't consider themselves Canadians and reduce interactions with other communities to the bare minimum (matters of finance and economy). This brings about obvious problems and, in my view, is just a bad idea that destroys the social fabric (although I get it that English Canada has tried to mimic the trade republics of the past, some of which were a bit like that)
the Canadian supreme court actually rules that a province needed more than one referendum to get independence. exactly for this reason
Actually, this question came up in the time of Trudeau and Lévesque and Lévesque said Trudeau could have an annexationist party in the event of an independent Québec. In fact, Québec has had political parties promoting annexation to the US as a 51st State
Good video. The parti quebecois is now at the #1 spot in quebec polls. We are now talking about independence everyday in the media for the past 2 weeks.
Thanks so much. That’s really interesting. I had in fact seen a spike in views on this video recently and wondered what was behind it. I should perhaps take another look at the issue.
All Bharatiye support Quebec freedom
Quebec, please never leave! We don't want a Quebec shaped hole in our heart! We love you!
- Some guy from Manitoba
Love alone wont do it, after over 160 years of trying to have Quebec recognized as a nation within Canada in the core of the constitution, independence remains our only way to continue being Québécois.
Most don't want to leave it's just the old generation
@@GeenSamaje peux te confirmer que la new gen est majoritairement indépendantiste
Full support from India 🎉❤
India is your home.
The second step of the act is the equivalent of saying : “say yes to everything each and everyone of us ask or you can’t leave”
i voted YES in 1995 and i would still vote yes in hundred years, one of the many reasons is that even in my province, in some places, I have difficulty being served in my language, if I learned English, they can learn French,
I m from Quebec and I m proud to be both Quebecois and Canadian ! Great historical documentary
Bonjour from the United States! I’m watching this because I like your country and I’m also interested in politics, not just in my country, but also in others 🇺🇸🇨🇦❤️
@@MustacheCashStash125 rare from an American, but certainly welcome
Free Quebec from Tudeau's occupation forces.
Kashmirs and modis?’
Great video aside from the brief part on QC provincial language policy (which is far too important to leave so brief).
Could consider doing a follow up video given a lot of the new data that has come out and the new bills that have passed such as 96 & C-13.
Thanks so much. Great suggestion! Let me look into it.
@@JamesKerLindsay
You should make a video about all the law tge reste of Canada did to assimilate the French Canadians and the link with the Durham report
The Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837-38 wasn't entirely, or I believe even mostly, about tensions between the English and French speaking communities. Rather, it was about the lack of representative government in Lower Canada. Many of the patriotes were English-speaking, such as the Nelson brothers. It was mirrored by a rebellion in Upper Canada.
Yes....I noticed that historical inaccuracy as well.
Yeah just look at the flag , Red white and green,which I think is for english,french and irish, could be wrong tho.
One of best videos on Quebec I've seen. As a Quebec anglophone from a bilingual family (Fra/Eng)- I love my home and its history, but I find it exhausting seeing videos from some Anglo-Canadian CZcamsrs bashing Quebec and some Quebecois "Pure-laine" CZcamsrs carrying the "Argent et les votes ethinques" nationalism mantra. It's refreshing to see an informed view that gets the nuances and balances of Quebec history and culture. Well done!
The English countries aren’t trustworthy, US, UK, AUS, even Canada.
Devient indépendant, force aux Franks.
Une nouvelle guerre bouillit.
Pretty good summary
4:24 : these rebellions weren’t led by tensions between communities, but by the desire to obtain a real democracy, more specifically, to obtain an accountable government
L'identité sans la reconnaissance d'égalité avec les autres identités génère un sentiment d'infériorité : c'est la raison pour laquelle nous avons besoin de l'indépendance nationale : pour être considérés comme des égaux par les anglophones et le reste du monde. C'est un principe universel.
As a young anglophone pro-independance Quebecer, I applaud the accuracy of this video
Would an independent Quebec be bilingual, monolingual, not have an official language, or something else?
@@jayrogers8255 it would be francophone 100%, in high school, most history teachers are separatists and they present the english language and the English people has the devil lol.
@@jayrogers8255 official language would be French
They would ban you from speaking English, Quebecors are the most anglophobic people on the planet
That's a good subject!!! Why are you independentist?
If I recall from the 1995 discussions about independence some of the indigenous groups in the province were ready to declare independence from an independent Quebec. Was this true?
As a fence-sitting but independence-leaning Québécois, I feel it should be my generation's turn to have a say via referendum. This shouldn't be just when tensions flare up between the federal and provincial governements.
Proud Québécois independantist here. 'Till the day I die.
Thanks. How do you see the situation today? What should the independence movement be focusing on now?
@@JamesKerLindsay Great video! I'll do my best to give you an intelligent response. As of 2021, the independence movement has roughly 30% support in the population. It's a fact that the two referendum defeats in 15 years have chilled our ardor. I don't mean to give an history class in this comment. It would be too long and the subject is easily accessable for anyone who cares to read it. I'll just say that the history of francos and anglos has been marked by tremendous cooperation, making Canada one of the wealthiest and enjoyable place to live on this planet. It has also been marked by a lot of political, economical, religous, cultural and race conflicts. Whenever those conflicts arise, the anglos use the judiciary, military and police powers to exert domination and assimilation on the francos. This has to stop.
As to what I think the independence movement (and the Québécois people in general) should be focusing on : just keep getting richer and developping the land. As to political action, I like that you pointed out current Prime Minister Francois Legault's strong stance on nationalism through regional autonomy, even though he now says he's not for independence anymore. Legault is perpetuating a trend by the provincial government of Québec to expand it's boundaries and its autonomy. Let's quickly mention Maurice Duplessis in 1954 implementing provincial income taxes. Québec is still today the only province in Canada raising it's own income taxes (raising about 65-70 billion dollars per year while still sending 50 billion dollars per year to the federal government. Also a mention for René Lévesque and the much talked-about language laws in 1977.
Legault is pushing that trend these days with his very much hated (in multicultural elite circles) Law 21. It has now reached the supreme court of Canada. The thing is Legault is using the derogatory clause for this law. This clause was part of of the 1982 constitution, which enables provinces to substract a law to federal courts. If the Supreme Court judges overrule the derogatory clause, there's a very highly chance it will cause massive poltical backlash in Québec, probably leading to the resurgence of the independence movement. Either that or the judges approve Law 21, therefore giving defacto more autonomy to the government of Québec. This Suprement Court ruling will probably have lasting consequences in canadian politics for years to come.
Final words, let us stay strong and keep getting richer. Let us work towards expanding our political influence and power. The rest will come in due time.
Thank you so much. I really appreciate the incredibly helpful and detailed reply. That is really interesting to hear. I have found it such an interesting case. I well remember the 1995 referendum. I was at university at the time and it really was the main independence movement of the day. I just find it fascinating that it isn’t discussed in the way that it once was. Although clearly there is still a sizeable independence movement. It will be really interesting to see how it evolves. In the meantime, thanks so much once again for the really helpful insights!
@@JamesKerLindsay Politics, like war and sports, are often about momentum! I will also add on a personal note that I felt enthused when the Scottish referendum happened. Even though they lost by a small margin like Québec did, it showed me that countries can die and be reborn again. National pride doesn't die suddenly. The Scots have been invaded and subject to english domination way before the french canadians ever did. That referendum taught me that the Scots, despite only 10% of the population speaking gaelic, still feel different than England, even though they speak the same language! I'm optimistic for the future.
@@oursenplus1 im from wallonie and i want to reunite with france, im fed up with the dutch people.
as an anglophone former Canadian I have always had admiration for the tenacity of Quebec's francophones in preserving their language and culture. While I feel both peoples would be better served remaining in a federation together, Quebecers must ultimately decide for themselves their future. One point of pride regarding Canada, after 2017 disgraceful events in Catalonia where Spanish police beat with sticks elderly voters at the polling stations, thankfully Canada does not have that stench of authoritarianism to bear.
No, but the RCMP did infiltrate the separatist movement to gain information and to destabilize it from within.
Check FLQ and GRC affiliation….machiavélisme.😉
As a Welsh speaker, I have always admired the tenacity and effort of Catalan, Breton, and Basque speakers despite oppression and discrimination from the Francophile French government.
1995 and 1996 was a grim period for anglophones in quebec. Many of us faced a lot of prejudice until the great ice storm hit montreal and environs. The cold and ice brought us back together. Legault is breaking the peace. Lifelong montrealer anglophone.
There is also a consitently growing indipendence movement in the prarie provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Except that is not a real independence movement. It's just blackmail because they think taxes are too high. It's not like they're doing this out of a visceral desire to preserve their culture, language, or more generally, their existence as a people.
Unlike Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan are Geographically "Landlocked".
L'attitude hostile et méprisante du Canada anglais et d'Ottawa envers le Québec ces temps-ci, communément désignée comme du ''Québec bashing'', concernant la législation récente sur le français (Loi 96) et la laïcité de l'État (Loi 21), révèle aux Québécois qu'ils n'ont plus leur place dans ce pays majoritairement anglophone. La solution pour le Québec de mettre fin à cet état de faits est de devenir souverain, de mener sa propre destinée.
Le Parti Québécois - le PQ, communément désigné - n'est peut-être plus le porte-étendard de la souveraineté du Québec, vue la situation moribonde dans laquelle il se trouve face à la popularité de la Coalition Avenir Québec, la CAQ, qui remportera sans doute un deuxième mandat fort aux élections du 3 octobre 2022, sous la gouverne de François Legault. Reconnaissons que dans le cœur de bon nombre de Québécois francophones, la flamme souverainiste brûle toujours, malgré les obstacles à sa réalisation, je désigne les anglos et allophones québécois. Vive le Québec libre !
Le rouleau compresseur anglo-saxon habituel. Les anglais ont une expression que j'ai adoptée face à leur arrogance: I give as good as I get. Sans vouloir mettre de l'huile sur le feu, vous avez, vous Québécois le support moral d'une française.
@@francinesicard464 Merci, nous avons bien besoin de support moral extérieur, étant donné la difficulté de vivre en français dans cette mer anglophone qu'est l'Amérique du Nord. Le gouvernement de Justin Trudeau, par l'entremise de l'immigration de masse qu'il favorise pour la constitution de son Canada post-national et multiculturel vise ni plus ni moins à anéantir la nation québécoise francophone, en refusant au Québec le contrôle de son immigration.
OK for a complicated question, but I was surprised that you not nention de Gaulle's (in!)famous visit in July 1967, when he called for e free Quebec.
Thank William. There were a few of issues that I had wanted to include in the script but then took out. That was one of them. The FLQ and the October 1970 crisis was another major issue. The problem I discovered when making videos - especially short ones like this - is that the narrative has to flow. What is the story I want to tell? This one was really focused on current attitudes, rather than trying to a tell a definitive history of Quebec nationalism. This means trying to cover the information in a way that allows viewers to understand the background to the issue, but doesn’t get too overwhelmed with details that confuse things or take it off on a tangent, even briefly. We both know de Gaulle’s comments were significant, but I made the point that nationalism was growing. Introducing France into the equation would open up more issues than it would close. That can really interrupt the story. It’s a really interesting element of making videos. It’s very like writing, but even more so. We both know how much material gets left out of book manuscripts as well. Often great stuff that just didn’t quite seem to fit the flow. So, I do ask viewers to consider things in the round, rather than focus on specific issues. Did I get the broad point across that pro-independence sentiment was once a major issue, but has now has declined for various reasons? Yes, I think I did.
The irony in this is that, after DeGaulle's comparison to Quebec's occupation to that of France's occupation in WWII, Person (The prime minister at the time) declared that Quebecers are free. Three years later, canadian tanks rolled in montreal and hundreds of people innocent people got jailed. My grand father always brings up this story where he was almost arrested himself. But then again, Canada is not like Russia or Takistan haha... Also, plans to invade the province where made in case of a victory to the 1980 referendum... Democracy...
@@MONFLYINGSAUCER You tell the hard truth, not the politically correct Anglo-Saxon Foreign Office- massaged story. Bravo.
I am a Québécoise too, and I was 5 years old at the time. My dad was very passionately in the “No” camp. I studied in political science, and I remember very well being annoyed for a very long time by both federalist and sovereignist political parties… like if independence was the single issue that was most discussed. For older people who lived through 2 referenda, it was still an issue (and politicians are always old people). It left a big red scar (anger, fear, resentment) in our politics and sense of hope for the future. The fear (especially from anglo-Quebecois who have an electoral advantage by being concentrated in an area) helped maintain the “liberal party” of Quebec almost monopolistic position in power by agitating the spectre of referendum every election. They made bad policies that hurt our people.
I’ve always been against secession from Canada (I see all French Canadians as my community, and half my family are Franco-ontarian), but I was disgusted to see it agitated all the time like a strawman by federalist parties. People don’t want another referendum because it was painful, and because there is no support for that at the moment (around 25% only… as you said mostly in people over 55 +). At the same time, Parti Quebecois never got over indépendance and did not really modernize their approach to it. So most people my age only saw the “bad” effect, while at the same time we were concerned by the fight against poverty, climate change, diversity and equality, etc. I was left feeling I had no party representing me, since neither of those party prioritized those issues. The politics is bitter, since anytime we want to protect French language is “racism” or want to have a more secular society (a big value rift with Canadians) we hear about racism too. Now the new party in power is still a Conservative Party, but half nationalist and half conservative. I support the idea behind some policies like secularism, (another over-debated issue here for like 20 years). But I feel the actual party are not the good people to do that, because they mix conservative mindset with secularism and it sucks. They constantly make dumb mistakes like refusing to remove the crucifix from Assemblée nationale and insist on receiving less immigrants. Their not credible secularists, in my opinion. Damn I ’m tired of Quebec politics and it’s old bickering XD
Finally, one thing about the Patriote uprising that we often forget… is that it was not in essence against a English as a language or ethnicity, they were asking for “responsible government” and more autonomy for the colony; they demanded representation. And lots of anglophone participated in the uprising. It was reinterpreted a bit in Quebecois historiography as an Quebecois secession movement, but it was more Canadian at the time and the Patriot cemetery has a lot of English names too
As a indian we support free quebec movement because it's our freedom of expression
it's nice that you admit that labrador was part of the lower canada(quebec) and never of newfoundland.
another example of the "canadian federalism"