Current Issues of Quebec Society

Current Issues of Quebec Society

Chapter 7

1980-Present Day

What is the Rule of Law?•Organizing society with a set of laws that regulates the relationship between individuals and the rights and duties of citizens.

Public Sphere•Where information circulates and where questions of the common good are debated.

What is a participatory democracy?

Political Issues for QuebecQuebec’s status in Canada

• The 1980 Referendum– Nationalist movement started in 1960s– Pequistes (Parti Quebecois) ask for the right to

negotiate sovereignty with the Federal government– The Yes camp argued that politically Canada could

not protect Quebec’s interest and that Quebec would maintain economic relations

– The No camp argued that Quebec’s claims for special status could be resolved by modifying the Canadian constitution

– The No won with 59.6% of the vote


• The Patriation of the Constitution 1982– A process to better define provincial powers and Quebec’s

status on Canada– Britain still retained control of the Canadian Constitution

therefore Trudeau started the process of patriating the Constitution but he had to wait for the provinces to negotiate:

• the proposal to patriate the Constitution• The adoption of an amending formula (def)• the addition of a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

– There was disagreement in that Quebec tried to convince the provinces to decentralize powers, which would weaken the federal government. Trudeau wanted a strong federal government.


– Faced with slow progress Trudeau unilaterally(def) patriated the Constitution

– The federal government sided with 9 Anglophone majority provinces and continued to oppose any kind of special status for Quebec

• Quebec deemed it unacceptable that Quebec’s special status went unrecognized in the Constituion and that they had not been granted new powers—Rene Levesque was left out of the final negotiations and did not sign the agreement for the 1982 Canadian Constitution---this is called the Night of the Long Knives.


• The Meech Lake Accord 1987– In 1985 Robert Bourassa and Prime Minister Brian Mulroney re-

opened negotiations to reintegrate Quebec into the Canadian Constitution

• Recognize Quebec as a distinct society

• Give Quebec the right to veto on the constitutional question

• Limit the federal government’s interference in areas of provincial jurisdiction

• Give Quebec the power to appoint judges to the Supreme Court of Canada

• Increase Quebec’s power in immigration affairs

The National Assembly of Quebec and the Parliament of Canada approved the

agreement but the provinces of Manitoba and Newfoundland refused to ratify

the accord. For many Canadians equality and the recognition of special status

for Quebec were incompatible. In an attempt to save the accord Mulroney

appointed Jean Charest, a member of the Conservative Party, to head a

special committee to study a companion resolution and to come up with

recommendations. (See next slide)

Trying to Reach a Compromise: The Parallel AccordIn Spring 1990, with the ratification deadline approaching, the Government of New Brunswick introduced a companion resolution or "parallel accord" in the New Brunswick legislature. Designed to address the concerns of the Accord's opponents, the companion resolution contained several 'add-ons' to the original Meech Lake agreement. Within weeks, the federal government established a House of Commons committee, headed by Quebec Conservative MP Jean Charest (now leader of the Quebec Liberal Party), to study the companion resolution and hold nation-wide hearings on the proposals. In May 1990, the Special Committee to Study the Proposed Companion Resolution to the Meech Lake Accord tabled its final report, endorsing the proposals in the companion resolution and adding several more, including a "Canada Clause" that would include recognition for Canada's Aboriginal Peoples and recognize the multicultural dimension of Canada's heritage, as well as a 'sunset' clause on the unanimity requirement for Senate reform, meaning that the unanimity requirement would expire after a predetermined date. The mechanism of bundling the additions into a separate document allowed government officials to claim the Meech Lake Accord itself had not been amended, even though some of the language in the companion resolution - regarding issues such as Senate reform and the creation of new provinces - clearly contradicted what was written in the Accord.

http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/Proposals/nbcr.html


• The Charlottetown Accord 1992• During a new attempt by Brian Mulroney to integrate Quebec

into the Canadian Constitution the nationalist movement in the province was growing. The Quebec government established the Belanger-Campeau Commission, which stated that Quebec should receive federal constitutional offers or hold another referendum. Robert Bourassa, the Premiere at the time, re-opened negotiations with Mulroney.

– The accord reinstated the offers made in the Meech Lake Accord

– However, Canadians had to approve the deal through a referendum. 54% of Canadians and 56% of Quebecers rejected the new accord.


• Lucien Bouchard– He strenuously objected to the recommendations made by the

commission led by Jean Charest. Therefore, Bouchard left the federal Conservative party and created the Bloc Quebecois. The Bloc’s aims were to defend the rights and needs of Quebecers on the federal level.

– Then, in the 1993 federal election, the Bloc obtained 49.3% of the Québec vote and 54 seats, enough to form the Official Opposition in the House of Commons.


• In the months leading up to the 1995 Quebec referendum on sovereignty, the Bloc Quebecois played a critical role in convincing the Parti Québécois of Jacques Parizeau to specify in the question that a partnership offer would be made to the rest of Canada. Lucien Bouchard was also a key figure in the referendum campaign, which ended with a 49.4% result for the Yes side.

• This split in the vote truly pointed to the divide within Quebec society on the issue of the provinces special status and sense of its own distinctiveness within Canada.

• It is worthwhile to note that citizen participation in the vote rose to 93% which is unprecedented since the rates of voter participation in federal and provincial elections had been on the decline since 1980.

Aboriginal Claims• Since the 1970s Aboriginals had initiated and demanded recognition

of their rights throughout Canada. Based on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which was part of the Canadian constitution, aboriginals ancestral rights were recognized.

• In 1985 the government recognized the existence and rights of 11 Aboriginal nations within Quebec. They negotiated for the following:– the right to autonomy in Quebec– the right to preserve their cultures, languages and traditions – the right to own and administer lands – the right to manage their territory’s fauna resources– the right to participate in the economic development of Quebec– the right to develop as distinct nations, with their own identities

• Since 1985 the creation of band councils have allowed aboriginals to administer and control primary and secondary education, as well as health and social services, community development, public security and economic development.

Aboriginal ClaimsThe Oka Crisis•In 1990 the Oka crisis developed when Aboriginals demonstrated peacefully against the expansion of a golf course that was situated on part on sacred territory they claimed.

•Due to the slowness of the response from the government a group called the Warriors placed a barricade on a road that linked the reserve to the municipality of Oka. Police intervened to dismantle the barricade, negotiations failed, shots were fired, and a Surete du Quebec officer’s life was lost.

•The conflict grew bitter and then the Warriors demanded the right to self-determination. In a show of support the Mohawks of Khanawake blocked the Mercier bridge. The Quebec government at that point refused to negotiate with the Warriors and asked for the intervention of the Canadian army.

Aboriginal Claims

The Oka Crisis• The tense stand-off was eventually ended months later

when the Canadian army dismantled the barricades.• Few concrete resolutions were adopted and relations

between Aboriginal communities and non-Aboriginal communities were less than positive.

• The crisis did mark the beginning of series of political claims for aboriginal communities.

• However, in 1990, the Paix des Braves agreement was signed between the Grand Council of the Crees and the Quebec government, which confirmed the re-establishment of good relations.

Aboriginal Claims

The Paix des Braves (Peace of the Braves)• Signed in 2002 this agreement aimed to facilitate the

establishment of hydro-electric, forestry, and mining development projects in Aboriginal territories.– The government committed 70 million per annum between 2002-

2052 to all Cree communities living in the territory.– In exchange the Cree abandoned their lawsuits they had launched

since the 1975 James Bay Agreement– The Cree also permitted the government to develop the Eastmain-

Rupert hydro-electric project on their land.– This agreement favoured economic development and encouraged

Cree businesses to participate in projects.– The agreement recognized the Cree’s ancestral rights to these

lands.

Aboriginal Claims

The Indian Act of 1876 • The Indian meant that a large number of Aboriginals were still under

the guardianship of the federal government.• In 1996 the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples emphasized

that governments were showing little commitment to granting Aboriginals the powers necessary for self-governement

The creation of Nunavut• Following the Oka crisis many Aboriginal groups took a more

militant position in order to advance their claims. In 1999 the federal government responded and created Nunavut.

• This agreement was the most important ruling on Aboriginal territory since the adoption of the Canadian constitution.

Economic IssuesThe recession and its effect on the job market• The economy, which had been growing since the end of the Second

World War, began to lose steam in the mid- 1970s and with the oil crisis in the early 1980s the economy suffered. Many businesses went bankrupt and the unemployment rate rose from 5.5% in 1973 to 12% in 1983.

• The result was that the primary sector (natural resources) and the secondary sector (the processing of raw materials) were in decline.

• Meanwhile, more and more Quebeckers were working in the tertiary sector (also known as the service sector).

• The economy picked up slightly by the end of the 1980s but many jobs were contract or part-time which caused insecurity in the job market and the economy suffered because people didn’t have purchasing power (money to spend on things).

• Consumer Price Index (CPI)

Economic Issues

Changing the role of the state• Since the Great Depression, government continued to

increase its investment in social programs without considering the cost of borrowing money. With a huge public debt the newly elected 1984 federal government of Brian Mulroney, and the re-elected 1985 provincial government of Robert Bourassa, started programs to reduce government debt by scaling back government control and intervention in certain areas of the economy including social programs. – Both governments implemented budget cuts by freezing public

sector employees salaries, lowered unemployment insurance payments and reduced the number of health sector employees.

Economic IssuesBroadening economic exchanges• The 1990s were characterized by an intensification of globalization.

– The free trade agreement of 1984 was designed to further the economic/commercial relations between Canada and the United States. The US market was huge and therefore the potential for economic growth was present. In fact Canada’s exports to the US accounted for 80% of all exports and 70% of imports were from the United States.

– Opposition to the free trade agreement was based on:• The idea that American products would replace Canadian products, thereby

hurting Canadian producers, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs.• Unions argued that increased competition would entail a decrease in salaries and

would only benefit big business. • In Quebec opposition was over the fact that French labelling of products would not

be a barrier to trade which was interpreted as an attack on Quebec’s historical right to protect and promote French culture and language

• The free trade agreement was signed 1989 after the Mulroney government was re-elected in 1988. the agreement eliminated customs duties between the two countries for a period of ten years.

Economic Issues• NAFTA

– The North American Free Trade Agreement, which was implemented in 1994, eliminated customs duties between the US, Canada, and Mexico.

• The agreement increased trade in the context of globalization

• Many Quebec companies exported their expertise to other countries.

• However, a negative consequence was the export of production facilities where salaries and labour costs were lower. This caused a major decline in the industrial and manufacturing sectors like the textile industry, which had been the base of Quebec’s and Canada’s economy

Social Issues

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms• Established fundamental and equal rights for all citizens

within the constitution– Article 2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

• A) freedom of conscience and religion;• B) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of

the press and other media of communication;• C) freedom of peaceful assembly; and • D) freedom of association

– Article 15. (1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.

Social IssuesThe Language Issue• In 1977 the Levesque government adopted Bill 101 also

known as the Charter of the French language.– The charter was designed to protect the French language and

ensure that immigrants were integrated into the province’s Francophone majority

– Furthermore, the Charter specified that only children whose parents had attended English school in Quebec would be permitted to attend public English schools.

– French was the only language permitted on signs.– Also, business with more than 50 employees or more had to get

francization certificates, which means employees have to be recognized as able to provide services, speak, and write in French.

Social Issues

The Language Issue• However, the French Charter was challenged at the

Supreme Court of Canada, by those, especially the Anglophone minority in Quebec, who felt that their individual rights were being contravened.– In 1988 the Supreme Court ruled in their favour recognizing

enforced unilingual French signs were unconstitutional. – In reaction to this the Bourassa government invoked the

nowithstanding clause and passed Bill 178, which stipulated that exterior signs should be in French but that interior signs could be displayed in both languages.

– This law was replaced in 1993 by Bill 86, which established that French should be predominant on signs.

Social Issues

Notwithstanding Clause

Article 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which authorizes a government not to apply one or some of the articles of the Charter for a period of five years

Social Issues

The Status of Women• Due to feminist demands women rose to occupy managerial

positions and important roles in politics• In addition the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

recognized everyone’s rights to equal pay for equal work. women’s salaries were often lower than men’s.

• In 1996 the Quebec government adopted the Pay Equity Act. The law applied to all businesses and organizations with 10 employees or more– However, in 2003 a woman only made 71% for the same work

as men and 38% of single parent families headed by a woman was below the poverty line.

Social IssuesAid to families• Measures were put into place in the 1990s to help deal with new

reality of blended or single-parent families. – Family patrimony (1989)

• To ensure greater equality between families and more specifically to help under-privileged families

In 1997 Lucien Bouchard announced several measures: – The creation of the Ministere de al Famille et de l’Enfance (1997) (Ministry of Family and

Childhood) which established programs to support families in Quebec– The creation of the parental insurance plan which offered financial support to employees

who wished to take a maternity or paternity leave. It went into effect on January 1, 2006.

– The creation of the Centres de la petite enfance (CPEs—daycare system) which amalgamated daycare centres and home daycares

• The government financed up to 80% and set a price of 5$ per day for daycare fees in order to make daycare accessible to all.

•

Social Issues

Poverty and the recession of the 1980s• Increased the rate of unemployment and more and more people

sought social assistance• Jobs were rare and unstable and salaries did not increase at the

same rate as the cost of living• Globalization caused more damage in certain sectors of Quebec’s

economy than in others (textiles for example) with factory closures.• Though low income households dropped from 15% to 13.2% some

social groups remained vulnerable like single mothers, immigrants, and senior citizens.

• In 2002 the Quebec government adopted the Act to combat poverty and social exclusion

– The goal of this law was to reduce the number of poor people to one of the lowest levels among industrialized countries.

Social Issues

Multiculturalism and the Integration of Immigrants• During the 1990s 355 000 immigrants revitalized the

provinces labour force which compensated for the generally aging population and the low birth rate since the 1970s.

• In 1986 the National Assembly adopted a declaration condemning all forms of racism and racial discrimination due to the difficulties of assimilating different ethnic groups into French Quebec society as a whole.

• In 1990 the Policy Statement on Immigration and Integration presented Quebec society as:

• A society in which French is the common language of public life • A democratic society, where the participation and contribution of

everyone is expected and supported• A pluralist society, open to intercommunity exchange within the

limitations imposed by respect for democratic values

Social IssuesHealth• Since the 1980s the health care system has been in

financial crisis Increased specialization has required expensive up to date

equipment Furthermore, the ageing population has put additional strains. As of 1992 the governments of Quebec have made budget cuts

which means certain services , treatments, and medications are no longer free.

Overcrowding is on the rise as the population ages Some groups were calling for a two-tiered system, a private and

public system, which the government rejects In 2000 a commission of inquiry set up by the government

encouraged more innovation and entrepreneurship in the health sector so that partnerships between private, public and third sector institutions would be created.

The government also called for a collective insurance to pay for the expansion of health services for the ageing population.

Social Issues

Educational Reform • Since the 1990s the government has made a sustained effort

to prevent school dropouts and in 1995 established the Estates General on Education, a vast public consultation to define and understand the needs of the education for years to come. The government adopted a plan of action to:• Offer educational services starting in early childhood• Facilitate access to education• Build a support program in Montreal schools to fights poverty• Give more independence to educational establishments• Revise educational programs to emphasize basic subjects

such as French, Mathematics and History

Social Issues

Language of Instruction and Secularization• The adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights and

Freedoms in 1982 led Quebec to modify its admissions criteria for its public school system.– Until then only children whose parents had attended English

elementary school in Quebec could send their kids to English public schools.

– The Supreme Court also ruled that those who had attended an English language school elsewhere in Canada could also be admitted to an English language school in Quebec

– Non-denominational (or language based school boards instead of religiously based school boards) were created in 2000 with Bill 118.

– See also: Sikh, Kirpan

Note: Please read the relevant section in the textbook on Environmental Issues. Good luck on the exam.

Documents

Current Issues of Quebec Society