On Monday, Canada's House of Commons voted 266 to 16 in favor of a motion to recognize Quebec as a "nation" within a united Canada. This was an effort by parliament to appease Francophile separatists who want to form an independent country out of Quebec. According to the article about the vote, "Quebec already calls its legislature the Quebec National Assembly and calls Quebec City its national capital." As a result of the vote, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs resigned. Calling Quebec a "nation" provides no international recognition for Quebec, it is a internal matter for Canada only.
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Canada’s Parliament did not recognize Québec as a nation but the Québécois, meaning the French speaking people of Québec. Prime-minister Stephen Harper explained that not the legal term for nation is meant but the social-cultural one: not nation as a state but nation as a people.
Parliament declared the “Les Quebecois and Quebecoises form a Nation within a united Canada”. It suggests a second nation within Canada as the aboriginals already hold the distinction as the First Nations peoples. Les Quebecois/Quebecoise include those persons with a natural afinity to developing the ‘francosphere’ throughout Canada. Les Quebecois/Quebecoise live in every province in the country of Canada.
Matt says, in his article: “This was an effort by parliament to appease Francophile separatists who want to form an independent country out of Quebec.”
Kathleen says, in her comment “Les Quebecois/Quebecoise live in every province in the country of Canada.”
As a francophone québécoise, I consider both statements to be wrong.
The separatists who want Québec to become an independent country are not “Francophiles” (people who like the French language and culture). They are mainly Francophones, people whose mother-tongue is French or who use French on a day-to-day basis.
There is a large English-speaking community in Québec who are generally against independence. Immigrants are usually against independence when they get here, and as the years go by, a significant proportion favours independence.
Now there has been some debate, following the vote, as to whether the motion defined ALL Quebeckers as a nation, or only the French-speaking ones. But I, and many other French-speaking people living in Québec, consider everybody who lives in Québec a Québécois, even if they speak English or are immigrant.
Now regarding Kathleen’s comment, there are about one million French-speaking Canadians who live outside Québec, but they are not Québécois, and they don’t call themselves Québécois (unless they were born in Québec and moved later, just as an American in Paris might still call himself American instead of French). Usually, French-Canadians from other provinces have their own history and culture, and hence call themselves Acadiens, Franco-Ontariens, Franco-Manitobains, etc.
If the federal government wanted to include out-of-Québec francophones in the nation they recognized, as well as exclude English-speakers who live in Québec, they should have used the term “French-Canadians” instead of “Québécois”.
As a neighbor to the south, would someone explain to me the advantages for the Quebecois? Will they now support themselves without the help of the nation of Canada? What about foreign policy? Free elections? I mean just because you speak a different language and have different ideas (Ever listened to someone from Brooklyn?) doesn’t mean you need to be an independent nation.
1. Canada has Quebecois & Quebecoise who live both inside and outside of Quebec – I am one of them.
2. Canada has about 1M French speaking persons residing outside of Quebec who do not have a prior relationship with Quebec as Raphaelle mentions.
3. Canada has an immigrant population who have a natural affinity toward the french culture based on their countries of origin.
4. Given Canada’s bilingualism policy, Canadians are becoming fluent in the French language in growing numbers each day.
Sorry, my last comment was somewhat incomplete.
In November 2006 a vote was held in the House of Commons 266-16 with about 20 abstaining that says, “Les Quebecois and Les Quebecoise form a nation within a united Canada”. Considerable debate is expected to follow in defining the terms.
I believe that this decision transcends provincial geographic boundaries and will forever change the landscape of Canada to a horizontal emphasis of ‘peoples’ as with our First Nation peoples who are also represented in every province.
I suggest it important that one declares himself/herself a Quebecois or Quebecoise founded on a free and informed individual decision of self-determination based on the following criteria:
1. Being a resident or former resident of Quebec;
2. Preferential historic linkage to the Quebecois/Quebecoise nation;
3. Having french as a first language or upon completion of French language training;
4. Immigrants having a natural affinity of French culture based on country of origin – history, legal systems, etc.
Kathleen
There have been some referendums about this issue (1980 and 1995). The separatists were defeated in both referendums. Why do you continue with this irritating issue? There is no an English Canada, there is no a French Canada, there is no an Asian Canada, there is no an Irish Canada … there is only ONE Canada.