Week 6

The Quebec Question, A Canadian Quandary

rescheduling

• Feb 13 – Quebec: Nationalism and Ethnicity (ch 8)

• Feb 20 - reading week• Feb 27 - Racialized Inequality (ch 5)• Mar 6 - NO CLASS• March 13 – Gendered Inequality (ch 6)• etc

Two themes

• Tension between Quebec and ROC. - Scorpions in a bottle/two solitudes (from hostility to blame {fearful symmetry}) [Quebec matters]- Voluntary vs Involuntary frameworks- conflicting views of Quebec’s place in Canada/NA- Competing nationalisms- Language conflicts - Outdated federalism

Tensions between Q and Newcomers

• Reasonable accommodation debates with respect to ethnoreligiosity in a secular Q.

• Kirpan controversies• Niqab controversy• Surveys

Why? - Quebec as Maj/Min – unique insecurities

Understanding Quebec (or understanding English Canada’s misunderstandings)

Involuntary minorities/forcibly incorporated “get out”

Quebec’s Place in Canada?Nation not just province

Canada as contractCanada as compactCanada as coalition

A majority minoritya) Language and cultureb) Secularityc) Gender equity

Quasi-Complete society (a society of immigrants vs immigration society)

Quebec = Ethnic nation?Civic nation?Ethno-civic nation?

Rethinking federalism

MAJOR ETHNICITIESQuebec as Charter Member

Immigrant Canadians

SOCIOLOGICAL FRAME

CONSTITUTIONAL STATUS

KEY PROBLEM

PRIME SOLUTION

ANTICIPATED OUTCOME

ETHNICITY AS ACTIVITY

• SOCIAL MOVEMENTSA) IDENTITY POLITICS - a social movement based on the historically wronged who reclaim devalued identities as basis for recognition and entitlement - feminism, black power, aboriginality, quebecois

B) NATIONALISM- Political expression of a peoples (nation)- Who claim commonalities/destiny/homeland- To govern themselves up to and including independence

* Distinctions based on who can join and on what grounds

Ethnic nationalism Civic nationalism Quebec nationalis

- Blood/Kinship - Commitment

What does Quebec Want?

Independence Sovereignty association

More provincial powers

Status quo

Sovereignty

Parti Quebecois, /Pauline Marois – (feb 9, 2013)• Canada poses a risk to Quebec’s language, social

values, and freedom to speak on Intl stage• Costly overlapping services, opposing views with

ottawa such as gun control, and ottawa disregard of quebec’s unemployed and economic needs

• Support for Sov = 37% (feb5, Le devoir/Gazette) (43%• Ottawa creating dependency because of $7 billion in

equalization payments as have not province• Claims of ‘ethnicide’

P 240- Quebec’s Identity 2001 (Feb+Oct) and 2005

• Solely a Quebecer 24 15 19• A Quebecer first, then a Canadian 25 32 43• Both a Quebecer and a Canadian 26 32 21• A Canadian first, then a Quebecer 15 13 11• Solely a Canadian 8 7 5

• Fe

P 241- Quebecs identity based on language background

• Solely a Quebecer 24 15 19• A Quebecer first, then a Canadian 25 32 43• Both a Quebecer and a Canadian 26 32 21• A Canadian first, then a Quebecer 15 13 11• Solely a Canadian 8 7 5

Francophone Anglophone Allophone

What is English speaking Canada willing to concede?

• Official bilingualism

• Clarity Act

• Quebec = a nation within a united Canada (Harper, 2006)

• Unofficial asymmetrical federalism

Official bilingualism as Reasonable Accommodation

• Context – the quiet revolution• Purpose – depoliticize Fr-Eng nationalism• Terms • Success - provincial - Quebec