French-English Relations in Canada

1
French-English Relations in Canada

• A clash of paradigms

2
Language cleavages are politically explosive

• Closely tied to culture and religion
• Fundamental to identity
• Governments cannot disengage from language as
  they can from other cleavages
• Communication is fundamental to democratic
  politics language is central to communication

3
Demographics (2001 census)
Mother Tongue Mother Tongue Mother Tongue Home Language Home Language Home Language Biling
Eng Fr Oth Eng Fr Oth Biling
Quebec 8.3 81.4 10.3 10.5 83.1 6.5 40.8
ROC 75.2 4.4 20.4 85.6 2.7 11.7 10.3
Canada 59.1 22.9 18.0 67.5 22.0 10.5 17.7
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Realities of language in Canada

• Most of Canadas Francophones live in Quebec
• Linguistic minorities tend to be small in most
  provinces (except for New Brunswick)
• The bilingual belt
• Process of linguistic assimilation of linguistic
  minorities
• English is a socially powerful language

5
Canada is a federal state

• Only a small proportion of the worlds countries
  (less than ten per cent) are federal nations
• Canada is one of the oldest and most successful
  federal states in the world
• Federalism can be used to accommodate diversity
• Canadian federalism reflects the ways Quebec was
  different in 1867
• The emphasis was on Quebecs Catholicism, not its
  language

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Two paradigms for accommodating linguistic
diversity

• Territorial approach
• Language of public life contingent on where you
  live
• Idea is to provide a sense of linguistic security
  for minorities
• Bilingualism typically limited to national
  organizations

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Two paradigms for accommodating linguistic
diversity

• Personality approach
• Language policy defined in terms of rights
• Language rights are attached to individuals, not
  to territories
• Emphasis on personal mobility and personal
  bilingualism
• Bilingualism pervasive

8
Two theses

• French-English relations can best be understood
  as a clash between these two paradigms
• Because federalism was the institutional solution
  designed to resolve the problem of accommodating
  Quebec, much of the debate centres on Quebecs
  place in the federal system

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The Quiet Revolution

• Associated with government of Jean Lesage
  (1960-1966)
• A period of modernization in Quebec
• The provincial state replaced the church at the
  heart of Quebecs political life
• Linguistic division of labour
• Quebecs provincial government became more
  assertive about Quebecs place in Canada and
  federalism
• Quebecois, not French Canadian

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What did Quebec want?

• Full control over provincial jurisdiction
• The federal government to extricate itself from
  provincial jurisdiction
• Greater provincial power
• Increased say over federal institutions
• Recognition of special status

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The federal response

• Rights-based approach to national bilingualism
• Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Prime Minister from
  1968-1979, 1980-1984
• Official Languages Act (1969)
• Re-making the federal public service
• Promoting linguistic minorities and personal
  bilingualism
• A rejection of any special recognition of Quebec
• Quebecs response was Bill 22

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The rise of the sovereigntists

• Parti Quebecois (PQ) founded by dissidents who
  left the provincial Liberal party
• Led by Rene Levesque
• PQ grew steadily in support
• Won the 1976 provincial election with 41 of the
  vote and a majority government

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Etapisme taking it slow

• PQ settled on a step by step approach to
  sovereignty
• Govern well (Bill 101)
• Call a referendum to get a mandate to negotiate
  with Ottawa
• Negotiate with Ottawa
• Have the outcome of the negotiations ratified in
  another referendum

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The 1980 referendum

• A soft question asked for a mandate to negotiate
  sovereignty association
• Bitter, divisive campaign
• 60 Non 40 Oui
• Economic fears loomed large in the vote
• PQ may have miscalculated in its referendum
  strategy
• PQ re-elected in 1981

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Constitutional negotiations

• Canada did not control the amendment of its own
  constitution
• Trudeau wanted to patriate the constitution with
  a Charter of Rights
• 8 provincial governments, including Quebecs
  opposed Trudeau
• Compromise reached, but Quebec did not agree

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Constitution Act, 1982

• Applies to all of Canada, including Quebec, even
  though Quebec did not agree
• Charter of Rights enshrined personality approach
  to national bilingualism in the constitution
• Enhanced the idea of provincial equality Quebec
  did not achieve recognition of special status or
  increased power

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Change at the top

• Brian Mulroney takes over as Prime Minister in
  1984 wants to bring Quebec into the constitution
• Now a Liberal provincial government, led by
  Robert Bourassa
• Bourassa outlines five conditions for Quebec to
  sign the constitution

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Quebecs five conditions

• Recognition as a distinct society
• Limitation on federal government intrusion in
  provincial jurisdiction
• Role in appointing justices to the Supreme Court
  of Canada
• Increased power over immigration
• A veto over any constitutional change

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Meech Lake Accord (1987)

• Mulroney wins agreement of all ten premiers to
  change the constitution
• Enshrines Quebecs five conditions in the
  constitution
• Ten provincial governments and the federal
  government have to ratify the agreement within
  three years
• Newfoundland and Manitoba fail to do so by 1990
  the Accord dies

20
Charlottetown Accord (1992)

• Much anger in Quebec
• Sovereigntist sentiment on the rise
• Again, federal government and provinces agree on
  constitution package, called the Charlottetown
  Accord
• Defeated in a national referendum 55 No, 45
  Yes
• Defeated in Quebec as well

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Reinvigorated sovereigntist movement

• Bloc Quebecois forms as a national political
  party in 1990, wins 54 of Quebecs 75 seats in
  Parliament in 1993
• Parti Quebecois wins the 1994 provincial election
• Announces a referendum in 1995
• Narrow victory for the federalists 50.6 Non,
  49.4 Oui
• Federal government weak in referendum

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Federal Response Plan A

• A shaken federal government tries to respond to
  Quebecs historical demands
• But limited because there is no appetite for
  constitutional reform in Canada
• Passes Parliamentary resolutions to recognize
  Quebec as a distinct society and to give Quebec a
  veto

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Federal Response Plan B

• Legal challenge to constitutionality of Quebec
  sovereignty
• Supreme Court of Canada in 1998 rules that it is
  unconstitutional for Quebec to secede without the
  consent of the other provinces, but if Quebeckers
  vote in a referendum to leave, the rest of Canada
  has to respond
• Clarity Act sets out the rules for Quebec
  secession

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The current situation

• The essential problem remains unsolved
• Quebeckers and much of Canada conceive of their
  country in different ways
• Quebec Quebec is distinct and may require
  different powers
• ROC all provinces are equal
• Weve papered over the differences

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The future?

• Sovereigntist sentiment is currently in decline
• Parti Quebecois lost the 2003 provincial election
  quite badly
• Bloc Quebecois support is in decline
• Demographic change in Quebec
• Evidence that Quebeckers have grown tired of the
  debate over sovereignty
• 55 (63 of those under 45) do not identify
  themselves as sovereigntist or federalist (CRIC)

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For further reading

• Kenneth McRoberts, Misconceiving Canada The
  Struggle for National Unity (Toronto Oxford
  University Press, 1997).