QUEBEC
Quebec has always been trying to maintain it's cultural identity. The path that led to separatism is long and winding one. The French saw Confederation as the only solution in 1867. They needed Confederation to remain in control of their own language, religion and way of life. The paradox of the situation was that they also fully understood that they would always be the minority in Canada and that as more regions joined Confederation, the situation would be compounded. This was however preferable to a slow assimilation by the English, now they could have laws passed that could protect their society. As a minority in a country, Quebec's point of view was often disregarded in favor of that of the English speaking majority. The First example of this could be seen from they the Riel Rebellions were handled. In 1885, What became known as the Saskatchewan Rebellion took place. This was led by Louis Riel who went to Batoche to once more setup a provisional government and prepare the Metis for battle to protect their homes. Needless to say, the revolution was quelled and Louis Riel was arrested and taken to Regina for a trial. Disregarding the juries express recommendation of mercy, on November 16 1885,
Not everyone however was willing to see Canada be divided and so political means to work within the existing or a modified federal system. One of these people was Henri Bourassa who wrote these words following the Riel crisis, "For us the fatherland is all Canada. The nation we wish to see develop is the Canadian nation, composed of English Canadians and French Canadians, that is, of two elements separated by language and religion, but united in a feeling of brotherhood, in a common attachment to the common fatherland.". These remarks did much to encourage a united Quebec given the wide circulation of Le Devoir and his position. Also, George-Etienne Cartier was a Quebec minister who served the Federal Cabinet and was very much in favor of a unified Canada. Symbolic of a rising equality among the French and English of Canada was Sir Wilfrid Laurier who was the first French-Canadian Prime Minister and who, hailed from Quebec. These three individuals did much to aid Quebec in working within the confines of the British North America Act and the Federal government through public policy or through speech. We can attribute some of Quebec's 'backwardness' (for lack of a better word) to the Roman Catholic Church which had far reaching implications on all aspects of Quebec society. Thanks to an Education Act that was passed into law in 1875, all Bishops of that province had a seat on the provincial education commission. Said Bishops would therefore have control over the curriculum of school classrooms and the text books that were issued to students. The Church controlled the plays and other arts that were for public display, having complete veto power over what a per
Some common words found in the essay are:
Education Act, Canada Quebec, French Canadians, French Confederation, Jewish Protestant, Canada British, School Question, Louis Riel, Saskatchewan Alberta, Laurier Greenway, english speaking, french english canada, canadians french, contention french, french people, riel hung, louis riel, federal government, speaking canadians, french speaking, rest canada,
Approximate Word count = 1134
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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