The Issues of Quebec Nationalism and Regionalism

When it was it first conceived in 1867, Canada was founded as a state that would create a government structure based on federalism. Federalism is defined as: "A political system in which legislative power is distributed between a national, central, or federal legislature and a level of state or provincial legislatures." The relationship between the two different governments in Canada is characterized by a National government in Ottawa and 10 Provincial governments across the country. Federalism is also characterized in Canada by the constant problems that plague Canadian federalism. Major problems of Canadian federalism (defining the authority structure, drawing out responsibilities, control over spending and raising revenues, outlining standards, and a growing threat of the country splitting up), are among countless other minor problems. However, these problems are all attributed to the fundamental problem of Canadian federalism: the conflict between central Canada and the peripheral regions.

In order to trace the fundamental problem of Canadian federalis

The Quiet Revolution had transformed Quebec society and brought social changes with it. In effect, these changes would be the basis of a modern Quebec nationalism oriented towards the Quebec State and a prosperous future through the Quebec State: "Responsible to a primarily francophone electorate, the Quebec state was the one institution that could enable the Quebecois to achieve these objectives."

Unlike the Quebecois, who have sought to ward off assimilation, western Canadians have sought greater integration into the national political, economic and social mainstreams...Western alienation captures the frustration that comes from incomplete integration, from the belief that the region has failed to play a role in the nation's life commensurate with its resources, potential, and aspirations.

In the Eastern or Atlantic region of Canada, there has been some economic and political discontent with central Canada as well. Economically, the Atlantic region has been discontented over historical and recent wrangling between the federal and provincial governments over natural resources, including offshore resources where the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in favour of federal jurisdiction.

The other component of the fundamental problem of Canadian federalism is regionalism. Apart from central Canada, the other regions are the West (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba) and the East or the Maritime Provinces (New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland). In order to explore the problem of regionalism to Canadian federalism, it is important to first define what is regionalism, how it applies to the Western and Eastern regions of Canada, and then how this presents a problem to Canadian federalism.

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Approximate Word count = 2393
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)