1. To what extent did the power struggle over
Canada in the years 1750-1867 lead to the
integration of its French-speaking
population, and how has Quebec separatism
affected Canadian government and society
in the last fifty years?
A study of French-Canadians in the
making and possible breaking of
Canada
2. The making of Canada
âą European powers colonised the New World.
âą Britain and New France were constantly in
conflict with each other.
âą Acadian Expulsion from 1755.
âą The Seven Yearsâ War and the all-important
Battle of the Plains of Abraham put Canada
into British hands.
3.
4. Conciliation and Division
âą Quebec Act, 1774.
âą Catholics were allowed to enter government.
âą Catholic legal and religious rights protected.
âą The American Revolution dramatically
changed the nature of the population.
âą Constitutional Act, 1791, divided Canada
mainly on Francophone/Anglophone lines.
5.
6. Towards a country
âą The War of 1812 was a massively important event
in Canadian history â with crucial Francophone
participation.
âą Rebellions of 1837 and 1838 â a mainly
Francophone-led effort against British rule.
âą The Union Act of 1840 merged the two colonies
but failed to assimilate the Francophones.
âą Confederation in 1867 created Canada: 3 colonies
became 4 provinces of the âDominion of Canadaâ.
9. Quebec vs. Canada?
âą Quebec refused to sign the Constitution in 1982.
âą The Meech Lake (1987) and Charlottetown (1992)
Accords both failed to rectify this.
âą The 1995 Referendum â the apogee of Quebec
separatism.
âą âNONâ (50.58%) marginally beat âOUIâ (49.42%).
VS
10. Questionnaire
âą 57 respondents answered questions on:
â Residence
â Languages spoken
â Quebec as a âdistinct societyâ
â Canada as a united country
â The most important event in Canadian history
âą 76% say Quebec is a distinct society.
âą 60% think Canada is a united country.
âą The Battle of the Plains of Abraham the most common
response for question five.
11. Quebecâs Distinctiveness
âą 76% agreed.
âą Non-Quebecers divided and sceptical: 55%
disagree.
âą Quebecers themselves are assured: 84% agreed.
12. Some responses
âą âWithout any doubt, Quebec is a distinct society from the rest of
Canada. One day, Quebec will be independent. It is only a matter
of timeâ. (Montreal, Quebec, F.)
âą âAlthough they think they are distinct (the Francophones), they are
just as North American as the rest of North Americans... Yes they
speak French, but in terms of lifestyle and culture, they're just like
the rest of Canada, except they can't see that themselves. What
makes them distinct, in my view, is their paranoia about how the
rest of the country treats them and the loss of their languageâ.
(Halifax, Nova Scotia)
âą âThere are many different cultures throughout Canada; the
Quebecois culture is one of these... The Quebecois culture is a bit
different; but, it is an integral part of the overall Canadian
identityâ. (Red Deer, Alberta)
13. Canadian unity
âą A slightly unconvincing 60% agreed. 24% disagreed
outright; 16% were unsure.
âą Non-Quebecers almost unanimously agreed with
82%, but Quebec only had 54%.
âą Of the last two options, 35% mentioned Quebec as
a principal cause of this disunity.
16. Researching
âą Research was carried out as thoroughly as
possible with a wide range of sources:
â Books
â Websites
â Online journals
â Online newspaper articles
â Online videos and radio
â People
17. Strengths and Successes
âą There was plenty of material available for my
topic, so evidence-gathering was not an issue.
âą The use of many and a wide range of sources.
âą Some books were very detailed on key events
and were thus invaluable.
âą The more recent events allowed me to use
both primary and secondary sources.
âą My report was therefore suitably supported
and referenced.
18. Weaknesses and Failures
âą Adhering to the word limit failed completely.
âą Refining and selecting evidence.
âą Possibly the number of questionnaire
responses.
âą The Quebec-centred
nature of the
respondents.
Quebec
British Columbia
Ontario
New Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Prince Edward Island
19. Skills used and developed
âą Researching skills â only noting down relevant
details from text.
âą Analysis and evaluation both required.
âą Synthesising events and culminating in a
personal argument and conclusion.
âą Handling qualitative data via the
questionnaire.
âą Linguistic skills, as I had to translate many
questionnaire responses.
20. Changes and Advice
âą I should have noted down relevant material from
my online sources immediately.
âą I could have saved some more time and
consequently achieved greater efficiency.
âą Possibly a shorter question.
âą Less stress.
âą I would recommend doing an EPQ for the skills
and the experience.
âą The EPQ was really helpful regarding my A-level
subjects, especially History and French.