EDEE 280 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Charter Of The French Language, Elijah Harper, Byrsonima Crassifolia
23 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Ch.9
*-Sovereignty question wanted Quebec to become an independent country
-Yes vote indicated support for the idea that QC was a nation whose elected representatives
could and should interact and negotiate on a nation to nation basis with the Canadian gov in
Ottawa
*-Yes camp led by Rene Levesque and no camp ed by opposition leader Claude Ryan
-Pooulation divided along predictable ethnic and linguistic lines and among age groups within
neighbourhoods and families
-Levesque: Quebers proved themselves ready and able to assume the responsibilities and the
burdens of nationhood
*-Ryan: emphasized recent improvements in the economic and political status of francophone
Quebecers within Canada. In the end, Ryan’s federalist forces won with 60% voting no on
referendum day
-Lise Payette offended women on the no side by comparing them to schoolbook character
Yvette
-Yvette meetings attended by thousands of women who resented Payette’s implication
-No rally held and star speaker was Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Said his gov had no intention
of negotiating sovereignty-association in the event of a yes vote. No victory in the
referendum would be interpreted by his gov as a mandate for constitutional reform
-Trudeau, Ryan and most of British Canada were relieved after the votes were counted but
Levesque, Payette, Jaques Parizeau and nationalists of Quebec were disappointed
-Renewal, energy and possibility began to fade as new harder attitudes and exigencies moved
into the foreground
**-Canadian prime minister interested in 3 things: patriation of the constitution, a
workable amending formula allowing the revised constitution to be modified in Canada
and third a constitutionally enshrined charter of rights and freedoms to guarantee
fundamental human rights and liberties to Canadian citizens
-Rene Lévesque parti quebecois hoc won re-election in the general election with the promise
that no new referendum would be held during a second mandate
-Liberal defeat also presaged the end of Ryan’s term as leader and ultimately the return of
Robert Bourassa to active politics. Bourassa was a skilled economist who led the liberals into
their successful election campaign
-First minister conferences were held frequently and became a regular feature of
Canadian federalism
-The eleven first ministers agreed in a new accord that would have patriated the
constitution, enriched bilingualism and bill of rights, and adopted an amending formula
granting veto power to the two largest provinces: QC and Ontario
-Bourassa agreed to the deal known as the Victoria charter on behalf of QC
-Federal gov reached an agreement with 9 out of the 10 premiers, isolating QC, the province
whose growing secessionist movement had sparked these discussions in the first place
-Quebec premier described his exclusion from the discussions as a betrayal. In his view, QC
enjoyed a traditional veto over major constitutional changes, specifically those affecting its
legislative powers
-No QC veto power existed in law according to the judgement rendered by the court
-Constitution act was approved by 9 provincial governments and the federal parliament and was
proclaimed the supreme law of the land
-Trudeau and his colleagues succeeded in providing Canada with an up to date
constitution with no specific veto power for any province and a charter of rights and
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
*-sovereignty question wanted quebec to become an independent country. Yes vote indicated support for the idea that qc was a nation whose elected representatives could and should interact and negotiate on a nation to nation basis with the canadian gov in. *-yes camp led by rene levesque and no camp ed by opposition leader claude ryan. Pooulation divided along predictable ethnic and linguistic lines and among age groups within neighbourhoods and families. Levesque: quebers proved themselves ready and able to assume the responsibilities and the burdens of nationhood. *-ryan: emphasized recent improvements in the economic and political status of francophone. In the end, ryan"s federalist forces won with 60% voting no on referendum day. Lise payette offended women on the no side by comparing them to schoolbook character. Yvette meetings attended by thousands of women who resented payette"s implication. No rally held and star speaker was pierre elliott trudeau.
