From a local perspective rather than doing some dry research on the Internet, can you guys explain to me why there is such a big movement from the separatists to leave Canada? Isn't French-Canadian part of the heritage that is Canada? Why do they feel the impassioned desire to leave the country they are connected to? Don't they benefit more by Canada's national government in commerce, subsidies, and influence than if they become their own country? Would the nation of Canada even allow it? We settled this in the U.S. You don't leave the Union. Period.
It's a complicated history. When the dust settled after the last war between Britain and France, the colonies were in the control of Britain. And even though the Royal Proclamation of 1763 made promises to Quebecers about freedom of language and religion, there was corruption on both sides, and French Canadians were exploited by English business interests in Toronto as well as French Catholic interests in Quebec. British governments made many attempts to get francophones to give up their culture and language and become good little English colonists but to their credit they resisted. Until the 1960s however it was easy to see that French Canadians were second class citizens in their own country, poorly educated, agricultural museum of a province, under the thumb of the church, and a business community that saw francophones as nothing more than disposable labour.
The 1960s changed that; the Quiet Revolution saw intellectuals in Quebec reject the authority of the church and the role of second-class citizenship. The whole country changed to recognize the equality of English and French in all matters of government and national life and saw Canada become officially bilingual.
The country was lead brilliantly by Quebecers like Trudeau. He pointed out that when he started in government, he was expected, as a francophone, to write to other francophones in English, in their own country, in matters related to their own government. It was totally unacceptable and he put a stop to it.
But there are two problems:
An entire generation of intellectuals arose in Quebec rejected equality as the solution and wanted to separate from Canada. I consider it an intellectual dead end that has wasted years and billions. The same separatists have come to power twice and forced votes on separation in 1976 and 1995. Both times the separatists failed: Canadians in all provinces, including Quebec, have the same values of equality. We have similar economic patterns. Our history is locked together. And it's our heritage. And the best way forward is together. The trouble is that in our relatively small political communities, there is not much choice. So, to vote against the separatists is to vote
for the federalists. And if the federalists outstay their welcome and grow tired and stagnant, the only way to vote them out of office is to vote for the separatists again. So they keep getting this lifeline.
The other problem, more recent, is the backlash from hick redneck provinces like Alberta who reject the equality measures of the 1960s, where a lot of people truly believe that when Britain defeated France 250 years ago it should somehow give English speakers some kind of special rights and that are denied to French speakers.
It is stupidity all around. But the best future for all Canadians is still as a united country.
And Quebecers, who are the only ones who have ever been asked if they want to stay or go, seem to know that. Even when they vote for separation, Quebecers are told they would somehow get to remain Canadian. It is part of the Separatist agenda to confuse people who are sitting on the fence, but it has nothing to do with reality.
