Since the very beginning of the colonization of Canada in the late 15th century, there has been a dispute and anger between the British and the French. This arguing is also present in the ongoing conflict between the French-speaking region of Quebec and the rest of Canada. The conflict has been discussed in the Canadian parliament and this is also the origin of the idea that Quebec should be an independent nation. The first part of the essay will cover the general history behind the dispute between Quebec and the rest of Canada. Then the essay will go on to discuss the positive and negative sides of a possible separation. The final part of the essay will compare the situation in Canada with the separation of Pakistan and East Pakistan in the 1970’s. Then go on to conclude whether or not a secession is possible for Quebec. Therefore, my research question is; is there a possibility that the province of Quebec could separate from the rest of Canada?
The American Revolution was the poignant turn to the freedom of the American Colonies. With America being able to defeat British, it gave their mother country the realization a new nation and broke the control they had over. Although it is clear that American Revolution created the nation of American, it can argued that it also created the nation up north; Canada. The Revolutionary War not only resulted in the nation of America but the nation of Canada as well.
Canada Is Becoming Too Americanized
Today Canada and the United States are major trading partners, allies, and two neighboring countries with a long history of cooperation with each other. But is it possible for Canada to protect its independence and culture living next door to the country so powerful and rich as the United States. Since the Canadian confederation, Canada started developing relations with the U.S. As the years passed by, Canada began to relay on the United States in the national defense. Many Canadians think that the military, political and economical dependence would not make a difference to their daily life.
Canada has demographics that are similar to the United States in many aspects, but at the same time, it has a lot of differences. The population of Canada is around 34,834,841 people ranking it number 38 in the entire world. 32.22% of the population says they have a "Canadian" origin. "English" origin comes next in line with 19.8% with "French" coming in at third at 15.5%. English and French are the two official languages in Canada. Canada is the second largest country in the world with around 10 million square kilometers of land mass (Central Intelligence Agency, 2014).
In the decades following World War Two, there were a number of movements which focused on global developments. Groups such as the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization were centres of international cooperation. In these dealings there were, of course, great powers; the countries that had the greatest riches and militaries often dominated the global political stage. Beyond that, there were countries which were not the biggest or strongest, but were influential through other means. These were middle powers, and Canada is one of them.
After the declaring war on Germany, Canada was excited to join Britain on the battlefield. As a result, many Canadians ran to sign up for World War I. They were desperate to prove their existence and capabilities as a nation to Britain. By 1918, the Canadian Government Robert Borden had spent over $1.5 billion and more than 600,000 Canadians had joined the war. Thus, the Canadian Government demonstrated the idea of total war by putting strain on the nation’s economy, people and resources in order to achieve Britain’s recognition as a nation.
During the early 1900’s, Canada’s biggest economic partner was Britain. Soon, United States took their place and created a long-lasting relationship with Canada. Canada and the United States have strengthened their relationship as economic partners throughout the 20th century in terms of American investment, the Auto Pact, as well as both North American Trade Agreements.
There are many parallel between the United States of America and Canada. For instance they were both former possessions of the British crown, they speak mostly English, and they both had to deal with Native Americans. But one important difference is how they treated their native population during Western expansion. The Americans treated the Natives Americans like they were below them. The made treaties with the natives only to ultimately break them, the engaged in open war with the natives, and generally didn’t respect them. While, in direct contrast, the Canadians honored treaties, generally did not engage in war with the natives, and respected them as individuals. According to Keith Walden, who is a history professor at Trent University, a major catalyst for this was the North West Mounted Police, which are now known as the Royal Canadian Mountain Police.
The post-war time was a period where major changes were occurring. After being involved in two international conflicts, Canada was ready to reestablish their economy. During this time, Canada had started working on ways to become stronger and reputable. It is evident that Canada had matured through the post-war era. Canada’s economic progress left a positive impact on the growth of the country as consumerism became popular, and economic ties with America became stronger. Moreover, the removal of racial and ethical barriers contributed to Canadian social affairs such as the huge wave of immigration and the baby boom. The Canadian government also had become more aware and involved in issues impacting Canadian citizens. Canada as a whole started identifying itself as an independent nation and participating in events that brought a positive reputation amongst them. These economical, social, and legal changes helped Canada mature into the country it is today.
The culture of Canada refers to the shared values, attitudes, standards, and beliefs that are a representative of Canada and Canadians throughout Canada's history, its culture has been influenced by American culture because of a shared language, proximity, television and migration between the two countries. Overtime, Canadian-American relations have helped develop Canada’s identity during the years 1945-1982; thus introducing changing social norms , media and entertainment. In support of this, due to the United States being approximately 9.25 times larger in population and having the dominant cultural and economic influence it played a vital role in establishing Canada’s identity. With Canada being its neighbour, naturally, the United States would influence their way of life upon Canada. In other words,