THE WISDOM OF THE BRITISH CONCILIATORY APPROACH As reflected by the Quebec Act of 1774 Introduction According to Reginald Coupland, “It has always been the tendency of autocratic Governments to make [uniformity of language, law, and legal procedure] their aim and to secure it, if need be, by rigorous coercion. ” Knowing that the British Crown had done so in its other possessions, why did it choose to take a more conciliatory approach with the Quebec Act of 1774 and to what extent did such a decision prove to be in its long-term best interests? The decision of the British, by such legislation, to permit its French Canadian subjects to freely practice Roman Catholicism and to retain French law in private matters was taken to seek their loyalty in the …show more content…
Instead, French-Canadians were treated to a “very liberal measure, a reasonable compromise, generous to the majority of conquered Canadians and fair to the small minority of immigrant English.” We can only imagine what sort of North America would exist today without the Quebec Act of 1774. Given the chance, as they were during the American occupation of Montreal and other parts of Quebec, French-Canadians would most likely have taken arms against their oppressive rulers and joined in the independence movement of the thirteen colonies. The spirit of compromise and conciliation shown by the Quebec Act of 1774 would guide generations to come in the shaping of Canada. This legacy of equality and respect would resurface in men like Lafontaine and Baldwin (with their “responsible government”) and in the adoption of the British North America Act. The enduring loyalty it secured from its French-Canadian citizens would help keep the nation whole even through difficult
The Indian Act was an attempt by the Canadian government to assimilate the aboriginals into the Canadian society through means such as Enfranchisement, the creation of elective band councils, the banning of aboriginals seeking legal help, and through the process of providing the Superintendent General of the Indian Affairs extreme control over the aboriginals, such as allowing the Superintendent to decide who receives certain benefits, during the earlier stages of the Canadian-Indigenous' political interaction. The failure of the Indian Act though only led to more confusion regarding the interaction of Canada and the aboriginals, giving birth to the failed White Paper and the unconstitutional Bill C-31, and the conflict still is left unresolved until this day.
Pierre Elliot Trudeau was arguably one of the most vivacious and charismatic Prime Ministers Canada has ever seen. He wore capes, dated celebrities and always wore a red rose boutonniere. He looked like a superhero, and often acted like one too. Some of the landmark occurrences in Canadian history all happened during the Trudeau era, such as patriating the constitution, creating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the 1980 Quebec Referendum. However, it is Trudeau’s 1969 “white paper” and the Calder legal challenge which many consider to be one of his most influential contributions to Canadian history.
Bélanger, Claude. "The Official Languages Act of Canada - Studies on the Canadian Constitution and Canadian Federalism - Quebec History." .Marianopolis College, Nov. 2005. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.
The colonists all shared a common disdain for taxation but did not share a common religious experience. As a result Britain attempted to use this religious diversity against the colonists, Foner writes, “The Intolerable Acts united the colonies in opposition to what was widely seen as a direct threat to their political freedom. At the same time, Parliament passed the Quebec
The French colonized the region of Acadia, which is now Nova Scotia, and the Acadians were the French colonists who lived in the area. However, there were also English colonists in the area and the groups didn’t get along well. The French lost Nova Scotia to the British in a war which led to the Treaty of Utrecht (signed in 1713) which formally named Acadia as a British territory (Dormon, 39). The treaty forced the Acadians to swear an oath of allegiance to the British crown which they refused because this would require them to renounce their Catholic religion for that of the Anglican church, because of this the likelihood of another war with the French was high. The Acadians refusal to swear an oath to the British caused the British to order a deportation of the Acadians who then fled with whatever they could carry.
Canada: The Quiet Revolution in Quebec The English-French relations have not always been easy. Each is always arguing and accusing the other of wrong doings. All this hatred and differences started in the past, and this Quiet revolution, right after a new Liberal government led by Jean Lesage came in 1960. Thus was the beginning of the Quiet Revolution.
The Founding Fathers and Canada’s Founders both faced many obstacles and concerns when working towards creating the best possible form of government for their respectable nations. The Federalist Papers seek to counter the Articles of Confederation whereas Canada’s Founding Debates is a discussion between supporters and opponents of Confederation. Between the Founding Fathers and Canada’s Founders in the Founding Papers chapter Federal Union, there are many common concerns about the future of the country. When there is a change in how a country is structured, it brings concern over group rights and interest being ignored for the common good, and it is very
Canada is known by outsiders to be a very peaceful country. But if you ask any Canadian they well tell you that is unfortunately not the case. For there is a large ongoing conflict between Canadians. The conflict is between the French and the English, or more specifically between Quebec and the rest of Canada. As a result of this conflict, along with some wrongdoing and propaganda. Quebec has considered and has gone as far to hold referendums over Separatism (Surette,2014). Separatism is that the province of Quebec separates from the rest of Canada to form its own country. Which would have immense effects on indubitably Quebec but also the rest of Canada (Martin, 2014). This report will focus on the root causes and origin of Quebec Separatism, the current state of Quebec Separatism and finally how we as a society can act towards Quebec Separatism.
During the latter part of the 18th century, to be a French citizen almost certainly meant that you were Catholic as well. People outside the Catholic church were denied complete ...
acquired by Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris of 1763. The mass majority of
This understanding stems from the understanding that many Canadians have about the idea of “two nations” in the country being of two founding peoples, the English and the French, but this sense of agreement ends here (Elliott 1). This reality has since expanded to encompass Aboriginals under this idea of nation founders, amidst an ever-expanding multicultural understanding of Canada. The historical foundations of the RCBB were sparked by a period of great change in Canada during the 1960s, especially in terms of the immigrant policies. These changes stood to both change and challenge previous immigration requirements, which were based on geographical and racial exclusion (Haque 20). With the demand for labour increasing in Canada, the immigration laws needed to be changed in order to allow for an increase in immigration once again. Though, this is not to say all dissimilarity elements of immigration were eliminated” (Haque 20). Opposition toward multiculturalism remains strong in Québec, while they participate in programs, which fund multiculturalism, their general stance often remains negative (Cardozo 170-171). This longstanding dislocation between the French and English stems back to a time where Quebec was looking for equality as the bulk of major economic institutions were oriented towards an English-speaking way of life.
The British North America Act went into effect July 1st, 1867 creating a union known as the Dominion of Canada, but this did not complete the debate on the Confederation issue. Many Nova Scotians continued their opposition to the idea and it would take considerable time before all Nova Scotians would accept the fact of Confederation. “These Nova Scotians, disgruntled at their treatment by Great Britain, found that their loyalty had markedly diminished. The more they considered taking over the responsibility for their own affairs from England, however, the greater trust they had to place in Confederation.”25 Confederation struck a balance between the rights of English and French speaking Canadians. Nevertheless, many divisions, conflicts, and debates would occur not only in Quebec but also in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick over this balance. Economic disparities between the Maritimes and the rest of Canada would also create many problems for the years following 1867. As a result, Confederation can be viewed as a beginning and not an end.
The Confederation act of 1867 without question has had a major influence on the status of contemporary Canada. It has helped shape Canada into one of the worlds most politically and economically powerful countries; a country that is strong, independent, and united. There was a series of events which led to the confederation of Canada, some which are more significant than others. However, I believe that despite the significance of events such as the British encouragement of uniting its North American colonies, the central and key reason for confederation was the fear of potential American (Yankee) inhabitance (whether by persuasion or invasion) of the divided and vast British North American colonies, and the way that the “Fathers of Confederation” were able to take advantage of this situation and persuade reluctant colonies to join Confederation. A strong and united nation could not be easily invaded or bought. These essential factors will be discussed in the paragraphs to come.
Canada is the world's second largest country and the most northern country of the North American continent. It has a population of 24.4 million people and most of them live in the cities bordering the United States. This is a country with diversity, rich history, and loyalty. As a neighbor to the United States, Canada has a peaceful district history from that of its neighbor. In this paper, I will examine how Canada gained autonomy from Great Britain. Canada independence was a long process that lasted until the 1900s.
A century ago, Canada was under control by the British Empire. The battles we fought the treaties we signed and the disputes we solved all helped us gain independence from our mother country “Britain”. Canadians fought a long battle protecting others, and from these battles we gained our peaceful reputation and our independence from Britain. Canada became a nation on July, 1st 1867. Although we were an independent country, our affairs and treaties were all still signed by Britain. In the next years Canada would establish its own government, and lead its own affairs. Many important events led to Canada’s independence, one of the earliest signals that Canada wanted to establish autonomy was the Chanak affair of 1921. In addition the battle of Normandy, which occurred on June 6 1944, contributed to the autonomy of Canada. The Suez Canal Crisis, which took place in the year 1956, earned Canada a place in the media spotlight, displaying Canada as a peaceful country that deserves the right to be independent. One of the final steps that aided with Canada’s independence from Britain was the Canada Act of 1982. Independence from Britain steadily increased throughout the 20th century because of political decisions made in Canada.