HISTORY 304 REVIEW PACKAGE

Transcription

1 HISTORY 304 REVIEW PACKAGE CHAPTER 7 ISSUES IN QUEBEC SOCIETY [Since 1980]

2 Theme:!! POLITICAL ISSUES A] QUEBEC s STATUS IN CANADA: 1980 REFERENDUM:! LEVESQUE S PQ government asked Quebecers to vote on!! SOVEREIGNTY-ASSOCIATION [political, but NOT economic!! independence of QC from Canada]. PM TRUDEAU promised to modify the constitution if the NO!! side won, to address Quebecers claims for special status. In the end, the NO side wins with 59.6% of the vote. PATRIATION OF THE CONSTITUTION: [1982] In 1981, the federal/provincial governments decide to start!! constitutional negotiations in order to better define provincial!! powers and Quebec s status in the federation. One MAJOR!! PROBLEM with this:!!! only BRITAIN held the power to change our Constitution! Trudeau decides to takes steps to PATRIATE the constitution [in!! other words, to bring it home to Canada where it belongs!] The provinces engaged in long negotiations focusing on:! a] a proposal to patriate the constitution! b] the adoption of an AMENDING FORMULA for the!! Constitution [proposal for modifying a law]! c] the addition of a CANADIAN CHARTER OF RIGHTS &! FREEDOMS! The provinces could not agree on the modifications: QC wanted more power for the PROVINCES. Trudeau wanted a stronger FEDERAL gov t. Since the process was moving slowly, Trudeau decides to!! UNILATERALLY patriate the constitution, without waiting for!! the provinces to settle their disagreements. 2

3 The English provinces and the federal gov t OPPOSED any form!! of special status for Quebec. Quebec found it unacceptable that the Constitution did not!! recognize its distinct character and did not grant it new powers!! so they REFUSE to sign the new 1982 CANADIAN!! CONSTITUTION. MEECH LAKE ACCORD: [1987] Since QC did not sign the Constitution, PM Brian Mulroney! decides to renew negotiations to reintegrate Quebec into the!! Constitution. Premier BOURASSA requests that Quebec: be recognized as a distinct society be given the right to veto on the constitutional question would have limited interference from the federal gov t would have the power to appoint judges to the Supreme!!! Court of Canada would have increased powers in immigration affairs PM and the provincial premiers met at MEECH LAKE in 1987 to!! discuss the agreement. The provinces were given until JUNE!! 23rd, 1990 to sign it. Quebec approves, but Manitoba and Newfoundland refuse to do!! so before the deadline. The Meech Lake Accord FAILS. CHARLOTTETOWN ACCORD: [1992] PM Mulroney again tries to reintegrate QC into the constitution. In August, 1992, provincial premiers, territory leaders and!! Aboriginal leaders signed the Charlottetown Accord, which!! reinstated the offers made to Quebec in the Meech Lake!! Accord. This time, the Accord had to be approved by the Canadian 3

4 !! population in a REFERENDUM. The RESULT? On October 26, % of Canadians REJECTED the!! Charlottetown Accord. SOVEREIGNTY REFERENDUM: [1995] The PQ wins the 1993 elections under the leadership of JACQUES PARIZEAU. They hold a referendum in This time, 50.6% voted NO 49.4% voted YES. B] ABORIGINAL CLAIMS: Beginning in the 1970 s, Aboriginals began to demand recognition of their RIGHTS and POLITICAL AUTONOMY: The CANADIAN CHARTER OF RIGHTS & FREEDOMS: [1982] recognized Aboriginal ANCESTRAL RIGHTS. The OKA CRISIS: [1990] Mohawks demonstrated against the expansion of a golf course situated on their territory. Mohawk WARRIORS erected a barricade forcing police to intervene. They demand SELF- DETERMINATION [the right to form their own gov t]. The Canadian army was called in to dismantle the barricades. The PEACE OF THE BRAVES: [2002] An AGREEMENT to allow for the development of hydroelectric,!! forestry, and mining projects in Northern Quebec. The federal gov t recognized the Cree s ancestral rights to!! these lands and gave them financial compensation.! 4

5 Today, most Aboriginals are still under the guardianship of the federal gov t [as dictated by the INDIAN ACT on 1876]. They continue to demand the right to SELF-DETERMINATION. Theme:!! ECONOMIC ISSUES The 1980s have been marked by an ECONOMIC RECESSION [slowdown]. What CAUSED this? The OIL CRISIS: oil is used to produce and transport so many products, when! the price of oil rises the price of almost everything also rises. GLOBALIZATION:! increased competition from countries where workers are! willing to work for very low wages. SECONDARY SECTOR! [manufacturing] hit hard. What were the CONSEQUENCES? High quality jobs in PRIMARY [raw materials] and SECONDARY [manufacturing] SECTORS disappear and are replaced with low quality jobs in the TERTIARY [services] sector. DECLINING PURCHASING POWER for Quebecers as indicated by the CONSUMER PRICE INDEX [measures inflation]. Quebecers earning less meant less tax revenue for the government. This resulted in GROWING GOVERNMENT DEBT. The 1980s were also marked by a CHANGE IN THE ROLE OF THE STATE. The Federal & Quebec governments implement BUDGET CUTS: 5

6 WHY did they do this? HUGE PUBLIC DEBT [we could no longer afford to finance our social programs] What CONSEQUENCES did the budget cuts have? LESS INTERVENTION by the Federal [MULRONEY] & Provincial [BOURASSA] governments. Both Mulroney and Bourassa wanted to reduce government debt by CUTTING SPENDING on social services and PRIVATIZING state-owned business. This process of privatization and cuts to social spending is accelerated in the 1990 s. As a result of spending cuts citizens received FEWER SERVICES and a DECLINE in the quality of those still offered. With the intensification of GLOBALIZATION, Canada entered into partnerships with other countries in order to remain competitive: NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT [NAFTA] To help stimulate trade Mulroney s Conservatives sign Free! Trade Agreement [FTA] with the United States in After coming to power in 1993 Jean Chretien s Liberals then! extend this agreement to Mexico by signing NAFTA.! trade zone. NAFTA transforms North America into the world s largest free The signing of NAFTA stimulates overall trade between the 3! countries but accelerates the collapse of the manufacturing! sector in Canada and the US as factories move to Mexico. NAFTA also grants enormous powers to corporations such as! the power to sue governments if government action (like! banning a toxic chemical) threatens their profits. 6

7 NAFTA also gives the US and its military guaranteed access to! Canadian oil. Under NAFTA Canada cannot reduce the amount! of oil it sells to the US. By removing protective tariffs both the FTA and NAFTA! continued the trend of reduced state interventionism. Theme:!! SOCIAL ISSUES The LANGUAGE ISSUE: BILL 101 [ Charter of the French Language ] adopted by LEVESQUE and the PQ goal = to protect the French language & integrate immigrants! into Francophone majority. French = only language on signs French = language of business. Many felt BILL 101 went against fundamental human rights. The case was brought to court and in 1988 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that unilingual French signage was UNCONSTITUTIONAL. This was AMENDED and in 1993 BILL 86 allowed English on signs [as long as French predominates] The STATUS OF WOMEN: As of the 1980 s, more women can be found in the WORKFORCE; getting UNIVERSITY DEGREES and occupying BETTER POSITIONS. PAY EQUITY ACT: [1996] enacted to give women EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK. Women! STILL have not attained this though. AID to FAMILIES: Throughout the 1990s, aid was granted to families: the FAMILY PATRIMONY LAW [1989] divides property equally! b/w spouses in the event of a death or divorce. 7

8 creation of CPE s [DAYCARE system - 5$/day] Creation of the MINISTRY of FAMILY & CHILDHOOD. Creation of PARENTAL INSURANCE PLAN. POVERTY: The recession in the 1980s led to increased unemployment in QC. More and more people sought aid from social programs to meet their needs. Those most affected? SINGLE MOTHERS, IMMIGRANTS & SENIOR CITIZENS. MULTICULTURALISM & THE INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS: Beginning in the 1960s, immigration led to increased diversity and multiculturalism in Quebec. This diversity has stirred debates. HOW DO WE RESPECT EVERYONE s RIGHTS? HEALTH: Since the 1980s the health care system has experienced a FINANCIAL CRISIS. equipment = expensive aging population = increased clientele overcrowded hospitals This has forced the gov t to make BUDGET CUTS [meaning that certain medications and treatments are no longer free] ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: Became a concern starting in the 1970s [acid rain, greenhouse gases, global warming]: MINISTERE DE L ENVIRONMENT: [1979] created by the Quebec gov t to deal with the issues. 8