Canadian Federalism Threatened Essay Research Paper Canadian

Canadian Federalism Threatened Essay, Research Paper

Canadian Federalism Threatened:

The Issues of Quebec Nationalism and Regionalism

Canadian Federalism Threatened:

The Issues of Quebec Nationalism and Regionalism

When it was it first conceived in 1867, Canada was founded as a state that would create a government structure based on federalism. Federalism is defined as: A political system in which legislative power is distributed between a national, central, or federal legislature and a level of state or provincial legislatures. The relationship between the two different governments in Canada is characterized by a National government in Ottawa and 10 Provincial governments across the country. Federalism is also characterized in Canada by the constant problems that plague Canadian federalism. Major problems of Canadian federalism (defining the authority structure, drawing out responsibilities, control over spending and raising revenues, outlining standards, and a growing threat of the country splitting up), are among countless other minor problems. However, these problems are all attributed to the fundamental problem of Canadian federalism: the conflict between central Canada and the peripheral regions.

In order to trace the fundamental problem of Canadian federalism, it is important to first define what is central Canada and to note that the problem of federalism is both regionalist and nationalist in nature. Central Canada is comprised of the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, but more specifically always includes the national government in Ottawa and its preference to these two provinces.

The problem of Canadian federalism is regionalist in nature in that it pits the peripheral regions against central Canada: All of the non-central provinces have grievances with Central Canada and its governments in Ottawa, Ontario and Quebec. It is also nationalist in nature in that although Quebec makes up part of Central Canada, Quebec presents the problem of nationalism to Canadian federalism. Throughout Canadian history provincial government power has been used to press both ethnic nationalist and regionalist demands on Ottawa

Before discussing regionalism or the conflict between central Canada and the peripheral regions, it is important to first address the issue of Quebec nationalism and the problem it brings to Canadian federalism, because in the short term, nationalism presents a more pressing issue than regionalism. Robert and Doreen Jackson write:

In the short term, because regionalism does not directly challenge territorial sovereignty, it appears to present less of a threat to the existing state structure than does nationalism. In the long term, however, persistent indifference to regionalist demands by central authorities may result in a serious loss of legitimacy for the state in certain parts of the country.

Defining what is nationalism and how it applies to the people of Quebec, and the issue of Quebec nationalism flaring up from time to time , will be important in shedding light on the conflict between Quebec nationalism and Canadian federalism.

According to Robert and Doreen Jackson, nationalism is defined as the collective action of a politically conscious ethnic group (or nation) in pursuit of increased territorial autonomy or sovereignty. The ethnic majority of French-speaking people in Quebec or the Quebecois are indeed an ethnic group. They speak the same language, enjoy a common culture and rich heritage and most are Roman Catholic. The province of Quebec also ascribes to a different private legal system than the rest of the country, based on French Civil Law. The Quebecois have also seen their historical majority in the early beginnings of the Canadian federation dwindle to an ethnic minority and continued immigration patterns and low birth rates now leave the percentage of francophones in Canada at nearly 25% of the total population. However, in the province of Quebec, the francophone population is the majority with 86% of the total provincial population.

The Quebecois are not just an ethnic group that constitute a majority in the province of Quebec, but are also politically conscious and active in their pursuit of increased territorial autonomy or sovereignty . With such a large majority of francophones centered in one province, the governments elected began a shift of policies aimed at improving and enhancing the francophone majority and to protect the culture.

Since 1960, Quebec underwent a Quiet Revolution, consisting of a dramatic change of values and attitudes, especially towards the state, a new collective self-confidence, and a new brand of nationalism. It was during this time that Quebec became more urbanized and secular, and the provincial government became more involved with education and social programs at the expense of the Church. According to Kenneth McRoberts, The Quiet Revolution represented first and foremost an ideological change, a transformation of mentalities. The people of Quebec began to see themselves in a different light:

With the 1960 s, French-Canadian nationalism was recast into a more explicitly Quebecois nationalism. The greatness of this Quebec nation was to lie not in the past, as represented by traditional French-Canadian nationalism s glorification of the ancien regime, but with the future, as represented by an u