Quebecois: A Nation Within Canada

I'm not sure how much news from Canada filters onto the international scene, but something sort of snuck up on me yesterday and I wanted to get everyone's opinion . I'm not making this a pole since there could be many positions on the matter.

 

Yesterday Parliament passed a bill that would recognize the province of Quebec as a state within Canada. So basically, French Canada is held on par with the Native part of Canada. This has been a contentious issue in Canada for many years, and was even the topic of a referendum which could have resulted in Quebec becoming an independent country.

 

Now, what bothers me about this is as follows: First, the reason Quebec is part of Canada is because the British conquered it. They took it from the French, and it was theirs. I liken this to the differences between Natives in America and Canada. In Canada we made treaties with them, made peace, and we have to live by those rules. In America the Natives were conquered with brute force. I don't agree with it, but there you have it. I think that if you're conquered, you suck it up and deal with the fact that you're now part of a bigger country (in cases like this. Let's not get into WWII Germany and whatnot).

 

Secondly, even the Government isn't clear on how this effects things. In one instance, when asked if even the English speaking residents of Quebec would be considered "Quebecois" they said no. When questioned again later if English speaking residence of Quebec would not be permitted to be "Quebecois", they said that that's not what they had said...

 

So, I suppose I'm wondering how other's feel about this situation, and how they would feel if something similar happened in their nation (I suppose anyone in the UK will have an opinion on this from the perspective of Ireland).

Oh my god! Canadians are rebelling! The world is coming to an end! /funny

 

That could turn out to have weird political fallout in Canada, and maybe in the US as well.

( *Psst* Uh, GAT... we um... did a little conquering of our own as far as the native peoples are concerned. Just it wasnt quite so big for us. )

 

Anyways I just about fell over when I saw that in the newspaper.

 

[earlier] WTF IS THIS?!?! [/earlier]

 

I think this can only be seen as a bad thing that the sepratists will use once again to try and split the country. I mean COME ON! We had the sepratists essentially beat not so long ago and now we're back at it.

 

If they seprate we are SO keeping the James Bay power stations.

There is a similiar thing here in NY. NYC is constantly pressuring to become its own state. I'm fine with that, since most of my tax dollars pay for those city slickers.

Question 1: If Quebec becomes its own "state", what's the difference between a "state" or "province" in Canada?

 

Question 2: If the rest of Canada gets pissed off at Quebec (which seems unlikely in that most Canadians are stereo typed as being pacifists nationally, but gun-ho locally), couldn't they just threaten Quebec which would result in their (French Canadians) surrender?

It's like a teenage son/daughter wanting to become independent from their parents rule, move out, but still get their allowance. Screw that. Quebec should be happy and proud that they are part of Canada, so should the Quebecois. If not, then go to France and leave the land for real Canadians.

( *Psst* Uh, GAT... we um... did a little conquering of our own as far as the native peoples are concerned. Just it wasnt quite so big for us. )

 

Oh, I know we did a little conquering, but it wasn't to the extent that the Americans. In the end we chose a slightly more "civil" resolution.

 

I don't see the point really, if they don't want to be Canadians - they should leave Canada!

 

They tried that. We won .

I think he meant that the people should leave Canada not the Province should leave Canada.

The way I see it, if Quebeck wants to be a country, let 'em. I may not agree with their decision, but if that's what they want, they're entitled to it.

I don't really know anything about Canada or the effect it would have on Canada if Quebec became it's own nation so I don't really have an opinion, only that the situation is fascinating from a speculators standpoint.

So do you agree if the Cubans want to take Florida and declare their own state?

Well ... maybe just Miami, but not the whole state

 

What about Mexicans in southern California or Texas?

Tibetans in China? Or Taiwan?

Illegal Mexicans in southern California or Texas can't vote luckily, but that doesn't mean they don't have influence. I saw some anti-gov't immigration fanatics saying "we didn't cross the border, the border crossed us" What a bunch of ma-roons

 

Tibet on the other hand was invaded and conquered by the Chicom's (communist Chinese) without provocation. They (the Tibetans) should get their country back

 

Taiwan is a great example E, just to a more extreme.

So do you agree if the Cubans want to take Florida and declare their own state?

 

Hell Ya!!! VIVA CUBA!!!!!

 

lol.. ok im joking.. just had to put that out there.. being 1/2 cuban and all... but in reality i think its ridiculous what Miami has become.. you can barely go anywhere speaking english because the Cubans are everywhere and not learning the language.. however.. i think they are making more effort to fit in and become americans than another nationality which will go unnamed...

I don't really know about Quebec. The french haven't really talked about it on their TV channels. I don't think i am really well placed to speak.

French response:

 

QUEBEC: WE CAN WIN BY LOSING WARS!

Just remember that while Quebec speaks French... it's not French French. The people of France speak a more refined version of the language, or perhaps more accurately, the people of Quebec speak a bastardized version of the language. There really isn't any correlation between Quebec and France except that the former was once a colony of the latter.

Is that anything like the British speaking a more refined English than the Americans?

Just remember that while Quebec speaks French... it's not French French. The people of France speak a more refined version of the language, or perhaps more accurately, the people of Quebec speak a bastardized version of the language. There really isn't any correlation between Quebec and France except that the former was once a colony of the latter.

 

I know, it's like Martinique, I was just trying to be funny. =(

Quebec may not have much to do with france but them speaking french... and used to once be a colony... but for me.. thats enough to tell them to either stop their whining, be canadian and get on with it or go somewhere else...... and maybe thats an ignorant american ideology to some.. but really.. if they're gonna bitch and moan about the country that gives them so much.. and want to make their own country within it, or change the laws to make them a special group... then they should just leave. Its like the illegals AND legals in the U.S. they all whine how america doesnt accept their culture and how america sucks because they cant just bring their family without questions and blah blah blah... well if they dont like it.. then get out... but they wont.. know why?.. cuz noone eats shit when they can have steak.

 

 

This whole things begs me to ask you GAT... are you a French Canadian?.... and if i just offended anyone.. im sorry.. thats not really my intention.. just talkin here..

Quebecois french is something the french joke about alot due to the fact that it is a dialect with lots of slang and that the quebecois speak it with a VERY strong accent.

So do you agree if the Cubans want to take Florida and declare their own state? What about Mexicans in southern California or Texas?

Tibetans in China? Or Taiwan?

 

Woah, woah, woah, Florida and the Cubans are two differant matters. The States are incapable, as per the U.S. Constitution of doing as much. I still know what you're talking about, though.

 

The way I see this, the decision to become an independant country rests on the shoulders of a majority, and not a simple majority, I don't think. Isn't something like 2/3 required in order for the F.C.s to get their own state? I could be making that up, but I think I heard someone mention that at some point...

The important thing to udnerstand about Quebec and the rest of Canada is the Constitution, and nobody does, which is why we're ok.

 

Canada has been called the onyl state that works better in practise than on paper.

 

Now we need Rick Mercer's Talking To Americans to tour (change its name and) Canada - English and French.

One thing I learned while I was in Highschool was that an appalling number of my fellow students had no idea what the basic principles were that our nation is founded upon.

 

Back to Quebec being independent, I think the biggest qualm most people I have talked to have with the idea of Quebec becoming its own country (not what has happened, but what the referendum was about) is that they don't want to be part of Canada, but they want to share the Canadian economy. So basically, they don't want to be Canadian, but they don't want to do all the work it would take to support themselves financially...