Quebec Nationalism

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes Canada as a nation divided into separate entities around issues of regionalism and provincialism. Canadians in general do not place their trust in the federal government but in the governments of the different provinces. The paper also talks about how regionalism became a force early in Canadian history and was then entrenched with the creation of the Confederation. The Canadian Confederation was an attempt to create a strong central government, seen by some as necessary to help the country develop economically. Furthermore, this Confederation was based on several principles intended to bring together the French-speaking and English-speaking worlds, and while this has been effective in setting in place an administration and a central government for Canada, it has not been successful enough to diminish separatist tendencies and inter-ethnic tensions. The paper asserts that a new effort to address these issues involves the creation of a Council of Federation, raising the question as to whether the newly formed Council of the Federation does or does not mean the end of Quebec Nationalism/Autonomy.

From the Paper:

"Cameron and Simeon (2002) cite the rise in collaborative federalism, and they note that co-determinism in this context involves the two levels of government working together as equals or having provincial and territorial governments take the initiative on their own to act collectively in the absence of the federal government (p. 49). The authors offer a history of intergovernmental relations in Canada, especially in the period since the end of World War II, noting the growing antipathy of the public to increased executive federalism. The 1970s saw a growing regionalism and more assertiveness on the part of English-speaking provinces, with provinces less and less inclined to defer to federal leadership. More recently, what the authors call 'collaborative federalism' has become the means by which national goals are achieved, with some or all of the eleven governments and territories acting collectively (p. 54)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Brown, D.M. (2003). Getting Things Done in the Federation: Do We Need New Rules for an Old Game? Institute for Research on Public Policy (1).
• Burelle, A. (2003). The Council of the Federation: From a Defensive to a Partnership Approach. Institute for Research on Public Policy (3 English).
• Cameron, D. & Simeon, R. (2002). Intergovernmental relations in Canada: The emergence of collaborative federalism. Publius 32, 2, 49-70.
• Chennells, D. (2001). The Politics of Nationalism in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
• Courchene, T.J. (2004, September). The Changing Nature of Canada's Quebec-Canada Relations: From the 1980 Referendum to the Summit of the Canadas. Institute for Research on Public Policy, IRPP Working Paper number 2004-08,

More papers on Quebec Nationalism:

• Essay # 84187 : "Quebec Nationalism "
• Essay # 84266 : "The Threat of Quebec Nationalism"
• Term Paper # 143132 : "Overview of Quebec Nationalism"
• Term Paper # 143039 : "Contemporary Quebec Nationalism"

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