This file is copyright of Jens Schriver (c) It originates from the Evil House of Cheat More essays can always be found at: --- http://www.CheatHouse.com --- ... and contact can always be made to: Webmaster@cheathouse.com -------------------------------------------------------------- Essay Name : 1016.txt Uploader : ross colwell Email Address : Language : english Subject : Politics Title : Should Quebec Have its Freedom? Grade : c- School System : Gainesville Junior College Country : United States Author Comments : persuasion paper on why Quebec should be free Teacher Comments : Date : nov.11, 1996 Site found at : yahoo search enginr "term papers" -------------------------------------------------------------- At the end of October in 1995 Canada came close to finally breaking up. Quebecker’s took a vote on the 30th on whether or not their province should declare itself an independent nation. Most people and the media believe that the separatists would loose. The people drew these beliefs from a similar election help in 1980. Although in this recent poll, these scores were too close to call. The separatists were defeated by a one percent loss. The reason this past election was so close is due mainly to the change of leadership on the separatist side. During the previous year before the election , the YES campaign had been led by Quebec’s premier Jacques Parizeau. Parizeau is an economics professor, and had led a ponderous campaign, since his Parti Quebecois (PQ) won provincial power 13 months earlier. The No side, led by provincial Liberal’s leader, Daniel Johnson, was winning , with warnings of a slump and heavy job losses if Quebec broke away. On October 9th, Mr. Parizeau, realizing that his campaign was failing, handed over leadership of the separatists cause to Lucian Bouchard. Bouchard was head of the Bloc Quebecois (BQ), a distinct, federal level party which swept[t the polls in Quebec in the 1993 federal elections, and whose 53 members in the Ottawa parliament are second in number only to the ruling liberals of Jean Chretien. Already in June, Parizeau had retreated from his outright separatist stance by agreeing with Bouchard, and with Mario Dumont, leader of a small nationalist party, to couple a declaration of sovereignty with an offer to negotiate with residual Canada a form of political and economic partnership, similarly modeled on the European Union. By naming Bouchard the chief negotiator of such a partnership during a year’s grace period after a YES victory, the Quebec premier yielded center stage to his far more popular ally. Bouchard gave full reign to his passionate goal. Within a week, opinion polls showed the YES vote climbing level with the NOes. The reasons for Bouchard’s appeal to the people of Quebec are clear. A truck driver’s son who became who became Canada’s ambassador in Paris, in 1990 he stormed out of the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney, where he was environment minister, over constitutional differences. He built up the Block at extraordinary speed, to achieve its triumph in the 1993 elections. As leader of the opposition, he made Quebec’s mark in Ottawa. His recovery from a near fatal bacterial disease, which led to the loss of his left leg, gave him a certain aura. Capping all this is the conviction he projects that “ a YES vote will force the rest of Canada into swift and almost painless agreement on a partnership that will solve all major problems for a sovereign Quebec. True, on occasion Bouchard goes beyond oratory to absurdity, like when he calls A YES vote “A magic wand that will transform Quebec.” His speeches, added to a brilliant PQ advertising campaign suggesting that the people of the new Quebec it dreams of would be able to keep the Canadian dollar and still enjoy dual citizenship, have enlightened a dreary campaign, to the separatists advantage. Of course the federalists had some response to all of this. Both sides realized that the key to win would be to win over the undecided French-speakers. Quebec’s English speakers had already made up their minds to show strong opposition to separation. On October 13th Christine brought the other nine provincial premiers to Montreal to discuss what he called “Team Canada” in building prosperity through trade. Chretien did so to some effect, quoting Parizeau on the remarkable advances Quebec has made, and pointed out that Quebec did it all as part of Canada. He also demolished the idea of a political partnership by asking who wants another layer of government. Yet, the most persuasive NO campaigner has been Jean Charest, one of the two survivors of the Conservative disaster in the 1993 federal election. Charest, like Bouchard, aimed at the women voters who made up most of the “undecided” The federalists made no such offer as to redraft the Constitution in Quebec’s favor. As a result of the political unrest the polls were extremely close. Quebec lost the election by a mere one percent. Even though these events concluded with a certain amount of dignification and authority, one can’t help but ask themselves, is this the way that events should have happened. A person shouldn’t rule out the fact that maybe things would have been better if Quebec had won the election. How would that have affected Canada? Also, how would it effect the United States. If Quebec had been allowed to declare its independence it would have affected the culture, the economy, and the stability of both nations. First we need to look at how it would affect culture. This aspect of change would not affect the US near as much as Quebec’s mother country, Canada. Since cultural differences is what moved people to want to be independent in the first place, there would probably be even more distinguishing differences between the two nations. If the French people of Quebec had a place to call their own they probably wouldn’t feel so much discrimination against the English speaking people in Canada. The people of Quebec just need something to call their own. They need something that distinguishes their culture from the surrounding country. They difference in culture would not affect the US near as much. We would see little or no change in our society. Another type of change to look at, if Quebec had won its freedom, would be changes in the economy. Would Quebec use Canadian dollars, or would they develop their own money system? This question was never really answered during the election. No matter what system of money they used though, the formation of a new nation would boost the economy of not only Canada and Quebec, but also with the United States. A new nation would open new trade agreements. Quebec would also have to supply its own source of supplies, this need would create new jobs for the people of Quebec. With independence would also come prosperity, and by Quebec gaining prosperity so would its neighboring countries, Canada and the United States. The last kind of difference to consider would be the stability of Canada, with the loss of one of its large provinces. There are a lot of possibilities here. Some people believe that a civil war would occur. This is the type of consequence that would involve the United States more than anything. We would have know choice but to take action in the war. Our only choice would be, which side do we help? The possibility of civil war is far fetched to say the least, though. There would probably be some political unrest in the beginning, but after the dust had settled the people of Quebec would be happy and a lot of tension would be let off. Political relations not only Quebec and Canada, but also with the US, would be a little rocky to start out with, but a formation of a new ally could be to the advantage of everyone. Should Quebec have won the election? None can say, at least not at the moment. The members of the separatists say that they will not be defeated. Perhaps in the next few years all of the questions asked will be answered. At the end of October in 1995 Canada came close to finally breaking up. Quebecker’s took a vote on the 30th on whether or not their province should declare itself an independent nation. Most people and the media believe that the separatists would loose. The people drew these beliefs from a similar election help in 1980. Although in this recent poll, these scores were too close to call. The separatists were defeated by a one percent loss. The reason this past election was so close is due mainly to the change of leadership on the separatist side. During the previous year before the election , the YES campaign had been led by Quebec’s premier Jacques Parizeau. Parizeau is an economics professor, and had led a ponderous campaign, since his Parti Quebecois (PQ) won provincial power 13 months earlier. The No side, led by provincial Liberal’s leader, Daniel Johnson, was winning , with warnings of a slump and heavy job losses if Quebec broke away. On October 9th, Mr. Parizeau, realizing that his campaign was failing, handed over leadership of the separatists cause to Lucian Bouchard. Bouchard was head of the Bloc Quebecois (BQ), a distinct, federal level party which swept[t the polls in Quebec in the 1993 federal elections, and whose 53 members in the Ottawa parliament are second in number only to the ruling liberals of Jean Chretien. Already in June, Parizeau had retreated from his outright separatist stance by agreeing with Bouchard, and with Mario Dumont, leader of a small nationalist party, to couple a declaration of sovereignty with an offer to negotiate with residual Canada a form of political and economic partnership, similarly modeled on the European Union. By naming Bouchard the chief negotiator of such a partnership during a year’s grace period after a YES victory, the Quebec premier yielded center stage to his far more popular ally. Bouchard gave full reign to his passionate goal. Within a week, opinion polls showed the YES vote climbing level with the NOes. The reasons for Bouchard’s appeal to the people of Quebec are clear. A truck driver’s son who became who became Canada’s ambassador in Paris, in 1990 he stormed out of the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney, where he was environment minister, over constitutional differences. He built up the Block at extraordinary speed, to achieve its triumph in the 1993 elections. As leader of the opposition, he made Quebec’s mark in Ottawa. His recovery from a near fatal bacterial disease, which led to the loss of his left leg, gave him a certain aura. Capping all this is the conviction he projects that “ a YES vote will force the rest of Canada into swift and almost painless agreement on a partnership that will solve all major problems for a sovereign Quebec. True, on occasion Bouchard goes beyond oratory to absurdity, like when he calls A YES vote “A magic wand that will transform Quebec.” His speeches, added to a brilliant PQ advertising campaign suggesting that the people of the new Quebec it dreams of would be able to keep the Canadian dollar and still enjoy dual citizenship, have enlightened a dreary campaign, to the separatists advantage. Of course the federalists had some response to all of this. Both sides realized that the key to win would be to win over the undecided French-speakers. Quebec’s English speakers had already made up their minds to show strong opposition to separation. On October 13th Christine brought the other nine provincial premiers to Montreal to discuss what he called “Team Canada” in building prosperity through trade. Chretien did so to some effect, quoting Parizeau on the remarkable advances Quebec has made, and pointed out that Quebec did it all as part of Canada. He also demolished the idea of a political partnership by asking who wants another layer of government. Yet, the most persuasive NO campaigner has been Jean Charest, one of the two survivors of the Conservative disaster in the 1993 federal election. Charest, like Bouchard, aimed at the women voters who made up most of the “undecided” The federalists made no such offer as to redraft the Constitution in Quebec’s favor. As a result of the political unrest the polls were extremely close. Quebec lost the election by a mere one percent. Even though these events concluded with a certain amount of dignification and authority, one can’t help but ask themselves, is this the way that events should have happened. A person shouldn’t rule out the fact that maybe things would have been better if Quebec had won the election. How would that have affected Canada? Also, how would it effect the United States. If Quebec had been allowed to declare its independence it would have affected the culture, the economy, and the stability of both nations. First we need to look at how it would affect culture. This aspect of change would not affect the US near as much as Quebec’s mother country, Canada. Since cultural differences is what moved people to want to be independent in the first place, there would probably be even more distinguishing differences between the two nations. If the French people of Quebec had a place to call their own they probably wouldn’t feel so much discrimination against the English speaking people in Canada. The people of Quebec just need something to call their own. They need something that distinguishes their culture from the surrounding country. They difference in culture would not affect the US near as much. We would see little or no change in our society. Another type of change to look at, if Quebec had won its freedom, would be changes in the economy. Would Quebec use Canadian dollars, or would they develop their own money system? This question was never really answered during the election. No matter what system of money they used though, the formation of a new nation would boost the economy of not only Canada and Quebec, but also with the United States. A new nation would open new trade agreements. Quebec would also have to supply its own source of supplies, this need would create new jobs for the people of Quebec. With independence would also come prosperity, and by Quebec gaining prosperity so would its neighboring countries, Canada and the United States. The last kind of difference to consider would be the stability of Canada, with the loss of one of its large provinces. There are a lot of possibilities here. Some people believe that a civil war would occur. This is the type of consequence that would involve the United States more than anything. We would have know choice but to take action in the war. Our only choice would be, which side do we help? The possibility of civil war is far fetched to say the least, though. There would probably be some political unrest in the beginning, but after the dust had settled the people of Quebec would be happy and a lot of tension would be let off. Political relations not only Quebec and Canada, but also with the US, would be a little rocky to start out with, but a formation of a new ally could be to the advantage of everyone. Should Quebec have won the election? None can say, at least not at the moment. The members of the separatists say that they will not be defeated. Perhaps in the next few years all of the questions asked will be answered. --------------------------------------------------------------