This document provides an overview of Quebec, its people and culture, politics, and relationship with the United States. Quebec has a population of 8 million people, most of whom are French-speaking. Politically, Quebec has sovereignty movements seeking independence from Canada, with two referendums on the issue failing to pass. Quebec maintains close economic, cultural, and political ties to the United States, its largest trade partner, sharing a border and deep historical migration connections.

1. A Portrait of Québec
Its People/Culture, Politics,
and Relation with the United States
Frédérick Gagnon
Professor, Political Science, Université du Québec à Montréal
Director, Centre for United States Studies, Raoul Dandurand Chair

2. Plan
• A short description of the
population/culture of Québec
• A quick overview of Québec politics
• A brief overview of Québec-U.S.
relations

3. A short description of the
population/culture of Québec

4. Source:
Government of
Canada
Web site

5. • In 2011, population of Québec is 8 million
(Virginia = 8 million; 13 EV)
• Québec is about 23% of Canada’s population

6. Why Study Québec?
• Québec is 83%
French speaking /
10% English
• Québec is a living,
working
francophone
society (the
largest in the
Americas)

7. Spoken languages in Canada
Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census Profile of Federal Electoral Districts.

8. A diverse population

10. The two most important cities
Québec city
Montréal

11. Québec city
• Provincial capital of Québec
• Turned 400 in 2008!
• Pop.: 491,142 (city); 728,924 (metro)
• 95% speak French at home; 1% English

12. North America’s European City?

13. Montreal
• Largest city in Québec (2nd in Canada after
Toronto)
• Pop.: 1,854,442 (city); 3,635,571 (metro)
• 70% speak French at home; 19% English
(more than 40 ethnic communities)

14. A bilingual / bicultural city
• 60% of the pop. speak both English and
French (compared with 17% in Canada)

15. So what does it mean to be
Québécois? Is Québec:
• An extension of France?
• A Canadian province like the others?
• An americanized francophone society?
• A country in the making?

16. According to Yvan Lamonde
(1996)
• This formula is helpful to understand what Québec is:
2
Q + Fr + GB + (USA) - R
Quebec’s history and identity (Q) are made up of less
France (F) than we believe, more Great Britain (GB)
than we want to admit, a much larger American
influence than we think, and much less imput from
Rome (R) and the clergy than thought

17. How to tell if you are from Québec
(According to Valérie Bourdeau @ zompist.com)
• If you are religious, you
are probably a non-
practicing Catholic. The
Catholic church used to
have a strong influence
politically and socially,
practically controlling
the province, but that’s
not true since the
Révolution Tranquille in
the 60s which brought
separation of church
and state.

18. • Traditional Québec cuisine is
rustic and sticks to the ribs.
Poutine, tourtiere (meat pie),
ragoût de pattes de cochon
(pigs feet stew), oreilles de
christ (deep-fried salted pork
fat yum) and maple syrup are
familiar dishes that are
usually only eaten around the
holidays or on a trip to the
cabane à sucre (where they
make the maple syrup,
dontcha know).

19. • You speak
French, at
home, at work
and at school,
but you're
bilingual or you
at least know a
little English.

20. • French spoken in Québec is different from
French from Europe, with distinct local
expressions and accents. Pushed to the rural
extreme, Québec French is called joual and is
almost completely unintelligible to Europeans.

21. • You mostly get your news and
information from French newspapers
and TV. RDI is a 24-hour news
channel, the French equivalent of CNN.

22. • Québec TV culture is immensely popular, if not cult-like.
You watch all the téléromans (high-quality dramatic
miniseries usually only lasting one season) with
passion. You love sitcoms and comedy programming,
and support the hundreds of local stand-up comics and
comedians when they tour the province. You have
watched Les Filles de Caleb, Lance et Compte, La
Petite Vie, Chambre en Ville, Scoop and you never
miss the Bye Bye on New Year's Eve.

23. • You are vaguely aware of an Anglo culture, but
you are more familiar with American products.
Even then, your exposure to English media is
limited unless your English is very good.

24. • American movies are dubbed in Québec. Many
Québécois have never heard Tom Cruise's real
voice. If your English is good, however, you prefer
to see the original version. You see (…) many of
the imports from France.

25. • You don't consider yourself a socialist, and
definitely not a communist, however you enjoy
socialized health care despite all the problems
inherent in the system. (…) You expect very
strong measures to be taken to save very ill
babies or people in their eighties.

26. • School is free through high school, unless you go
to private school. Colleges and universities are
subsidized by the government, but they're by no
means free (tuition can be up to $5000 a year).
You can get a scholarship, but only an academic
one, not for athletics.

27. • You know the words to the (Canadian) national
anthem in French because they teach it in school,
but you don’t find yourself singing it very often
unless you’re a sports fan. You might know some
of the words in English too.

28. • The day for fireworks, bonfires and parades is
June 24 (Fête Nationale du Québec, also
known as La St-Jean Baptiste). You get some
good ones on July 1st too for Canada Day
(but you care much less about July 1st…)

29. A quick overview of Québec politics

30. How our system works
The (very) basics…
• 2 levels of government: provincial and
federal
• Both follow the Westminster (British)
model of government

31. The very basics…
• At the head is the Prime Minister of
Canada, and there is a prime minister
for each province
• There is a multi-party system on each
level, but only a few major parties ever
get elected

32. Our political parties
• Federal Parties (in Ottawa)
• Provincial Parties (in Québec)

33. In Québec, as Valérie Bourdeau explains:
• You have a firm opinion on
the sovereignty debate,
reduced to "Oui" and "Non"
camps (the question is "Do
you want to separate from
Canada?"). You like to
discuss it at great length.
Regardless of where you
stand, you probably agree
that Québec is a distinct
society that deserves
protection from
assimilation.

34. Among our parties, 3 are for the
separation of Québec
• Federal Parties (in Ottawa)
• Provincial Parties (in Québec)

35. - Founded by René Lévesque in 1968
- An icon of the separatist movement,
Lévesque was Premier of Québec
Between 1976 and 1985
- Pierre Trudeau’s political opponent
(Trudeau was Prime Minister of
Canada between 1968 and 1979;
and 1980 and 1984)

36. May 20, 1980
Referendum on sovereigny-association
The Question:
« The Government of Quebec has made public its proposal to
negotiate a new agreement with the rest of Canada, based
on the equality of nations; this agreement would enable
Quebec to acquire the exclusive power to make its laws, levy
its taxes and establish relations abroad — in other words,
sovereignty — and at the same time to maintain with
Canada an economic association including a common
currency; any change in political status resulting from these
negotiations will only be implemented with popular approval
through another referendum; on these terms, do you give the
Government of Quebec the mandate to negotiate the
proposed agreement between Quebec and Canada? »

37. Referendum
#1:
1980

38. 2nd attempt
1995 referendum (Oct. 30)
« Do you agree that Québec should
become sovereign after having made a
formal offer to Canada for a new
economic and political partnership
within the scope of the bill respecting
the future of Québec and of the
agreement signed on June 12, 1995? »

39. Referendum
#2:
1995

40. Arguments of those who favor
the separation of Québec
- « Because we are different than the ROC »(a
nation within a nation, with a different history,
culture, language)
- « Because being a country would allow us to be
masters in our own house »
- « Because Québébois have different values than
other Canadians and because Ottawa often
makes decisions that contradict these values »

41. Canada should bring troops home from
Afghanistan immediately

42. Should Canada spend more or less for
military defense?

43. Canada should have a carbon tax

44. Mariage should only be between a man
and a woman

45. The federal gov. should have its say in
matters related to culture in Québec

46. Québec should become an independent
country

47. Public Support for Quebec independence
(March 2012 Léger Marketing Survey)
44.5% of Quebeckers would still support
separating from Canada
39% said the province should stay in the
federation
16.8% were undecided

48. A brief overview of Québec-U.S.
relations

49. Montreal’s proximity to the U.S.
- 1 hour drive Plattsburgh, NY
- 1 ½ hour to Burlington, VT
- 3 ½ hours to Albany, NY
- 5 ½ hours to Boston, MA
- 6 hours to NYC

50. Louis Balthazar (2004)
The most important, pressing, and
immediate relation for Québec is that
which must be maintained with its giant
neighbour, the United States. This is an
undeniable reality (…)
Not only is the US a superpower that any
international actor cannot ignore, it is also
the only state (with the exception of the
Canadian provinces) with which
Québec shares a border

51. 1- A multifaceted/transnational
relationship (« The 4 Connections »)
a) Historical/Cultural Connection
b) Political Connection
c) Security Connection
d) Economic Connection

52. a) Historical/Cultural Connection
One example…
1840-1930: 900 000 French Canadians
emigrated to the United States
French Canadian immigrants in the Northeastern
United States

55. French Canadian Cities in
Size (1900)
1- Montreal
2- Québec
3- Fall River (MA)
4- Lowell (MA)
The New England area contained
10 cities with a French Canadian
population in excess of 10,000,
while Quebec only had five, most
of them barely above 10,000

56. Today
• 13 million Americans claim to have
French ancestors (4% of the pop.)
• A large proportion of them have
ancestors who emigrated from French
Canada during the 19th and 20th
century

57. First candidate with a Franco-American name to win a major office in Maine in at least a
century - and perhaps ever

59. Jack Kerouac (1922-1969)
• American novelist,
writer, poet, and artist
from Lowell (MA)
• Born to immigrants Léo-
Alcide Kérouac and
Gabrielle-Ange
Lévesque
• Father of the Beat
movement; inspired Bob
Dylan, Jim Morrison, etc.
1958

60. Battle of Iwo Jima
(Japan - Feb. - March. 1945)
Joe Rosenthal photographed five Marines: Ira Hayes, Mike Strank, Franklin Sousley,
Harlon Block, René Gagnon, and a U.S. Navy corpsman, John Bradley, raising the U.S. flag
atop the 166 meter (546 ft) Mount Suribachi

61. René Gagnon (1925-1979)
• Born in
Manchester (NH),
the only child of
French Canadian
immigrants from
Saint-Luc,
Quebec, Henri
Gagnon and Irene
Marcotte

62. U.S. Marine Corps Memorial in
Arlington National Cemetery
Clint Eastwood movie (2006)

64. Her mother, Dorothy Emma Howell, has French Canadian ancestors who
immigrated to Nouvelle-France in the 17th Century!!!

65. b) Political Connection
• + are members of various bilateral and
multilateral channels of collaboration
– Conference of the New England Governors and Eastern
Canadian Premiers (NEG/ECP) (CT; ME; MA; NB; N-L; NH;
NS; PEI; QC; RI; VT)
– Council of Great Lakes Governors (WI; OH; IN; MI; NY; MN;
IL; PA; ON; QC)
– …
• 2 U.S. Consulates in Québec (Montreal and Québec
city) + 6 Québec offices in the U.S. (General
Delegation in New York; four Delegations in Atlanta,
Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago; one Office in
Washington)

66. Security Connection
1 2 3
4
Québec-U.S. Border Crossings

67. d) Economic Connection
• Over 100 million consumers are within
a 600-mile radius of Québec
New York State = 19 million
Pennsylvania = 12 million
New Jersey = 8.7 million
Massachusetts = 6.5 million
Maryland = 5.7 million
Connecticut = 3.5 million
New Hampshire = 1.3 million
Maine = 1.3 million
Rhode Island = 1 million
Delaware = 885 000
Vermont = 630 000

68. If U.S. States Were Countries…
GSP/GDP Comparisons (2000)
© Earl Fry

69. d) Economic Connection
• = leading trade partner
– 2008: trade in goods between Québec and the U.S.
totaled CDN $78,5 billion
– 2009:
• 57.5% of Québec exports = world
• 42.5% = ROC
– 2008: 75% of Québec’s international exports = U.S.
(BC = 51%; AB = 85%; SK = 67%; MB = 67%; ON =
79%)
– In the 2000s, Québec has often exported more to the
U.S. than to the ROC (2009: 30% U.S.; 42.5% ROC)

70. Economic Connection
– 2010: Québec = 6th larger exporter to the U.S.,
outpacing the UK and South Korea
– Main destinations of Québec exports: New York
State ($6,1 billion), Vermont ($3,2 billion),
Pennsylvania ($3,1 billion), Tennessee ($3,1 billion)
and Illinois ($2,6 billion)
– 60% of Québec’s international tourist revenues
come from the U.S.
– 500 000 jobs in Québec depend on access to U.S.
markets

71. Economic Connection
• U.S. Jobs: Québec = 13th
largest market
for U.S. exports (2nd
for Vermont, 6th
for
New Jersey, 8th
for Pennsylvania and 10th
for New York)
• Energy: Québec = leading producer of
hydroelectricity in North America (8th
in
the world)
– 2008: Québec exported $1,5 billion in
electricity to the U.S.

72. Concluding thoughts

73. THANK YOU!!!
gagnon.frederick@uqam.ca
twitter.com/gagnonfrederick
globalbrief.ca/frederick-gagnon
www.dandurand.uqam.ca