Quiet Revolution - Nationalism

Nationalism

The societal and economic innovations of the Quiet Revolution, which empowered Quebec society, emboldened certain nationalists to push for political independence. While visiting Montreal for Expo 67, General Charles de Gaulle proclaimed Vive le Québec libre! in a speech at Montreal City Hall, which gave the Quebec independence movement further public credibility. In 1968, the sovereignist Parti Québécois was created, with René Lévesque as its leader. A small faction of Marxist separatists began terrorist actions as the Front de libération du Québec, the zenith of their activities being the 1970 October Crisis, during which British diplomat James Cross as well as Labour Minister Pierre Laporte were both kidnapped by FLQ cells, with Laporte eventually being killed.

The Parti Québécois has twice led Quebecers through unsuccessful referendums, the first in 1980 on the question of political sovereignty with economic association to Canada, and the second in 1995 on full sovereignty.

In 1977, during their first term in office, the Parti Québécois enacted the Charter of the French Language, known in English as Bill 101, whose goal is to protect the French language by making it the language of business in Quebec, as well as restricting the use of English on signs. The bill also restricted the eligibility for elementary and high school students to attend school in English, allowing this only for children of parents who had studied in English in Quebec. Children may also be eligible for English education if their parents or grandparents received a certain amount of English education outside of the province (ex. another Canadian province). Once a child has been permitted to attend an English primary or high schoolm the remaining children in that family are also granted access.