Changes

Quebec traces its roots to French colonization of North America prior to the British conquest of Canada in 1760 during the [[French and Indian Wars]].  Quebec still retains a unique French-language culture, although it has had little connection with France since the conquest. The "[[Quiet Revolution]]" of the 1960s dramatically changed the province; it modernized rapidly and the Catholic Church lost much of its innfluence, along with a large portion of its membership. A new sense of French nationalism emerged, calling for an independent nation, and meanwhile forcing out most of the great business and banking corporations that were run by English Canadians (they moved to [[Toronto]]).

Quebec traces its roots to French colonization of North America prior to the British conquest of Canada in 1760 during the [[French and Indian Wars]].  Quebec still retains a unique French-language culture, although it has had little connection with France since the conquest. The "[[Quiet Revolution]]" of the 1960s dramatically changed the province; it modernized rapidly and the Catholic Church lost much of its innfluence, along with a large portion of its membership. A new sense of French nationalism emerged, calling for an independent nation, and meanwhile forcing out most of the great business and banking corporations that were run by English Canadians (they moved to [[Toronto]]).

The official language of the province is [[French]], although many residents are bilingual, speaking both French and [[English]]. Laws and regulations must be written in both English and French as per the Constitution Act of 1867. The provincial government has severely restricted the use of English in signage and schools.

The official language of the province is [[French]], although many residents are bilingual, speaking both French and [[English]]. Laws and regulations must be written in both English and French as per the Constitution Act of 1867. The provincial government has severely restricted the use of English in public documents, signage and schools. The French only provincial laws enacted in 1974 and 1977 was thought to violate the Canadian government's bilingual policy, a major tradition in the country's history of the Francophone (or French-speaking) presence, for all its' 10 provinces and territories to be equally printed in English and French. 

==Economy==

==Economy==

In 1960 reformers defeated the Union Nationale and formed a government under Liberal [[Jean Lesage]]<ref> See [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0004642 biography at ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2000)]]</ref> with the slogan "Maitres chez nous" (Masters in Our Own Home).  Reelected in 1962 by promising to nationalize the giant hydro-electricity industry, the Quebec Liberals initiated the '''Quiet Revolution'''--a program of economic, political, and educational reforms aimed at both modernizing the province and intensifying its French characteristics. In response to their demands for greater autonomy, Ottawa conceded an "opting-out" formula whereby Quebec was not required to participate in such federal welfare programs as the Canada Pension Plan,<ref> See [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0001236 article at ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2000)]]</ref> but could instead receive an amount of federal money equal to that which would have been spent in the province under the Pension Plan. This "special status" for Quebec irritated many English-speaking Canadians, although it fell far short of satisfying the rapidly growing French Canadian separatist movement, which advocated complete independence for Quebec. Some separatist leaders began to resort to terrorism, and in 1963 there was a series of bombings in the English-speaking districts of Montreal.

In 1960 reformers defeated the Union Nationale and formed a government under Liberal [[Jean Lesage]]<ref> See [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0004642 biography at ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2000)]]</ref> with the slogan "Maitres chez nous" (Masters in Our Own Home).  Reelected in 1962 by promising to nationalize the giant hydro-electricity industry, the Quebec Liberals initiated the '''Quiet Revolution'''--a program of economic, political, and educational reforms aimed at both modernizing the province and intensifying its French characteristics. In response to their demands for greater autonomy, Ottawa conceded an "opting-out" formula whereby Quebec was not required to participate in such federal welfare programs as the Canada Pension Plan,<ref> See [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0001236 article at ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2000)]]</ref> but could instead receive an amount of federal money equal to that which would have been spent in the province under the Pension Plan. This "special status" for Quebec irritated many English-speaking Canadians, although it fell far short of satisfying the rapidly growing French Canadian separatist movement, which advocated complete independence for Quebec. Some separatist leaders began to resort to terrorism, and in 1963 there was a series of bombings in the English-speaking districts of Montreal.

Faced with a serious crisis, the national government of Prime Minister [[Lester Pearson]] appointed a royal commission to investigate the problems of bilingualism and biculturalism in Canada. The commission's report documented the economic disadvantages suffered by French Canadians and recommended full recognition of both French and English as equal official languages at the federal level and in the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, and Ontario. In administrative policy the Pearson government favored "cooperative federalism," meaning continuous consultation between federal and provincial departments of government, as well as fairly frequent full-scale federal-provincial conferences.

Faced with a serious crisis, the national government of Prime Minister [[Lester Pearson]] appointed a royal commission to investigate the problems of bilingualism and biculturalism in Canada. The commission's report documented the economic disadvantages suffered by French Canadians and recommended full recognition of both French and English as equal official languages at the federal level and in the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, and Ontario. Further bilingualism policies were adapted in more conservative Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. In administrative policy the Pearson government favored "cooperative federalism," meaning continuous consultation between federal and provincial departments of government, as well as fairly frequent full-scale federal-provincial conferences.

In 1966 the Lesage government in Quebec was defeated by the Union Nationale under Daniel Johnson,<ref> See [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0004149 biography at ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2000)]</ref> which claimed to be even more vigorously nationalist than its opponents.<ref> Lesage's party won 47% of the vote to Johnson's 41%, but the Union Nationale won 56 seats vs 51 because its vote was concentrated in rural constituencies which were overrepresented. Claude  Ryan, "Quebec Changes Governments". ''Foreign Affairs'' 1966 45(1): 148-161. Issn: 0015-7120 Fulltext: [[Ebsco]]</ref> Meanwhile, the Liberal government in Ottawa, which had been reelected in 1965, secured the final adoption of a distinctive national flag featuring the maple leaf as the nation's symbol. Another important piece of legislation was the National Medicare Act, which provided for joint federal-provincial financing of universal health care insurance.

In 1966 the Lesage government in Quebec was defeated by the Union Nationale under Daniel Johnson,<ref> See [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0004149 biography at ''Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2000)]</ref> which claimed to be even more vigorously nationalist than its opponents.<ref> Lesage's party won 47% of the vote to Johnson's 41%, but the Union Nationale won 56 seats vs 51 because its vote was concentrated in rural constituencies which were overrepresented. Claude  Ryan, "Quebec Changes Governments". ''Foreign Affairs'' 1966 45(1): 148-161. Issn: 0015-7120 Fulltext: [[Ebsco]]</ref> Meanwhile, the Liberal government in Ottawa, which had been reelected in 1965, secured the final adoption of a distinctive national flag featuring the maple leaf as the nation's symbol. Another important piece of legislation was the National Medicare Act, which provided for joint federal-provincial financing of universal health care insurance.