Redefining the Quebec Nation

Abstract

As seen in the previous chapter, since the Quiet Revolution of the early 1960s, there has been a progressive shift in Quebec from a predominantly ethnic to a more civic conception of the nation. In the opinion of one commentator, ‘[t]he shift from a French Canadian to a Quebec representation of the nation is of such significance that, rather than of a transformation or reworking, one should speak of a rupture’ (Dufour 2001: 164). Considering the extent of the change, it is no surprise that there has been much debate about which model of nation is most suitable. While most agree with the Larose Commission that Quebec is right to abandon ‘the defensive attitude characteristic of minorities’ and stress a ‘unifying common culture’, opinions vary about the balance that should be struck between the two main issues in question: the recognition of the ethnic pluralism of present-day Quebec on the one hand, and the continuity of the French language and culture in North America on the other. A good example of the collective debate was the initiative taken by the newspaper Le Devoir in 1999, which led to a series of articles, a conference and ultimately to the publication of Penser la nation québécoise (Vive Quebec! New Thinking and New Approaches to the Quebec Nation) (Venne 2000c, 2001c), a volume outlining the definitions of nation of seventeen Quebec intellectuals.

Abandoning the defensive attitude characteristic of minorities, rejecting the divisive and ethnic nature of multiculturalism, the Quebec nation is counting more and more on the unifying potential of a common culture, born of the creativity of each of its members, to raise everyone’s awareness that they share the same citizenship. (Gouvernement du Québec 2001a: 14)

Délaissant l’attitude défensive des minoritaires, rejetant le caractère diviseur et ethnique du multiculturalisme, la nation québécoise mise de plus en plus sur le potentiel rassembleur d’une culture commune, fruit de la créativité de chacun de ses membres, pour accroître chez tous la conscience de partager une même citoyenneté.