1995 Referendum

      Referendum is often seen as a crucial test of democratic legitimacy and an indispensable tool in ascertaining “the will of the people.” This applies particularly to momentous political decisions, especially those that have significant international impact and where an answer can be given in a binary fashion, such as the creation of independent states. (Oklopcic, 2012). As mentioned before, the motion to decide whether Quebec should secede from Canada was defeated by a very narrow margin of 49.42% "Yes" to 50.58% "No". With such a minute margin, one can only assume that about half of the people involved were for separatism, and where does the current status of Quebec leave those people? Most likely feeling hurt and alienated by the rest of Canada.

Central issues

For Separatism: 
In 1955, Henri Bourassa stated, “The purpose of immigration was to swamp the French minority in a sea of drunkards, paupers, loafers and jailbirds from England.” As is still the case today, many immigrants came to North America to realise the “American dream”, therefore, English was and is their preferred language which has been an endless source of irritation for French Canada. (Samuel, 1994). Currently, the official language of Quebec is French and there are laws in place for protection; however, should the people of Quebec be forced to accommodate those individuals living in Quebec who do not speak the official language? If Quebec does not separate from Canada, there is little doubt that some day Quebec will assimilate to the point of loosing its French identity (Samuel, 1994). Separatists feel that their well-being is threatened and being brought into question causing them to lash out in some cases. When our values are challenged by other people’s words or behaviours, we tend to react emotionally. Quebec separatists, like most people, react strongly in the face of injustice. Although at first glance the separatists may seem to be using the competing conflict style, upon further investigation it appears to me that they are a group of activists fighting for the common good of Quebec. Activists are people who position themselves as adversaries and want things to change either because they are dissatisfied with the current situation or because some of their values or principles are threatened. They are people with the courage to pursue ideals and take risks to defend what they believe in. (Guerard, 2008). The hurt and alienation felt by Quebec is immense, and at this point separation from Canada seems to be the best way to repay this province for the harm they have been caused…or is it… - Sophie

    
      Against Separatism: 
      It is understandable that Quebec is fighting to save their language but, immigrants are a big part of our Quebec culture. According to Fenwick (1981),  there is a decline in the birthrate of french Canadians and an increase in the number of non-francophone immigrants, French Canadians are becoming the minority and immigrants are becoming the majority in Quebec society. The tables seems to be turning when it comes to  language, the french are becomming increasingly bilingual in order to coexist with Quebec's Anglophone population. Since English is the leading language in the world this may not be a negative attribute for the francophone people. In fact expanding one's languages can be an asset and this goes for both French and English speaking people. No one should be forced into a culture or be cornered into speaking a language, the only way to learn is to be willing and open minded to adapting and learning new things. If this happens both sides can grow and no language will be compromised or lost which is the central issue in this conflict. 
      -Kristian

Personal Experience coming from an Immigrant background
      As an immigrant it takes time to be assimilated, one does not embrace and adapt a culture if they are forced into it. As mentioned in previous arguments it is not helping the situation if one is forced by the culture, they need time to learn the language and to assimilate themselves. For people entering a new culture there is much stress that can be aroused, For example there is huge culture shock that goes on and people who may not have as much support from friends can be on the short end of the stick trying to make life work in this foreign place. Immigrants have much more to lose than just language and culture, fitting in is what most want, to learn the language is in their best interest. At the end of the day when people feel alienated in a new place and forced by others, this creates conflict. The only way I see true growth and the possibility of languages to be saved is through collaborating and sharing this where the real assimilation happens. -Kristian

Cultural Issues

For Separatism:
The long-ago conflict between Quebec and France is a sore subject for Quebecois historians. Feeling lost and betrayed, Quebec was forced to live amongst the English and the Natives after being sold for several boatloads of fish and two small islands by their mother France. Quebec was now an orphan so-to-speak, obliged to live in a home with foster parents who didn’t speak their language. They felt as though England had taken everything from them. (Gingras, 2008). Unfortunately, these feelings of animosity still exist today between the English and the French living in Canada. We see this conflict at play in social situations every day with many Quebecois feeling it is absolutely essential to speak the French language if one resides within Quebec.  Furthermore, there is a beautifully artistic and proactive air to the French culture, something that seems quite unique in comparison with their slightly more conservative neighbouring provinces. - Sophie

 Against Separation:
 According to Fenwick (1999), "Linguistic conflict between french and English- speaking Canadians has been an enduring feature of Canadian society since the British conquest of New France (Quebec) in 1759" (p.196). Quebec's culture is projected through the people, their language, and their religion. It is true that Quebec's culture is different from those in the other provinces, and it is a land of diverse immigrants coming from all around the world. Quebec, being the largest french speaking society in North America, absolutely have a right to want to preserve their language and culture. This aspect does sets them apart from all the other provinces but it does not make them superior.  Wanting to become its own country is not going to preserve anything. Isolation is not the answer to saving and preserving oneself, adapting and embracing openness is!  It is important to preserve culture, this can happen through collaborating with other cultures and neighbouring provinces around. Through this, all cultures in and outside Quebec can be embraced. I again do not believe separating is the answer to preserving one's own culture as there are other means which can be more beneficial on many different levels. These alternatives will be discussed in later sections.
-Kristian

Who are the actors and what position do they take on the matter ?

The actors involved in this conflict are the province of Quebec and the rest of the provinces in Canada. The reason there is a conflict is because both have differences of opinion: Quebec feels it possesses a different culture in comparison with the rest of Canada and wants to preserve who they are as a people. They feel their language and culture is being lost to their English speaking neighbours. Sklar (1999) explains that Quebec's goal would be to establish a french speaking nation in north America which could be seen as an independent country in the eyes of the world.  The English feel they have no right to  make this change and are foolish to think they can be independent and separate from the rest of Canada.

According to Sklar (1999), in 1995 there was a huge referendum in Quebec to separate from Canada, Quebec voters declined by a small margin of voters in which 50.58% agreed "No" and 49.42% of voters voting "Yes" in favour of separation. Sklar (1999) explains that " Both sides struggled to establish their definitions of such ideas as pride, unity, people and history" (p.106).

My name is Kristian and I am against Quebec's separation, and feel separation is not a proper solution to preserving one's culture and language. There are others forms of conflict resolution where everyone can be accommodated, Quebec is using the conflict style of competing to get what they want and it is not working. Another style must be implemented where everyone can be happy and where no one's culture is lost or compromised.

      My name is Sophie and I am for Quebec's separation. The Quebecois believe that they have been abused, mistreated, and misunderstood by the English for years, and through becoming a country of its own, Quebec can finally embrace its originality. Quebecois Catholics have been devoted religiously to the slogan “One language, one country and one religion”—These three entities have been Quebec’s cultural jewels (Gingras, 2008). There seems to be an unbreakable bond between the Quebecois when it comes to matters regarding their love for their province. With many political, religious, and social disagreements between Quebec and the other provinces it seems ideal to separate and form the nation of Quebec in order to protect the French language and culture. Unresolved conflicts and broken relationships can create tragic relational time bombs and multiple hurts, therefore we must work together towards separatism and the end of this conflict (Gingras, 2008).

Introduction to the conflict:

"Window of Hope...and Reconciliation" commences by depicting the power struggle between Quebec and the rest of Canada. Donald Gingras discusses his experience living in a province that has been alienated from their mother home of France. The province of Quebec has encountered differences of culture, religion, language, and ultimately of opinion from their English speaking neighbours. Through this blog, we intend to analyse the conflict from its roots utilising theories of conflict with the hope of finding a solution that can be implemented in Canadian society. The authors of this blog will take opposing sides of this matter and debate selected topics through the means of blog posts. Kristian will argue against separatism and Sophie will for argue for this controversial issue supporting separatism.
Happy reading!

Kristian & Sophie