Anti-Quebec sentiment () is a form of prejudice which is expressed toward the government, culture, and/or the francophone people of Quebec. This prejudice must be distinguished from legitimate criticism of Quebec society or the Government of Quebec, though the question of what qualifies as legitimate criticism and mere prejudice is itself controversial. Quebec bashing is sometimes presented as legitimate criticism of Quebec society, government, or public policies.
Québec bashing The French-language media in Quebec, particularly Quebecor, has termed anti-Quebec sentiment Québec bashingMichel David. "Bashing Quebec fashionable in Anglo media," The Gazette, April 21, 2000.—what it perceives as hateful, anti-Quebec coverage in the English-language media. It mostly cites examples from the English-Canadian media, and occasionally in coverage from other countries, often based on Canadian sources.Louis Bouchard, "L’identité québécoise jusqu’en Allemagne – Ingo Kolboom, un ami du Québec" , Le Journal Mir, February 15, 2006, retrieved September 30, 2006 Some sovereignist journalists and academics noted that unfavourable depictions of the province by the media increased in the late 1990s after the unsuccessful 1995 Quebec referendum on independence.The Black Book of English Canada by Normand Lester, McClelland & Stewart, 2002, p.11, "Les dérapages racistes à l'égard du Québec au Canada anglais depuis 1995" by Maryse Potvin, Politiques et Sociétés, vol. XVIII, n.2, 1999 Quebec-bashing has been denounced as dishonest,"Controverse autour du livre Oh Canada Oh Québec!" video, Archives, Société Radio-Canada, March 31, 1992, retrieved September 22, 2006 false, defamatory"Un polémiste provocateur" video, Archives, Société Radio-Canada, September 20, 1991, retrieved September 20, 2006 prejudiced,"Harper takes Wong to task for column " by Alexander Panetta, CNEWS, September 20, 2006. racist,Le Livre noir du Canada anglais by Normand Lester, Les Intouchables Editions, 2001, p.9, Gérald Larose. "Michaëlle Jean a raison". Conseil de la souveraineté, September 27, 2006. colonialist,Luc Chartrand. "Les 'Rhodésiens' masqués. Les cercles de droite du Canada anglais sont en train d'inventer un rascisme subtil, politiquement correct !". L'actualité, April 15, 2000. or hate speech"The ’Quebecistan’ question" by Brigitte Pellerin, The Ottawa Citizen, August 24, 2006, retrieved September 20, 2006 by many people of all originsJocelyne Richer. "Charest exige des excuses du Globe and Mail". Canadian Press. September 19, 2006 and political colours"Charest seeks Globe apology over notion culture a factor in school shootings" , The Gazette, September 19, 2006, retrieved September 20, 2006 in Quebec.
Themes French-speaking Quebecers have been criticized by English-speaking Quebecers, who argue they are discriminated against because the law requires French to be the only work language in large companies since 1977. The expression pure laine ("pure wool") to denote Quebecers of French descent has also often been cited as a manifestation of discriminatory attitudes.Towards a government policy to fight against racism and discrimination - For the full participation of Quebecers from cultural communities, Canadian Race Relations Foundation Brief presented to the Government of Quebec's Consultation, September 2006, p. 9 retrieved 2009-05-08 Pure laine has been characterized as an expression of racial exclusion in Quebec, but countercritics claim the term is obsolete and seldom used.Antoine Robitaille. "Les « pures laines » coupables ?" La Presse, September 19, 2006.
Critics note the low percentage of minority participation in any level of the Quebec public services.Hubert Bauch, "Jan Wong was misguided, maybe. But why the fuss?: Row over story blaming Quebec culture for shooting grabbed attention from real problems", The Gazette, October 1, 2006, "They're not being included in the decision-making fabric of Quebec," [Jack] Jedwab said. "If you look at the nominations process, to boards, committees, to various positions, Quebec has an absolutely abysmal record. Its public service by all standards has the lowest representation of visible minorities of any province or state in North America." Some efforts have been made to increase the percentage of minorities in the Montreal Police Force and the public service of Quebec (such as the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec, the Ministry of Health and Social Services); they are largely European-Canadian francophones.Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, Going Forward, the Evolution of Quebec's English-Speaking Community Chapter 9, Anglophone Priorities and Concerns, retrieved 2009-05-09
Language laws in Quebec that promote the use of French and restrict the use of English are justified as necessary to preserve and to strengthen the French language within the province. They are criticized as reinforcing barriers for non-French speakers. The (CPLF) and the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) merged in 2002 and enforce the Charter of the French Language; it has been derided as the "language police." It has been criticized for enforcing sign laws—laws requiring that French wording dominate English and other languages on commercial signs. English-speaking Quebecers strongly oppose the sign laws. The public servants of the OQLF have sometimes been compared to the Gestapo or "brown shirts."Diane Francis. "Quebec language policy isn't funny." April 11, 2000.
Context
Quebec context Quebec is a province within Canada. It has a French-speaking majority. According to the 2016 census, 77.1% of Quebec residents cite French alone as their mother tongue and 84.5% use French as their primary first official language of Canada. In contrast, the rest of Canada has a majority of English-speakers; 70.6% cite English alone as their mother tongue. While 86.2% of Canada's population report being able to "conduct a conversation in English," only 29.8% of Canadians report being able to hold a conversation in French, according to Statistics Canada.
Before 1763, most of the land that is now in the Province of Quebec was part of New France, an area of North America that was colonized by France. After the defeat of France in the Seven Years' War, the territory was ceded to Great Britain and became a British colony. It was united with the future province of Ontario in 1840, and finally a became a province of Canada in 1867 after confederation.
19th century An early Quebec nationalist movement emerged in the 1820s under the Parti Patriote, which argued for greater autonomy within the British Empire and at times flirted with the idea of independence. The Lower Canada Rebellion was suppressed by government forces at roughly the same time as the failure of a similar rebellion among English Canadians in what is now Ontario. After the suppression of the rebellion, Quebec gradually became a more conservative society in which the Roman Catholic Church occupied a more dominant position.Mason Wade, The French Canadians, 1760-1967 (1968) pp 331–392.
Religious, language and ethnic differences worsened decade by decade. European Canadians were highly religious, but the Protestants and Catholics hated each other. The Francophones saw their traditional culture under siege by the Anglophones, who controlled business and finance across Canada, including Quebec's, and systematically blocked the expansion of French language schools outside Quebec. The hanging of Louis Riel for treason in 1885 convinced Francophones they were under attack, and permanently undermined the Conservative base in Quebec. French nationalism emerged as a powerful force that is still a dominant factor in Quebec's history. Inside the Irish community, the longstanding bitterness between the Protestant Orange and the Catholic green continued unabated. The Orange boasted of the supremacy of their Anglo-Saxon civilization and Protestant culture over the backward, medieval, priest-ridden Catholicism. They ridiculed the French and Irish races as backwards and ultimately doomed.
20th century
The conscription crisis of 1917
In 1917, after three years of a war that was supposed to have been over in three months, Casualties had been very high and there was a severe shortage of volunteers. Prime Minister Robert Borden had originally promised not to introduce conscription, but now believed it was necessary to win the war. The Military Service Act was passed in July, but there was fierce opposition, mostly from French Canadians (led not only by firebrand Henri Bourassa, but also by moderate Wilfrid Laurier). Borden's government almost collapsed, but he was able to form a Union government with the Liberal opposition (although Laurier did not join the new government). In the 1917 election, the Union government was re-elected, but with no support from Quebec. Over the next year, the war finally ended, with very few Canadian conscripts actually sent to France.Mason Wade, French Canadians, 1760-1967 (1968) vol 2 pp 708–780.Jack Granatstein, and J. MacKay Hitsman, Broken Promises: A History of Conscription in Canada (1977).
Conscription Crisis of 1944
The Conscription Crisis of 1944 was a political and military crisis following the introduction of forced military service for men during World War II. It was similar to the Conscription Crisis of 1917, but not as politically damaging.
From the beginning, acceptance of French-speaking units was greater in Canada during World War Two than World War One. In 1914, the drive to create the 22nd Infantry Battalion (French-Canadian) had necessitated large rallies of French Canadians and political pressure to overcome Minister Sam Hughes' abhorrence of the idea. But during World War II, greater acceptance of French-Canadian units, as well as informal use of their language, lessened the ferocity of Quebec's resistance to the war effort.Mason Wade, French Canadians, 1760-1967 (1968) vol 2 pp 994–1106.
Since 1950s In the late 1950s and the 1960s, a massive social transformation in Quebec that was known as the Quiet Revolution took place. Quebec's society became rapidly more secular as the Catholic Church and local clergy lost much of their power over the people. The economically marginalized French-speaking majority slowly and peacefully took control of Quebec's economy from the long-ruling English minority. A new independence movement developed, along with a reassertion of Quebec's French language, culture, and unique identity. A terrorist organization, the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ), arose, as well as the peaceful Parti Québécois, a provincial political party with the stated aims of independence and social democracy. Over time, the FLQ vanished, but the PQ flourished.
Assimilation, which was the fate of the francophone culture of the former Louisiana Territory in the United States, is feared by French Canadians. The French language was discriminated against for a long time in Canada, even in Quebec. The Quebec Liberal Party, led by Premier Robert Bourassa, passed the Official Language Act (Bill 22) in 1974, which abolished English as an official language and made French the sole official language of Quebec. In 1976, the Parti Québécois was elected and René Lévesque, a major figure of the Quiet Revolution, became premier. The PQ rapidly enacted the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101). Many of the French Language Charter's provisions expanded on the 1974 Official Language Act. The protective language law outlawed the public display of English, making French signs obligatory, regulations that would later be overturned following court challenges. A first referendum on sovereignty was held in 1980 under the leadership of Lévesque. The YES side—in favour of separation—lost with 40.44% of the vote. A second referendum was held in 1995 with Lucien Bouchard, Jacques Parizeau and Mario Dumont as leaders. The YES campaign narrowly lost with 49.42% support.