One area of political tension which poses a problem for supporters of a North American Union (aka Security and Prosperity Partnership) concerns the Province of Quebec. Within the Province of Quebec is an active secessionist movement seeking independence. It was from Quebec that resistance to a North American missile shield originated. The Quebec secession movement is not a new movement. The secession movement in the Province has a long history. The tensions in Quebec involve the French speaking population and with increasing frequency, the native American population in northern Quebec which are becoming more outspoken. Many of the French speaking population want to secede from Canada and there is increasing demand from Native Americans for their independence as well. The Native American population are becoming more vocal in their resistance to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, claiming that they do not want the games on stolen land.

The issues of the French speaking population, and those of the Native Americans are not easily solved with political solutions. Both of these issues are of concern to Quebec and its neighbors.

The region of Quebec was settled by the French in 1603. During its early days, the people in the region, known as “New France” maintained their French language and customs. The region often found itself operating autonomously in the first 150 years of its existence.

Eventually, Quebec was captured and occupied by the English in 1759 during the French and Indian War. After capturing the province, the English conquerors agreed to respect the language, culture and ways of the region. The occupation and agreement with the English was soon tested in 1776 with the American War of Secession from England. Quebec remained loyal to England and was rewarded with some autonomy. The Province was allowed to keep their French civil laws, provided that they used English common law for administrative and criminal proceedings. The English also made accommodations that allowed for religious freedom, since the Quebecois maintained their Roman Catholic roots amidst English Protestantism.

The relations between Quebec and its occupiers continued functioning with some squabbles for several decades. A former Speaker of the legislature, Louis Joseph Popineu grew tired of the squabbles between Quebec (aka Lower Canada) and Ontario (Upper Canada). The conflicts were intense. At one point, the pro-British party imprisoned members of the pro-Quebec party without a trial due to comments they printed in the newspaper. The arguments continued, with the arguments becoming more intense. The political squabbles eventually turned into armed conflict when Louis-Joseph Popineu led the Patriot Party (aka Parti canadien or Parti patriote) in an armed attempt at independence. The British occupiers reacted to the uprising by instituting martial law throughout Canada.

During the War of Northern Aggression (aka the American Civil War), the Confederate States of America maintained an office in Montreal. Some of the neighboring provinces expressed concern that it might serve to agitate the United States to maintain such relations.

When things finally settled down, the Act of Union was instituted, which united the various provinces. The Act of Union was eventually replaced by the “British North American Act” which created the nation of Canada in 1867. The act accommodated the needs of the various provinces, including Quebec. The act also allowed some self-governing of the Provinces. During the next 25 years between 1867 to 1892, many of the other Canadian Provinces had outlawed instruction in French and customs that had been allowed in accommodation to Quebec. Quebec remained a distinct people, with a distinct language, culture, law and religion surrounded by Provinces which were at times hostile to its ways.

The differences in world view were apparent when the fighting in Europe escalated to World War I. During World War I many in Quebec did not support British militarism and opposed being drafted to serve in the war of the British. Many of the volunteers from the region wanted to serve in regiments where commands were administered in French. They were willing to serve, but not where English was forced on them. The military commanders refused to accommodate their requests and insisted that military activities be conducted in English and that they serve in English regiments. This action was seen as an affront to them. Some efforts were eventually made to accommodate, but it was too little, too late.

It was suggested by many of the Quebecios politicians at that time that Quebec leave Canada. In what is known as the Conscription Crisis of 1917, Quebecois reacted to forced conscription. The Canadian army noticed that the Province of Quebec had not provided the same percentage of volunteers as the other Provinces. The government of Canada responded by enacting a forced conscription which to force them to serve. In an unusual election where servicemen were allowed to vote, the Canadian government enacted the measure to pressure forced conscription.

Similar resistance to forced conscription also occurred during World War II. This time, the Canadian government was more supportive of French-Canadian units, which averted another embarrassing situation. This accommodation smoothed ruffled feathers in Quebec.

The clashes over language and culture were manageable for several years. While the government maintained an uneasy peace, a political movement known as “The Quiet Revolution” developed. The Quiet Revolution sought the independence of Quebec rather than accommodations. One of the organizations leading this new change was the Alliance Laurentienne. The Alliance was founded by Raymond Barbeau on January 25, 1957.

Some of the other independence minded groups formed at this time included the Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale (RIN). Activist Pierre Bourgault climbed to the leadership of the group. Another organization was the Action socialiste pour l'indépendance du Québec (ASIQ). The ASIQ was founded by Raoul Roy. The ideas and efforts of the ASIQ served as inspiration for the formation of the more radical group Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) in 1963. The FLQ sought independence along with socialism for Quebec.

The independence movements received an inspiration when French leader Charles De Gualle visited Montreal in 1967. During his visit, spoke to the people. At the conclusion of his speech, from a hotel balcony, he proclaimed “Vive le Quebec! Vive le Quebec!, Vive Liberte!” His ending ignited the crowd and inspired the Quebec independence groups in the Province. The government took his speech as an affront. Independence groups began to rally to the call. During that time, many provinces and regions of Africa were gaining their independence, and the leaders in Quebec wanted independence as well.

The government of Canada also faced additional challenges. When Quebec leaders demanded that instruction in their province be conducted all in French, the Canadian government refused to accommodate to the request. Instead, the government required all the provinces provide school instruction in both French and English. This decision by the government alienated the other Provinces from Quebec by being forced to provide bi-lingual education.

The push for independence continued gaining momentum when the Prime Minister refused even to discuss the topic. The FLQ began using more radical and terror like methods often used by socialist groups to force independence. Their methods included using bombing as strategy. Other groups sought solutions through political channels. Two of the more conservative political parties joined to form the Parti Québécois (PQ). The PQ worked toward gaining representation in the Canadian legislature.

When the Canadian Labor Minister was killed by a FLQ bomb, the Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau, reacted strongly. His actions, often called “The White Terror” consisted of outlawing some of the groups. He also arrested and incarcerated members of the group without trial. Politicians in the United States praised his oppressive actions as ‘gutsy’.

The PQ continued growing in popularity despite the crackdown on the independence/secession groups. The momentum consisted on consistently larger and larger popular votes for the PQ candidates. The growing influence eventually led to the referendum vote of 1980. In that vote, the secession movement attained 40% of the votes needed. Those resisting secession cited economic concerns. The defeat was a setback for the PQ.

The PQ again won enough members to have another referendum in 1995. The vote was put to the public. This time the measure was defeated by a slim margin of — 50.6% to 49.4%. When the results were analyzed, the English speakers were opposed and the French speakers were the main supports of the measure. Like many controversial votes, there were reports of irregularities and voter fraud from both sides in the referendum.

Critics of the secession of Quebec claim that secession is illegal in Canada. The Canadian Parliament passed the Clarity Act in 1999, which made it more difficult for any provence to leave their union. They also claim that Quebec’s attempts at unilateral secession does not meet the international legal standards for such a measure, since they are not a colonial territory or occupied by another nation. When Kosovo was granted unilateral secession and independence from Serbia, the Quebec secession movement raised their concerns again, believing that Kosovo did not meet the international definitions either.

Although laws are passed to limit the people of Quebec from exercising their freedoms, the unique people, culture and laws of the region pose questions for Canada and North America. The Province of Quebec has a long history of striving for independence and often being discouraged from doing so.