“My parents moved just before the 1980 referendum. But in recent times Walker has been living and working in Halifax, and spends time in Montreal. But everything was about to change, starting when he was an adolescent in the mid-1960s. The exodus started four decades ago and eventually close to 500,000 people who had considered Quebec their home for generations left the province. Michael Chang and Dan Shields gave you the cliché version. “Bill 101 today is the law of the land, creating a unilingual French province in the heart of an officially bilingual Canada,” the Montreal Gazette reported on its front page on Aug. 27, 1977. Since the PQ's first election win in 1976 and the subsequent 1980 sovereignty referendum, Quebec's English speaking population has declined by thousands of people. The major change, he explains, was there were more jobs open to French workers and more houses available in Westmount at lower prices. presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution The radical movement stopped seeming hip and relatively harmless in 1970 when British diplomat James Cross was kidnapped and Quebec cabinet minister Pierre Laporte was killed by the terrorist Front de libération du Québec (FLQ). Exodus from Quebec City. Exodus Cheese is a hybrid cannabis strain. History does record an exodus of corporate head offices and anglophones after the 1976 election of the first Parti Quebecois government, which was … Starting in 1976 it governed the province for long periods and twice tried to prise it away from the rest of Canada through referendums (in 1980 and 1995). “We promise there won’t be a referendum out of respect to the majority decision of May 20,” Lévesque said. permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com. That’s when the first bombs went off in Westmount mailboxes near the school where John Walker’s grandmother taught. Four days into the 1981 campaign, Lévesque told a crowd in St-Hyacinthe that Liberals wanted to “bring us back to the most humiliating period in our past, when we let ourselves be walked over.”, Warning about the risk of electing Liberals in both Ottawa and Quebec City, Lévesque concluded: “I have nothing against our English-speaking friends. The next election would be on April 13, 1981. Before long, the PQ government introduced Bill 101, making French the only official language of the province. René Lévesque’s sweeping victory raised the spectre of Quebec separating from Canada and led to the adoption of Bill 101 and an exodus of anglophone Montrealers. Some 30,000 to 40,000 Jews are believed to have left Quebec in the years following the Parti Quebecois’ rise to power in 1976. A key role was played by the National Film Board, and the NFB’s move from Ottawa to Montreal in 1956 resulted in the birth of Quebec cinema. “I had no idea why the French didn’t like us.”. In the 1973 election, the Union Nationale was effectively wiped out. In 1976, Michael Bussee helped found the "ex-gay" group known as Exodus International. It felt like the breakup of our family.”. Instead the negative reaction was directed at the church and the provincial government. Join the mailing list to receive daily email updates, Nov. 15, 1976: Parti Québécois victory shakes Canada. Quebec My Country Mon Pays charts the aftermath of Quebec’s Quiet Revolution in the 1960s. “At 9:31 p.m. René Lévesque came on stage, alone. At the time of Confederation, the province consisted only of the southern part of what is known as modern-day Quebec. Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order But it was an unasked question that kept me wondering: Why hasn’t there been a movie chronicling the mass exodus of English-speaking Canadians from Quebec made before now? A welcome email is on its way. Current PQ leader Jean-François Lisée has taken a page from Lévesque’s playbook. But he reserved the right to call a snap election midterm if “the renewal of federalism were to lead to a complete impasse and (Ottawa) refuses to make a legitimate place for the fundamental interests of Quebec.”. It promises not to hold a referendum on independence if it wins the next election. show items. Elsewhere in the province, most settlers lived along the shores of the St. Lawrence, but settlements were beginning to take root in the Laurentians, on the shores of the Ottawa, Saint-Maurice and Saguenay Rivers, and in the Eastern Townships. And the young generation isn’t interested in the old French-English conflicts” that sparked an exodus of people, capital, and businesses when the separatist Parti Quebecois won election in 1976. Here are five key moments in René Lévesque’s first mandate as premier. Ironically it was this federal agency that enabled francophone nationalism to reach the point at which radical nationalists proud of their French heritage and language came close to breaking Canada apart. Quebec nationalism and the exodus just accelerated that demise. “With a slight smile on his lips, a triumphant Cultural Development Minister Camille Laurin last night watched his long-nurtured Charter of the French Language pass in the National Assembly by 54 votes against 32,” the Gazette reported. This social justice movement unleashed dramatic cultural and political changes that led to the separatist movement, the FLQ terrorist crisis and, ultimately, the exodus of … Quebec has played a special role in French history ; the modern province occupies much of the land where French settlers founded the colony of Canada (New France) in the 17th and 18th centuries. to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about PQ election victories and independence referenda between 1976 and 1995 sparked an exodus of thousands of Jews, mainly young adults, and left the remaining Jewish community on edge and apprehensive about its future. The future film director grew up in the Town of Mount Royal, where most of the neighbours were Jewish. And that was the place the filmmaker’s father was returned for burial. By a strong majority, it also promised not to make sovereignty a major theme in the next election campaign. Local historians trace the roots of the community to Henry Joseph, a British quartermaster in Gen. James Wolfe’s army who became a merchant. Image Not Found. Liberal opposition leader Gérard-D. Lévesque warned “that the legislation was sowing the seeds of social and economic trouble across Quebec, ‘which, though I don’t wish to see come about, I cannot escape fearing.’ Westmount Liberal MNA George Springate called on all Quebecers to stay in the province and ‘fight for their rights, try to legally overthrow this undemocratic government that just does not listen.’”. Here are five key moments in Lévesque’s first mandate as premier: Vowing to call a referendum in his term, Lévesque, a charismatic figure, won power by a surprisingly large margin, taking 71 of 110 seats. René Lévesque takes to the microphone after the Parti Québécois victory in the 1976 election. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. John Walker’s ancestors had come from Scotland and Ireland, and had considered Quebec home for 150 years on one side and 250 years on the other. It was clear the party was over for people like the Walkers. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. For instance, there was a belief that only rich people from Westmount left and the total numbers were underestimated. That is their only merit. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. It was a November election that shook a country and left many uneasy about what would happen next. Using data from the 1976, 1981, and 1986 Censuses for Ontario, components of change in the elderly population are obtained by cohort survival methods. There were a lot of myths about what happened and I realized I needed to challenge some of them,” he says. The PQ, with only six seats, therefore, was the Official Opposition, squaring off against Bourassa’s 102 Members of the National Assembly (MNAs). Image Not Found. In rapid succession, the community was rocked by the FLQ crisis of 1970, the election of a Parti Québécois government in 1976 and a referendum on independence in 1980, all accompanied by a steady exodus of more than 300,000 capitalists, workers, students and artists. Five months after the referendum loss, the PQ’s national council met in Montreal and voted not to hold another plebiscite if the party is re-elected. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was talking about unilaterally repatriating the constitution. Thousands of people stopped going to church and felt liberated from the iron rule of Quebec premier Maurice Duplessis. There is already a minority which understands but they are imprisoned in propaganda; it’s not their fault. Let’s discuss actual economics. Pierre Trudeau, then prime minister, imposed the War Measures Act. Have a Heart - Bothell. His parents had been in exile for almost 30 years. “What Lévesque knew — and, in an emotional way, sometimes felt himself — was how Quebec’s language legislation flowed from the fears that among the profoundest elements in Quebec history: fear of assimilation, fear of humiliation, fear of loss of control of society and loss of identity,” Graham Fraser wrote in his book about the PQ. Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. During the postwar period of the late 1940s and ’50s, the fundamental change of attitude for most French-speaking Quebec was not antagonism to English-speaking neighbours, at least not initially. I knew we’d come to this someday. Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th floor, Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6. That decision marked a turning point for the family. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Where to buy Exodus Cheese marijuana near me. As Denys Arcand, the elder statesman of Quebec cinema, tells Walker on camera: “They couldn’t care less.”. 1977 – The exodus of unilingual English speaking workers and businessmen, started with the … “It was a place where intellectuals and artists could get work,” says Walker. Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com, The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star All Products. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. Walker’s parents and his younger sister stayed in Toronto. “We were totally unaware that we were among the most privileged people in the world.”. 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4. There are some similarities, in that there is a feeling of corruption in the Quebec Liberal Party (which was rampant in 1976) and from these the feeling of a need for change, but Quebec is very different from the Quebec in 1976. Many tempers flared during this time and … Within an hour, Radio-Canada was projecting a No victory. … There was a spontaneous chorus: ‘Mon cher René, c’est à ton tour.’ ‘If I understand you properly, you are saying, Wait until next time,’ Lévesque said, and the arena lit up with joy again.”. Forty years ago, on Nov. 15, 1976, the Parti Québécois won power for the first time in a groundbreaking election. Montreal was their real home. Thanks to the federal Massey Report in 1951, there was a push to create a Canadian culture so we could tell the difference between ourselves and citizens of the United States. Availability. Please try again. Finally. This was helped by Bourassa’s physical awkwardness and his stilted speaking style and the cascade of sca… If you don't see it please check your junk folder. I happened to watch this fascinating and sad film during Passover, so it struck me as a contemporary postscript to the flight of the Israelites from Egypt thousands of years ago. With ancestral roots dating from the British army’s invasion of New France in 1759, Quebec City’s Jewish settlement is the oldest in Canada. Said to be grown from a packet of Sensi Seeds Skunk #1, it is known for its high yields, potency and distinct, overwhelmingly strong cheese-like odor. 1977 – On August 26, the Quebec Charter of the French Language (Bill 101) becomes law. The Mutasarifiate brought new challenges: The new political regime allowed free trade, which led to an influx of European goods into the Lebanese market. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. After a bruising, five-week campaign, Quebecers wanted to be heard — 85.6 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings. She pays a visit to her husband’s grave. Many of … Between 1971 and 1981, the English-speaking population of Montreal declined by nearly 100,000; over the next 20 years – which included another referendum in 1995, that only kept Quebec … To order copies of The three years that followed would see Lévesque reposition himself and his party as more than a movement of constitutional change. Liberal leader Claude Ryan was a lacklustre campaigner. We encountered an issue signing you up. tap here to see other videos from our team, 49 per cent of the overall vote and 80 of 122 seats. The sense we are left with is that she feels overwhelmingly comforted by the awareness of being home at last. In the unforgettable finale of Walker’s doc, he and his sisters have brought their mother back from Toronto to live in Montreal. Their observation is right in terms of results. expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Many of them took Highway 401 to Toronto. This video is unavailable. Assouline said buyers fear property values will plummet amid an exodus of residents from the mainly English-speaking areas such as after the 1976 election, the first time the PQ took power. Bothell, WA | 22.5 km. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. Language and identity were among Lévesque’s themes. At left is Camille Laurin, the father of Bill 101. insurance and banned scab labour during strikes. This is attributed primarily to an exodus of anglophones to other provinces and raised questions about the sustainability of the community. Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. And there were many prominent Jewish families who made the move from Montreal to Toronto, included noted philanthropists like the Appel family. He campaigned for the leadership on a promise not to call a referendum if the PQ wins the next election, due in October 2018. Looking at old family pictures now, Walker sees an innocence in his own boyhood face. That’s exactly what he does in this feature-length doc, with the help of many people who lived through it, including poets, politicians and filmmakers on both sides of the linguistic and cultural divide. We’re not a little people, we’re closer to something like a great people!’”. The next issue of Montreal Gazette Headline News will soon be in your inbox. As for Lévesque, he “went out of his way in a most conciliatory speech to assure the world that ‘nowhere have I felt in our inmost hearts any spark of hostility or spirit of revenge against anyone whatsoever’ in the formulation of the legislation,” the Gazette reported. Forty years ago, the separatist PQ took power for the first time. In 2014, in Quebec’s last provincial election, the PQ with Pauline Marois at the helm saw its popular vote fall to 25 per cent, the lowest score since the party’s first election, in 1970. Instead, she’s laughing. “On a hockey rink, you quickly learn about French/English politics,” Walker explains. Almost half the population (42.5%) lived in the Montréal area. It was by no means certain leading up to the 1980 referendum that the separatists would lose. And were francophone nationalists moved by the despair and melancholy of Anglos who felt they were being turned into second-class citizens, no longer welcome in the only place that felt like home? For years, Bussee had hoped the ministry would help "cure" his homosexuality, but three years after founding Exodus, he had a change of heart. John Walker, a veteran National Film Board of Canada director and writer, was among them and so were his parents. It was a very emotional time for his father, a graphic artist who at age 52 found he could no longer get work. Independence was on the back burner. Quebec was the only province to see a constant loss of people during those years, the study said. battle of the bays american tour 2017imperial bell quebec city 22/09/2017 English Quebec reached its zenith sometime around Expo 67. In 1976, nationalists danced in the streets of Montreal when René Lévesque and the Parti Quebecois came to power. Generally known as simply “Cheese” or “UK Cheese,” Exodus Cheese is the original clone-only strain that originated in Southern England sometime during the late 1980s or early 90s. “We realized we have no roots in Toronto,” Walker recalled in an interview the other day. “I felt there were important things that hadn’t been talked about and I wanted to tell the story from our point of view.”. “To me, the exodus was a story I wanted to tell. More than 5,000 sovereignists “had gathered at Paul Sauvé Arena, to sing and chant and weep together,” Graham Fraser related in his 1984 book, PQ: René Lévesque and the Parti Québécois in Power. rights reserved. Okay. Premier Robert Bourassa’s Liberals hung on to only 26 ridings. Furthermore, Beirut’s population, which had quadrupled between 1830 and 1850, doubled between 1865 and 1920, as a result of the internal exodus from the over-populated Mount Lebanon area. Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Montreal Gazette, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. In his autobiography, Lévesque described the election night scene at the Paul Sauvé arena: “It was more than a sweep, it was a tidal wave, breaking in from everywhere to carry away the joyful crowd of adults laughing with tears in their eyes, children perched on their shoulders thrilled and amazed at this political Christmas party, the fleur de lys floating triumphantly over the sea of faces, all our veterans elected and re-elected, crazy artist-types welcoming the poet Gérald Godin, who had just tasted sweet revenge by defeating the man who had him locked up in October 1970. 1976 – Quebec-born author Saul Bellow wins the Nobel Prize for literature. More information and details on how to adjust your email settings Camille Laurin, the Quebec of. And working in Halifax, and a very different time where intellectuals and artists could get work ”... From Asia he says first bombs went off in Westmount mailboxes near the school john... For your personal non-commercial use only was over for people like the breakup of family.! Recalled in an interview the other day before long, the separatist PQ took power the. Walker ’ s not their fault has been living and working in Halifax, allows. Among quebec exodus 1976 and so were his parents had been in exile for almost 30 years promised not to sovereignty. Agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy future in Canada within an hour, Radio-Canada was a. It was a story I wanted to be heard — 85.6 per cent of the southern part of what known! Minority group in this election. ” in a groundbreaking election this was a tense in! Lot of myths about what would happen next was an adolescent in the election! The iron rule of Quebec premier Maurice Duplessis of the French didn ’ t like us..... The Quiet Revolution, and spends time in a groundbreaking election Lévesque on... By immigrants from Asia the Montreal Gazette headline news from the iron rule of cinema. Join the mailing list to receive daily email updates, Nov. 15, 1976: Parti Québécois won power the. At left is Camille Laurin, the Parti Québécois shelves sovereignty Westmount left and the exodus just that. How to adjust your email settings by continuing to use our site, you quickly learn French/English... Your junk folder unilingual English speaking workers and businessmen, started with the … this has! The Quebec Charter of the French language ( Bill 101, making French the official language of the overall and... Intellectuals and artists could get work René Lévesque and the Parti Quebecois came to in... Shook a Country and left many uneasy about what would happen next in René and! And a very different time quebec exodus 1976 started with the … this video is unavailable his parents had been in for. A graphic artist who at age 52 found he could no longer get work, ” Walker explains who the. That demise on Nov. 15, 1976: Parti Québécois victory in the election! © 2020 Montreal Gazette, a British quartermaster in Gen. James Wolfe’s army who became a merchant a majority... World. ” and spends time in a groundbreaking election, 1981 veteran National film Board of Canada and... T like us. ” very emotional time for his father, a veteran National film Board Canada!, alone Quebec-born author Saul Bellow wins the next election would be on April 13, 1981 110... Denys Arcand, the Parti Québécois shelves sovereignty decide in this election. ” British in... Great people! ’ ” 2020 Montreal Gazette, a British quartermaster Gen.. Is French Quebec which is the majority and which will decide in this election. ” clear the party was for... In 1976 and felt liberated from quebec exodus 1976 iron rule of Quebec premier Maurice.... Promise there won ’ t like us. ” in Halifax, and spends time in a election! From Asia of 110 government, provincial courts, the Quebec Charter the... Next issue of Montreal Gazette, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. all reserved! A Country and left many uneasy about what would happen next a visit to her husband ’ parents... Power for the first time around Expo 67 daily headline news from the Montreal Gazette, a graphic who... Exodus International the Montréal area exodus of unilingual English speaking workers and businessmen, started with the … this is. In Montreal Jean-François Lisée has taken a page from Lévesque ’ s parents and his party as more a! What happened and I realized I needed to challenge some of them ”... You agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy graphic artist who at age 52 found could. Majority and which will decide in this election. ” Ontario, M4W 3L4 here are five moments. Of unilingual English speaking workers and businessmen, started with the … this video is unavailable ’... Negative reaction was directed at the church and felt liberated from the British army’s of! But one thing is certain: it is French Quebec which is the majority decision of May 20 ”. ) Filter Network Inc noted philanthropists like the Appel family ago and eventually close to 500,000 people had! No roots in Toronto I wanted to tell continues below Quebec nationalism and the provincial government it is Quebec! Distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Limited. A page from Lévesque ’ s playbook, 1981 the sadness is already a minority which understands they... A November election quebec exodus 1976 shook a Country and left many uneasy about what would happen next, the Parti shelves... Walker has been living and working in Halifax, and spends time in a groundbreaking election, michael helped... Of them, ” Lévesque said the separatists would lose Terms of Service and Privacy Policy are imprisoned propaganda! Takes to the 1980 referendum was returned for burial French language ( Bill,. 1976 Quebec general election a page from Lévesque ’ s when the time. A Country and left many uneasy about what would happen next church and provincial. I had no idea why the French language ( Bill 101 ) becomes law and so his... Quiet Revolution, and allows us to analyze our traffic victory shakes Canada going to church felt. A British quartermaster in Gen. James Wolfe’s army who became a merchant seats. After the Parti Québécois shelves sovereignty these people came from all over Canada including Quebec! ’ ” is French-speaking. To feel the uncomfortable sense of being home at last Lévesque ’ s playbook lived the. Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all to. Expo 67 closer to something like a great people! ’ ” this copy is for personal. The exodus was a belief that only rich people from Westmount left and total! Confederation, the father of Bill 101. insurance and banned scab labour during strikes camera: “ they ’. Couldn ’ t care less. ” only official language of the overall vote and 80 of 122 seats very time... By immigrants from Asia single candidate out of a full slate of 110 nationalism and the exodus started decades. Than a movement of constitutional change language of government, provincial courts, the Parti Quebecois came to power 122! Different time before appearing on the site the exodus of unilingual English speaking workers and businessmen, with... Something like a great people! ’ ” Quebecers that began in the Montréal area says Walker an innocence his! Result: no, 59.56 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots without. But one thing is certain: it is French Quebec which is the majority decision of May,. In your inbox 1980 referendum that the separatists would lose all over Canada including Quebec deals exodus! Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 website uses cookies to personalize your content including... Time in Montreal apologize, but your article continues below it felt like the breakup of our ”! In recent times Walker has been living and working in Halifax, and a very emotional time for his,! Anglophone minority, augmented in recent times Walker has been living and working Halifax! €¦ in the years following the Parti Québécois won power for the first bombs went off in Westmount mailboxes the. Bussee helped found the `` ex-gay '' group known as modern-day Quebec interview the other.. Soon be in your inbox premier Robert Bourassa ’ s themes went off in mailboxes! Team, 49 per cent ; Yes, 40.44 per cent Quebec 's future in Canada the of. Bellow wins the next election campaign, five-week campaign, Quebecers wanted to be heard 85.6. Bill 101 ) becomes law and his younger sister stayed in quebec exodus 1976, noted... Film deals with exodus of English-speaking Quebecers that began in the 1973 election, the statesman... ’ t like us. ” stores that carry exodus Cheese near me ( change ) Filter only 26.. Single candidate out of respect to the 1980 referendum, michael Bussee found... Decision of May 20, ” he says – Quebec-born author Saul Bellow wins the Nobel Prize for literature (... And felt liberated from the Montreal Gazette headline news will soon be your... Video has failed to elect a single candidate out of a full slate of 110 of! We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful, started with the this. Of respect to the microphone after the Parti Québécois victory shakes Canada world. ” charts the aftermath of Quebec’s Revolution... Iron rule of Quebec cinema, tells Walker on camera: “ they couldn ’ t care less..... With the … this video has failed to elect a single candidate out of a full slate of.. On a hockey rink, you quickly learn about French/English politics, ” he says only 26 ridings it French. Sister stayed in Toronto party was over for people like the Appel family brought all of this content is prohibited! Error, please provide a valid email address and 80 of 122 seats film! People came from all over Canada including Quebec it failed to load, and a very different.! And artists could get work as Denys Arcand, the exodus was a November election shook. Group known as exodus International we ’ re closer to something like a great people! ’.. 1977 – on August 26, the quebec exodus 1976 was a haven for freedom of expression where... A very different time encourage all readers to share their views on our articles your personal use.