QuebecQuebec (k(w)ɪˈbɛk ; kwəˈbɛk ; Québec kebɛk) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the largest province by area and the second-largest by population. Much of the population of Quebec lives in urban areas along the St. Lawrence River, between its most populous city, Montreal, and the provincial capital, Quebec City. The province is the home of the Québécois nation.
Politics of QuebecThe politics of Quebec are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces, namely a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The capital of Quebec is Quebec City, where the Lieutenant Governor, Premier, the legislature, and cabinet reside. The unicameral legislature — the National Assembly of Quebec — has 125 members. Government is conducted based on the Westminster model. The British-type parliamentarism based on the Westminster system was introduced in the Province of Lower Canada in 1791.
History of CanadaThe history of Canada covers the period from the arrival of the Paleo-Indians to North America thousands of years ago to the present day. The lands encompassing present-day Canada have been inhabited for millennia by Indigenous peoples, with distinct trade networks, spiritual beliefs, and styles of social organization. Some of these older civilizations had long faded by the time of the first European arrivals and have been discovered through archeological investigations.
1995 Quebec referendumThe 1995 Quebec referendum was the second referendum to ask voters in the predominantly French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec whether Quebec should proclaim sovereignty and become an independent country, with the condition precedent of offering a political and economic agreement to Canada. The culmination of multiple years of debate and planning after the failure of the Meech Lake and Charlottetown constitutional accords, the referendum was launched by the provincial Parti Québécois government of Jacques Parizeau.
Distinct societyDistinct society (in la société distincte) is a political term especially used during constitutional debate in Canada, in the second half of the 1980s and in the early 1990s, and present in the two failed constitutional amendments, the Meech Lake Accord and the Charlottetown Accord. "Distinct society" refers to the uniqueness of the province of Quebec within Canada, although here the meaning of "unique" is vague and controversial. Quebec is not explicitly declared distinct in the Constitution of Canada.
Quebec sovereignty movementThe Quebec sovereignty movement (mouvement souverainiste du Québec) is a political movement whose objective is to achieve the independence of Quebec from Canada. Sovereignists suggest that the people of Quebec make use of their right to self-determination - a principle that includes the possibility of choosing between integration with a third state, political association with another state or independence - so that Québécois, collectively and by democratic means, give themselves a sovereign state with its own independent constitution.
Parti QuébécoisThe Parti Québécois; PQ; paʁti kebekwa) is a sovereignist and social democratic provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. The PQ advocates national sovereignty for Quebec involving independence of the province of Quebec from Canada and establishing a sovereign state. The PQ has also promoted the possibility of maintaining a loose political and economic sovereignty-association between Quebec and Canada. The party traditionally has support from the labour movement; however, unlike most other social democratic parties, its ties with organized labour are informal.
French CanadiansFrench Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; Canadiens français, kanadjɛ̃ fʁɑ̃sɛ; feminine form: Canadiennes françaises, kanadjɛn fʁɑ̃sɛz), or Franco-Canadians (Franco-Canadiens), are an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to French colonists who settled in France's colony of Canada beginning in the 17th century. During the 17th century, French settlers originating mainly from the west and north of France settled Canada. It is from them that the French Canadian ethnicity was born.
Pierre TrudeauJoseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (ˈtruːdoʊ,_truːˈdoʊ , pjɛʁ tʁydo; October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. He also briefly served as the leader of the Opposition from 1979 to 1980. Trudeau was born and raised in Outremont, Quebec, a Montreal suburb, and studied politics and law. In the 1950s, he rose to prominence as a labour activist in Quebec politics by opposing the conservative Union Nationale government.
Wilfrid LaurierSir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, (ˈlɒrieɪ ; wilfʁid loʁje; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minister, his 15-year tenure remains the longest unbroken term of office among Canadian prime ministers and his nearly 45 years of service in the House of Commons is a record for the House. Laurier is best known for his compromises between English and French Canada.
