The Quebec Question and the Unity of Canada: Challenges, Risks and Perspectives

On October 30, 1995, the referendum called by the Canadian province of Quebec to attain sovereignty was rejected by a narrow margin (50.6 as against 49.4%). This paper gives a general review of Quebec separatism and of its current situation in order to explain the results of the referendum. The ambivalence of Quebec’s French-speaking population, that aspires to national sovereignty as much as it wants to maintain its Canadian identity, is one of the most important factors that explain the results of the referendum. The paper is divided into three main parts. The first of them analyzes the background of the Quebec separatist movement; the second studies the increased drive attained by separatism because of the success of the Quebec Party in the 1994 provincial elections; the third and last examines the risks and implications both for Quebec and for Canada of the eventual secession of this province.