History UsefulNotes / Quebec

The territory now encompassing Quebec was first inhabited by Inuit and Native American peoples such as the Huron. Jacques Cartier in the 1500s later reached the area in Quebec and helped set up a colony called Stadacona. The settlement failed; however, the French did not give up. Later, French merchants set up shop in the Saint Lawrence Valley and became fur traders.

Quebec (''Québec'' in French, mind the accent - the name comes from an Algonquin word referring to the location near Quebec City as "where the [Saint Laurence] river narrows") is the largest [[UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} Canadian]] province in area, and second only to Nunavut in all of Canadian territorial units. It is also the Country's only officially [[UsefulNotes/FrenchLanguage French-speaking]] province. As a result, its distinct culture, not to mention its sovereignty movement, have set it apart from the rest (read: the primarily ''English-speaking'' areas) of Canada. In 2006, the Canadian Parliament declared Quebec as a "nation within a united Canada".

Quebec (''Québec'' in French, mind the accent) is the largest [[UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} Canadian]] province in area, and second only to Nunavut in all of Canadian territorial units. It is also the Country's only officially [[UsefulNotes/FrenchLanguage French-speaking]] province. As a result, its distinct culture, not to mention its sovereignty movement, have set it apart from the rest (read: the primarily ''English-speaking'' areas) of Canada. In 2006, the Canadian Parliament declared Quebec as a "nation within a united Canada".

* François Pérusse, humorist.
* Mary Travers aka "La Bolduc", folk singer. (Not to be confused with Mary Travers of Music/PeterPaulAndMary, who was from Louisville, Kentucky.)
* Louis Kevin Celestin aka "KAYTRANDA", record producer and DJ.
* Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, former [[UsefulNotes/CanadianPrimeMinisters prime minister of Canada]].
* UsefulNotes/LeoMajor, World War II hero.
* Alexis Lapointe aka "Alexis le trotteur", athlete and folk legend.
* Roméo Antonius Dallaire, former Lieutenant General, war hero, retired senator, and author of ''Literature/ShakeHandsWithTheDevil''.

* Nanette Bordeaux, actress known for her work in ''[[Film/TheThreeStooges The Three Stooges]]'' shorts (moved to the U.S.).

* Nanette Bordeaux, actress known for her work in ''[[Film/TheThreeStooges The Three Stooges]]'' shorts.

* Robert MacNeil, journalist and news anchor (known for Creator/{{PBS}}' ''MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour'').

* Mary Travers aka "La Bolduc", folk singer.

Quebec (''Québec'' in French, mind the accent) is the largest [[UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} Canadian]] province in area, and second only to Nunavut in all of Canadian territorial units. It is also the Country's only officially [[UsefulNotes/FrenchLanguage French-speaking]] province. As a result, its distinct culture, not to mention its sovereignty movement, have set it apart from the rest (read: the primarily ''Anglophone'' portion) of Canada. In 2006, the Canadian Parliament declared Quebec as a "nation within a united Canada".

Its capital is Quebec City and the largest city is UsefulNotes/{{Montreal}}. Also noted are Sherbrooke, Chicoutimi, Trois-Rivières, and Gatineau, bordering Ottawa.

* ''Series/LeCoeurASesRaisons''

* Roméo Antonius Dallaire, former Lieutenant General, war hero, retired senator, and author of Literature/ShakeHandsWithTheDevil.

* François Pérusse, humorist

* ''Series/CameraCafe'' (Quebec Version)

* In ''Webcomic/ScandinaviaAndTheWorld'' Quebec is shown as Canada's weird relative (the exact relation being unclear, but it ''should'' be noted Canada and Quebec look like twins). So far Quebec made a boat out of a giant pumpkin and somehow got high off tea.
* In WesternAnimation/DanVs [[Recap/DanVsS1E6DanVsCanada Canada]], a part of the episode involves visiting Quebec, with Dan teaming up with Quebecers against Canada.

* Pierre Garand aka "Garou", singer.

* UsefulNotes/LeoMajor, [=WW2=] war hero.

Quebec ("Québec" in French, mind the accent) is the largest [[UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} Canadian]] province in area, and second only to Nunavut in all of Canadian territorial units. It is also the Country's only officially [[UsefulNotes/FrenchLanguage French-speaking]] province. As a result, its distinct culture, not to mention its sovereignty movement, have set it apart from the rest (read: the primarily ''Anglophone'' portion) of Canada. In 2006, the Canadian Parliament declared Quebec as a "nation within a united Canada".

* Julie Payette, engineer, astronaut and Governor General of Canada.

In 1608, Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City to make it the base of French power in North America. With alliance between Huron and Algonquin tribes, the French secured the territory. In exchange of furs, the French gave the First Nations their alcohol, guns, and clothing, and also tried to convert them to Catholicism with various degree of success. Later, the French kings introduced the seigneural system where French immigrants will till a part of land for their landlords, called the seigneurs. These Frenchmen, later to be known as Canadiens, will later also expand to what is today Ontario, Manitoba, and even territories along the Great Lakes Mississippi River and in the United States.

New France was a pawn in the UsefulNotes/SevenYearsWar between the French and English. The French are losing almost on the start, with a lower population base than those of the British Thirteen Colonies, but they held on until 1760, when the British defeated the French in the Plains of Abraham outside of Quebec City, placing New France under military occupation until it formally became a British possession in 1763 as part of the peace treaty between France and Great Britain.

The British at first tried to assimilate the French, but later gave up on this and implemented the Quebec Act of 1774. This was one of the grievances that erupted into UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution. They claimed that the British were favoring the French over the English-speaking American colonists. Religion was one cause, too; the French in Quebec are mostly Catholic while the Americans are mainly Protestant. Quebec remained loyal to Britain during that war, the British troops there resisting attempts by American generals to conquer Quebec, with the British settlers being determined to stay loyal to the crown, and the French-Canadians basically operating on a mentality of "the British may be English-speaking Protestant oppressors but dammit, they're OUR English-speaking Protestant oppressors!"

In 1837, the provinces in Lower and Upper Canada exploded in rebellion. The Patriotes movement, largely led by Francophones like Louis-Joseph Papineau and Anglophone Robert Nelson, almost swept Canada. While it failed, it did make a deep imprint in Quebec history. The result is that Quebec, now called Canada East as it was merged in 1840 into the Province of Canada, was to be given self-government. Quebec then became one of the founding provinces of Canada in 1867, and tried to accommodate to the English-speaking provinces while maintaining its French identity.

When the Confederation of Canada took place from 1864-1867, the Franco-Quebecois participants in the discussions were adamant that Confederation be a federal system, one that ensured that their province had the political tools it needed to maintain its Francophone identity. This went against the wishes of most of the English-speaking participants, who wanted a "legislative union" that would simply [[FusionDance combine all of the British North American colonies into one larger entity with no internal borders]]. In the end, part of the eventual compromise was that Canada would become a federal state with very specific powers for the provinces, while the federal government would be paramount in all other areas.

As time went on, Montreal became Canada's largest city (it has since been overtaken by Toronto) and its center of industry. However, many French-speakers resented the economic power of the English. Furthermore, the decision by Ottawa to send troops for UsefulNotes/TheSecondBoerWar had further angered Quebecers. Resistance to the draft was common in Quebec during the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI two world]] [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII wars]]. Despite this, many Quebec people distinguished themselves in combat.

There are some who thought rebellion and secession under a Communist state was the only option to preserve Quebec identity, and the Front de libération du Québec tried to do just that, targeting Anglophone institutions and what they saw as pro-Ottawa Francophones. This led to the October Crisis in 1970 where FLQ terrorists kidnapped a British trade commissioner and a Quebec government official. The latter one was later killed; the British diplomat was freed by the Canadian government in exchange for the FLQ members involved to leave for Cuba. Trudeau--by this point Prime Minister and a vehement federalist (opponent of secession) despite being a Francophone--later invoked the controversial War Measures Act and arrested suspected militant Quebec separatists. The violence of the FLQ later cost them popular support, while the arbitrary imprisonment of activists, journalists and even poets under the War Measures Act is still remembered.

One element of Franco-Quebecois society that many people in the rest of Canada tend to overlook is that the Franco-Quebecois are much more likely to emphasize Canada as TheFederation than other Canadians. While most other Canadians tend to see themselves as simply "Canadians", most Franco-Quebecois see themselves as a distinct nation with very particular concerns about identity that is participating in a greater polity. Intrusions into what are seen as Quebec's rightful jurisdictions are considered very SeriousBusiness and potential threats to Quebec's francophone identity. Note that in some cases this nationalism is based on the "pur laine" (pure wool) French ethnicity, but in many others it is a cultural nationalism that includes space for the Anglo-Quebecois minority and new immigrants regardless of skin colour. In a way, Quebec nationalism often isn't that different from its Anglo-Canadian counterpart, emphasizing common values rather than ethnicity.

* Creator/WilliamShatner, actor. [[note]]Born to Jewish immigrants rather than ethnically French-Canadian[[/note]]

* Georges St-Pierre, martial artist and athlete.

Quebec ("Québec" in French, mind the accent) is the largest [[UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} Canadian]] province in area, and second only to Nunavut in all of Canadian territorial units. It is also the only officially [[UsefulNotes/FrenchLanguage French-speaking]] province. As a result, its distinct culture, not to mention its sovereignty movement, have set it apart from the rest (read: the primarily ''Anglophone'' portion) of Canada. In 2006, the Canadian Parliament declared Quebec as a "nation within a united Canada".

Quebec ("Québec" in French) is the largest [[UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} Canadian]] province in area, and second only to Nunavut in all of Canadian territorial units. It is also the only officially [[UsefulNotes/FrenchLanguage French-speaking]] province. As a result, its distinct culture, not to mention its sovereignty movement, have set it apart from the rest (read: the primarily ''Anglophone'' portion) of Canada. In 2006, the Canadian Parliament declared Quebec as a "nation within a united Canada".

On the other hand, the Parti Québécois (non-violent Quebec separatists) gained popularity under René Lévesque and won a victory in the 1976 provincial election. They passed the Charter of the French Language (also known as "Bill 101") to make French the province's only official language and impose some restrictions on the use of English in schools and workplaces. They also held a referendum on whether to make Quebec "sovereign" (read: independent) in 1980, only for it to be defeated by a landslide. Attempts by the Quebec government to gain more provincial rights and leverage resulted in the new 1982 Canadian constitution, which was not ratified in Quebec. In 1987, the Meech Lake Accord was held by Canadian premiers to try to patch up differences, but failed utterly in the early 1990s. Later, the Parti Québécois held a second sovereignty referendum in 1995. This time, the "no" side only won by a slim margin. The premier of Quebec blamed it on "money and ethnic votes" that exacerbated the matter. Since then, actual support for sovereignty has declined, while at the same time the vast majority of inhabitants of the province consider themselves more Quebecer than Canadian. Quebec is trying to find its place in Canadian and world society, becoming a leader in information technology, energy, and aerospace.