User:Avery Parr/sandbox

Article Evaluation: Quebec Conference, 1864

This Wikipedia page on the Quebec Conference, 1864 provided a brief but detailed summary of what the conference was about. All the information there is relevant and presented in a non-biased way.

However, I feel as though the article could be expanded and certain points could be explained in further detail to give the readers a greater understanding and give more context to what they are reading. For example, the article states that British Columbia did not participate in the conference but provides no further information or links to other articles as to why they did not participate.

This happens multiple times throughout the article where facts about the conference are accurately stated however I feel as if there is a disconnect between the article and the reader and the reader is left guessing as to why events happened as there is no explanation provided it is just stated. I feel as if this is a good article to give someone a basic understanding of what happened in the Quebec Conference given that they already have some previous knowledge in the subject.

For someone with no knowledge on the Quebec Conference of 1864 I believe this could be a challenging article as people, places and terms are mentioned that are not common knowledge.

I think the viewpoints in the article were not equally written about, I believe that one viewpoint was overrepresented while the other was underrepresented. I believe the article more heavily talked about those who favoured a unitary state rather than those who opposed and wished for stronger provincial rights. The article mainly focuses on the unitary state while mentionning Sir John A. Macdonald while only writing two sentences about those who wished for stronger provincial rights and not providing a notable person who supported this cause until alluding to them later in the article.

The conclusion gave a clear and concise understanding of the final outcome of the conference. It provided a lot of useful information such as dates, places, people and other events that helped pull the whole article together and referring back to points previously talked about.

The Citations all were working and deemed reliable sources to gather information from as well. It is part of WikiProject Canada. and a B-Class on the quality scale with a mild importance on the importance scale.

What I found interesting in the "Talk" section was that someone commented something similar to the downsides that I wrote about in this evaluation in that the article gives a good basic summary but does not provide enough information in some aspects of the article. The article mentions points briefly that are not general knowledge to an average person however they do not go into further detail on it so additional research would have to be done.

Overall I enjoyed reading this article and learning more about the Quebec Conference of 1864 but would have to say that there is many opportunities of expansion in the article.

Potential Article Topics

Quebec nationalism - expand on the section 1840’s-1950’s as the book I did my review on, "The Empire Within" specifically explores Quebec in the 1960’s while paying attention to the huge movement of the decolonization ideology that is not even mentioned in this wikipedia article. Also tension between the Francophones and Anglophones are not mentioned as well. I can also touch on what life was like for Quebec Francophones and aboriginal peoples under the extremely Anglicized regime they were under in their own province.

Québécois people - this is a very short article, I can expand on Quebecois people and in particular their struggles throughout the 1960's through the book I read, " The Empire Within."

Final Draft

Sections are added to the original Wikipedia Page of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_nationalism

Quebec Nationalism

Quebec Nationalism was first known as French Canadian Nationalism. It would not be until the age of the Quiet Revolution, that the word Quebec Nationalism, and Québécois people, would replace the longstanding previously used word French Canadian. French Canadian’s roots are derived from the people who were born here in Canada with parents of French descent. The term would later change in the 1960’s and stick to what it is known today as, Quebec Nationalism.

Canadien liberal nationalism

New France

The settlement of New France was made up of 7 regions that spanned far and wide, reaching from the Maritimes to the Rockies and from the Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. Although this landscape was vast, Canada would be at its core. The colonists of New France after the 17^th century learned how to adapt to their new land that was accompanied by the Native People’s, cold climate and new transportation methods.^[1]

The greatest adjustment the colonists would make however would be the shift from their homeland roots to developing a true and pure Canadian identity and what that looked like.

Ways this new identity could be seen was through the adoption of accents, creation of new legends and stories, emerging societal traits and transformation of language. A main factor when identifying a new and developing identity is the evolution of language. This appeared in the New France colonists though the disappearance of their native tongues and the creation of a new language to become their own. The newly developed language would be the standardized and fixed form of communication throughout the educated classes of New France. It was comprised of various regional dialects of French creating what we know to be the French-Canadian language. The new language was simple and direct French, it even boasted praises from French visitors on its purity and quality. The early stabilization of the new language was a key component attributing to the distinctiveness of the French-Canadian culture.

Along with the development of a new language came the development of a new social hierarchy as well. French Canadians supported the idea of a modified social hierarchy based upon the old French regime. However, they would not alter the core values its foundation was based upon. This created a clearly constructed social order for Canada.

Between the development of a language to call their own, a new social order and thriving colonies, the immigrants were no longer immigrants but rather people who embodied not only a Canadian identity but also a provincial identity as well.

During this time, the identity of Canada was split between 95 percent of the colonists being Francophones and the other 5 percent being Anglophones. However, this would prove to be problematic. The Francophones were Catholic and poor whilst the Anglophones were Protestant and wealthy. This imbalance of socio-economic status and all the repercussions that came along with it would spark a feud between the Francophones and Anglophones that still remains.^[2]

Ultramontane nationalism

1950’s

In the time leading up to the radical changes of the Quiet Revolution the people of Quebec placed more importance on traditional values in life which included going back to their nationalistic roots.

Nationalism at this time meant restoring the old regime and going back to the concept of a French-Canadian nation built upon Catholicism as it was in the past. The church and state were intertwined and the church greatly dictated legislature falling under the matters of the state.

Nationalism also represented conservsation, and in that, not being influenced by the outside world but rather staying within their own borders without room for exploration. Quebec was very closed minded wanting to keep their people and province untouched by the more progressive ideas from the rest of the world. Even in terms of careers, the church governed the state in this aspect and people were working conventional jobs such as in the agricultural industry.

Quebec did not align with the fast-paced urban life of Western society that was reflected across the nation and other countries. The lack of great progression is believed to be attributed to the premier of the province at this time Maurice Duplessis.

Maurice Duplessis returned to win the 1944 election and stayed in the position of premier of Quebec for fifteen years whilst being the leader of the conservation Union Nationale party. The Union Nationale party valued and upheld the traditional definition of nationalism. This meant the province would upkeep its long-established ways of operating with changes being made only within the scope of the conventional values. Because of this, the Union Nationale party was favored by those who wanted to stick to the accustomed lifestyle and disliked by those who wanted a progressive province being brought into the North American culture.

Duplessis’s main ideas to transform Quebec were through rapid industrialization, urbanization and a greater and faster development of the province’s natural resources. English speakers of the province hoped that industrialization and urbanization would replace the outdated French Canadian society. These changes launched French Canadians into the urban and industrial way of life. There were new opportunities created to provide economic and social stability but by doing so, decreased the importance and significance placed upon cultural and linguistic survival.

However, the deaths of Maurice Duplessis in September 1959 and his successor Paul Sauve in January 1960 set in motion the final end to the old traditional definition of Quebec nationalism in the 1950’s. A new leader, Quebec and ideology of nationalism would emerge and sweep across the province finally providing French-Canadians their greatly awaited need for change .^[1]

1960’s

The events leading up to the 1960’s were catalysts that would tear down and reconstruct the foundation of what it meant to be a Quebec Nationalist.

Nationalism in the 1960’s represented a completely new mantra unlike the aged significance placed upon it in the 1950’s.The 1960’s in Quebec was a period of the Quiet Revolution, the Liberal Party of Canada the election of the Parti Québécois, a site of a thriving economy and the beginning of a variety of independent movements. During this time, Quebec was a place of enlightenment, there were changes in the society, values, and economy. This was a time of radical thinking, culture and ideologies, one ideology would finally emerge after centuries of dormancy. ^[2] Quebec would change from its old fashioned roots and be brought into the progressive mainstream century.

A main difference was the secularization of the Catholic Church, practiced by most French Canadians from the province itself. Unlike in the 1950’s under Duplessis, the church and state were now separate entities removing the strict control the old fashioned ways of the church had over institutions. The shift gained the province its own independence.

These ideologies took off after the victory of Jean Lesage’s liberal party in the 1960 provincial election. The election of Jean Lesage and his liberal party finally ended the longstanding ancient regime the people of Quebec had been living under. It began the reinstitution of the outdated socioeconomic and political structures to fully modernize them once and for all. This movement would be known as the Quiet Revolution.

The Quiet Revolution signified something different for Quebeckers but a common denominator was that both English and French speakers were happy with the end to Maurice Duplessis’s conservative party the Union Nationale that brought much social and political repression. The Quiet Revolution beginning in the 1960’s gathered momentum with the many reformations carried out by Jean Lesage including changes to the education, social welfare, hospitalization, hydro-electricity, regional development and greater francophone participation in the industrial sector.

Quebec nationalism for the Francophones was on the rise at this time not only within the province but on a global scale as well. Quebec nationalism in the 1960’s stemmed from the ideology of decolonization this new type of nationalism was based off ideas happening on a global scale. Because of the new openness of the province, travelers and people of the church were encouraged to go and learn the ways of life in other parts of the world and then return to share, compare and incorporate the ideologies into their lifestyle. ^[1]

The oppression of Francophones was also something that Lesage wanted to bring to light and change because of the longstanding cultural, and society tension between the Francophones and Anglophones. Lesage had the desire to change the role that the state had over the province, he no longer wanted economic inferiority of French Canadians and the Francophone society but rather evolving organized labor, educational reform and the modernization of political process.

There were many issues that the province had during this time do to the imbalance between the Francophones and Anglophones on a variety of levels. Even though the Francophones outnumbered the Anglophones, the Francophones were still seen as a minority.^[3] This oppression however dated further back than just the 1960’s.

The province has a history of colonization and conquest that is complex and multi layered. The past history of this province can be seen in the city’s landscape marked with a variety of memoir commemorating the overtaking powers.^[1]

The province’s Francophones as well as ethic and racial minority groups did not have any power, they were living in the poorest parts of cities. It was hard for these groups to progress in their careers or climb the socio-economic ladder. For Francophones it was difficult because success was geared towards the English speaker and prestigious institutions were English speaking and devalued the culture and language of the French.^[3]

By the early 1960’s a small but mighty group of French Canadians from all classes were receiving proper education but only to go into careers in Anglophone dominated institutions.

Avocation of the new form of nationalism was used to address the drastic conditions in the work place as well as living conditions. This was most apparent between the Francophones who believed in the new 1960’s idea of nationalism and the predominantly English anti-nationalists.^[2] The goal of the new society was to overcome injustices for minority groups in everyday life. This sparked a number of movements such as the Black Power movement and Women’s Rights Movement that were mainly seen in working-class neighborhoods which gained publicity when journals, conferences and advocates fed into these movements.

A movement of a new Quebec with a new meaning behind the word Nationalism would continue to change and progress overtime with the 1960’s being the start of this change.^[3]

Present Day Nationalism

A discrepancy in nationalism today and what it means to Quebecers will be different based on the individual. Nationalism today is more open that what it has been in the past in a multitude of ways. There is not as big of a divide of what it means to be a nationalist in Quebec as seen in past years. A common theme that can be seen is the patriotism Quebecois have towards their province and their country. They are still very patriotic and many identify as a Quebecer first and a Canadian second.

A Female solider dressed in the United Nations uniform demonstrating the evolution of women's rights to be able to serve in the military

Canadian RCR Museum

The photo of this female United Nations Officer is to represent the evolution of opportunities given to women explained throughout chapter six in Belshaw’s book. Specifically in 6.2  when Robert Borden became prime minister, there was a lack of evidence to show that he was a supporter of women’s suffrage. However, his wife Laura Bond was a suffragette and even President of the Local Council of Women of Halifax. The first new change in women’s rights that Borden enacted was their ability to vote. Although they were only allowed to do this under particular circumstances, it was a step forward for women’s rights. However, women were wanting more than just the right to vote and in the 19^th century they fought for the legal right to own land, the end of alcohol sales and the start of female enfranchisement. Women were finally making a difference and seeing results for their actions. During the time of the first World War women got to take on a new role as workers in factories instead of fulfilling their traditional maternal practices. By the time of the second World War, women were ready to return to the factories with the encouragement of “Rosie the Riveter.” Although in the 1920’s, women were helping the war from home by working in factories, there was finally a shift for opportunities for women to serve on the front in the 1940’s. By 1944, 21, 600 women signed on for the Canadian Women’s Army Corps, 23000 joined the RCAF (Women’s division) and the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service  and over 5000 served as nurses. Women were finally able to fight for their country; their progress had come a long way from when they were first just allowed a restricted opportunity to vote. The progression of women’s rights continues to this day providing women with all kinds of opportunities such as in the military and being given the opportunity to be a female United Nations officer such as the female pictured in the photo.