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Confederation and Quebec

In Lower Canada some politicians, among them George-Étienne Cartier, promoted confederation, believing that the concept of a new political nationality in the proposed Dominion of Canada would guarantee the survival of French Canadians and that it would prove to be the best way to extricate themselves from the political difficulties of the period. Nevertheless, they faced opposition: Liberals, both radicals and moderates, denounced the proposed confederation. They believed it would give too many powers to the central government and lead to the annihilation of French Canadians, who should at least have been consulted. Once the plan for confederation was approved, the centralizing impulses of federal Conservatives encountered strong opposition from provincial politicians in Quebec, who saw it as an attack on provincial autonomy. Tensions between British Canadian nationalism and French Canadian nationalism continued to challenge the political compromise made at the time of confederation, a challenge that would increase in the 1960s with the emergence of separatism and the Parti Québécois, which proposed to break up confederation.

Related Biographies

CARTIER, Sir GEORGE-ÉTIENNE
CHERRIER, CÔME-SÉRAPHIN
CLERK, GEORGE EDWARD
CREIGHTON, DONALD GRANT
DAOUST (D’Aoust), CHARLES
DORION, JEAN-BAPTISTE-ÉRIC
DORION, Sir ANTOINE-AIMÉ
DORION, VINCISLAS-PAUL-WILFRID
DUNKIN, CHRISTOPHER
JOLY DE LOTBINIÈRE, Sir HENRI-GUSTAVE
LABELLE, LUDGER
LABERGE, CHARLES
LAFRAMBOISE, MAURICE (baptized Maurice-Alexis)
LANCTOT, MÉDÉRIC
LAURIER, Sir WILFRID (baptized Henry-Charles-Wilfrid)
LESAGE, JEAN (baptized Joseph-Hertel-Jean)
LÉVESQUE, RENÉ (baptized Charles-René)
MERCIER, HONORÉ (1840-94)
TRUDEAU, PIERRE ELLIOTT

Other Resources

Canada 150 | Québec City to the Power of 150. Content archived on 21 Oct. 2018
Canada A Country by Consent: Confederation: Quebec Conference
Canadian Confederation - Dates of Entry of Provinces and Territories of Canada. Content archived on 6 Mar. 2021
Canadian Confederation - Wikipedia
Confederation | Our Country, Our Parliament
Dates When Canada's Provinces Entered the Confederation. Content archived on 11 Apr. 2024
Quebec and the Confederation project (1864-1867) - Readings - Quebec History
Quebec and the ROC | Canadian History: Post-Confederation
Québec and Confederation - The Canadian Encyclopedia. Content archived on 1 Oct. 2024
The Debate: Confederation Rejected, 1864 - 1869
The Quebec Conference

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