The struggle of representation and a part of Canada by the Quebec people has taken a long time before its resolution. People have different opinions as to how the Quebecois should exist in Canada. However, the tussle is between two major groups: the Quebecois and Canadian scholars. Their indifferences with each other occur as they seek to make a better resolution for all the people. For instance, Rene Levesque feels that their independence as the Quebecois nation is necessary for their development while Pierre Trudeau seeks to unite Canadians and Quebecois. Each of the arguments is valid though one side overpowers the other.
In his book, An Option for Quebec, Rene Levesque seeks to define his community, the Quebecois. He draws out the sense of belonging in Canada and the difference with those of the others (Levesque 14). The chance of being themselves would help them in retaining their personality, which the people developed for three and a half centuries. One of their core properties is their French language, which helps unify the Quebecois together. In the beginning, America embraced the French look through the help of Champlain, La Verendrye, and Joliet (Levesque 14). The first lessons learnt in perseverance from Jean Talon, Jeanne Mance among others. However, the conquest by Americans set the people to the far end of the continent and became Anglo-Saxon. Amidst the difficulties and countless changes of regimes, the people succeeded and continued to stay as one. They had hope in a relatively sheltered life among the rural society, which made them have a reason to join forces and look out for each other.
The Quebecois exist as a society formed by their fathers and grandfathers. They built a personality, which united most of the community members (Levesque 15). Those that felt as if it is too much for them to bargain for, they were no longer part of the community. The community became a core importance for the Quebecois, and their relationship would guarantee a better future for them. The unity makes them unique from other men especially those in the North America. It is hard for the Quebecois to surrender to them after the progression and changes in the society (Levesque 15). Unity led to the acceleration of their history, which changed with time at an extremely rapid but constant rate. Currently, most of the people are city dweller servants, wage earners in the community, which makes them a part of the universal society. However, insecurity, conflict among nations and servitude bring danger upon the Quebecois; the reason why staying as one would benefit them greatly.
Pierre Trudeau, the former Prime Minister of Canada, preached on the importance of having a nation of multiculturalism and unity. The presence of other cultures sealed the international relationship between the country and other nations. His first goal was to create Canadian patriotism among, its people, and there has to be a reason for people to achieve it (Trudeau 124). In his book The Essential Trudeau, he seeks to distinguish the pragmatic, positive, and national building devices that will define patriotism. Nationalism refers to the action on takes to defend his or her nation against others, for instance, defending Canada against the Americans (Trudeau 126). However, the defense is not through physical fights but maintaining certain values when transacting with other countries. All actions taken by the government, business, or individual should benefit the country despite better consumer prices or technological advantage.
One major issue towards patriotism is the preservation and affirmed the identity of Canadians in the foreign policies such as the trade with Cuba and recognition by China (Trudeau 127). The government is trying to protect the nation’s interest by implementing positive and pragmatic fashion. However, it shields the individual citizens from experiencing the destruction of their institutions, which is fundamental to their expressions. On the contrary, when people talk of monarchy, English language, and Union Jack, they refer to the ethnic nationalism. The Canadian nation played a major part in the discrimination of the French Canadians, which lead to the development of defensive nationalism by the lesser group (Trudeau 128). However, the time is not far much gone, and it is possible to unite the people together under one community. The main strategy is to create a truly polyethnic and pluralistic society, which promotes local autonomy and unity. These values will ensure foreigners and other races will enjoy the full benefits of being Canadians.
The arguments raised by the two authors hold deep interests towards the foreigners. Trudeau seeks to unite every culture and race under one entity, Canadian nationalists. He acknowledges the mistakes made by the forefathers especially to the minor race such as the French Canadians. It is an issue affecting Canada at large when they treat foreigners as threats towards their growth. As stated in his book, Trudeau points out the reasons as to why Canadians stood with their principles of overpowering other nations. According to them, their unity was more special than international relations. Thus, any community that lives among them has to abide by their laws. Some of the laws only seek to promote the Canadians and provide them full benefits. Changing the perception would benefit the nationalism of Canadians and non-Canadians. Trudeau aims to unify all the communities by creating equal opportunities for everyone. Being under one body will benefit all cultures and races greatly, making them a part of the great nation. Moreover, the country cannot progress if they lack unity and understanding with the international markets.
On the other hand, Levesque notes the importance of assimilating the Quebecois with the Canada nationalists, but as history suggests, they might end up losing in the end. Their numbers are few and dispersing them will break the unity among them. According to Levesque, having their nation as the Quebecois will guarantee the future of the community. It would be best for them to unite together first, build a long lasting relationship, then enter into an agreement with the Canadian government. One thing that stands out is the interest for Quebecois despite the different views.
Nationalism is a true state of belonging to an individual as it provides them with an identity among the community. It helps them relate with others in the international markets and provides an opportunity for them to benefit greatly from favors towards their country. However, the Quebecois should have the opportunity to experience their independence from the Canadian government. It would be the best way for them to grow as a country and build each other. Their numbers act as a handicap to the process, making it hard for them to establish a nation. Hence, the best way is to join forces with the Canadian government and own a part of the nation. The Quebecois are not the only marginal community existing in the world. Hence, it would be hard to justify the need to have an individual nation to their culture. It would spike interest in other marginal cultures to have similar rights and bring imbalance to the nations. Despite the valid points stated by Levesque, fighting for a nation would be hard than joining forces with the current government. Moreover, the development of better definitions of nationalism and patriotism in Canada continues to open opportunities for every community to unite as one.
In conclusion, the future of Quebec in Canada is great with the fundamental steps in ensuring the two communities help each other to establish a nation of great benefits to its people. Independentism is an alternative option but one that would require proper thought and guide towards fulfilling it. Moreover, it implies that the community seeks to distant itself from the international community. The move will be hard especially for the Quebecois as they try to adapt to their new environment.
Work Cited
Levesque, Rene. An Option for Quebec. Toronto: McLelland and Stewart, 1968. Print.
Trudeau, Pierre. The Essential Trudeau. Toronto: McLelland and Stewart, 1998. Print.
