1980 Quebec Referendums

A crucial aspect of any political question is the demographic regarding the issue. A referendum is a vote performed by the affected public relating to a specific issue. Therefore, the 1980 and 1995 Quebec referendums about pursuing sovereignty greatly rely on the general public’s view. Upon analysis of the results of both votes, it is clear that independence for Quebec should not be granted. In the 1980 referendum, in which 84.3 percent of the Quebec population voted, 59.5 percent of voters were opposed to the idea of Quebec seceding from Canada, leaving the remainder 40.5 percent in favor of the idea (“1980 Referendum”). All regions of Quebec voted against Quebec’s independence except the North Shore region and the Saguenay-Lac St. Jean (“1980 …show more content…
Between 1971 and 2015, approximately 1.652 million Quebecers moved out of the province (Plante, Caroline). Evidently, citizens of Quebec were unhappy with the Quebec situation, whether it be political or economic.Certainly, however, those who were vehemently loyal to Quebec did not leave. Logically, these are the people who would have been in favor of Quebec’s sovereignty because of their loyalty to the province. Therefore, the change in voting results between the two referendums does not show a shift in the Quebec public ideology, but rather, a shift in population. The 1995 population likely had fewer citizens who were opposed to Quebec sovereignty, as logically, these would have been the people to leave the province. In fact, this pattern still holds true in more modern times. After the 2013 election of the Parti Québécois government, a political party which is known for its support of sovereign Quebec, an estimated 42 percent of anglophones considered leaving the province (“Anglos Considered”). Clearly, after the Quebec society faces a political factor which supports the movement for Quebec sovereignty, those who are not vehemently loyal to Quebec or French culture are hesitant to