Analysis Of The Quebec Referendum 1995

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The Quebec Referendum, 1995 By: Mohamed Abdul

On October 30th 1995, millions of Canadians tuned in to watch the final results of the second Quebec referendum. It would be the night that Canada stood silent. After the failure of the Meech Lake and the Charlottetown Accord, parti Quebecios government of Jacques Parizeau would launch the second referendum. As the final minutes started approaching, the winning side seemed to be clear, however, the difference between the votes for yes compared to no would only differ by one percent. The referendum of 1995 would ask the citizens of Quebec if they wished for the province to claim national sovereignty and become a separate state, but however, with the condition of a political and economically agreement to Canada. The outcome of the referendum would be critical in preventing Quebec from economic problems. As well, it would finically benefit Quebec in the future, as it’s receives billions of dollars through Canadian Federal Payments today. Finally, it would also prevent further challenges for the aboriginal peoples living in Quebec. This essay will argue that the outcome of the Quebec referendum benefited both the people and the future of the Province, based upon the given reasons. The effect of separation on Quebec’s economy was one of the main questions during the campaign. The no side of the issue focused on the current cost of the disruption and business within Quebec, while the yes side tended to focus on Quebec’s resources and the benefits it has for an independent Quebec. Federalist argued that Quebec would lack weight in trade negotiations and a smaller Quebec would not be as stable. There would be one issue that would certainly question Quebec’s economy if a yes were to occur. Finance minister Paul Martin warned that admission to NAFTA would not be automatic. The North America Free Trade Agreement creates free trade between the Americas and is significant for raising the standard of living in a country. This would have been critical to Quebec. Over 90% of Quebec exports were said to be at risk if this were to happen, as well the loss of one million jobs. Quebec would be forced to raise prices on their merchandise, higher taxes and eventually stop selling them because of cheaper goods elsewhere. The outcome of the referendum would be vital in preventing economic problems if Quebec were to separate; rather, the outcome would finically benefit Quebec in the near future. The result of the referendum would prevent Quebec from facing economic problems, however, it would also finically benefit Quebec in the future. As of the 2014-2015, the province is said to receive 19.6 billion dollars through Canadian Federal support, receiving more money than any other province. The Canadian Federal Payments program was created in 1957 and assists provinces in the provisions of programs and services. Since 1957,Quebec has accumulated over a quarter of a trillion dollars alone from equalization payments. Federal payments have
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It too would finically benefit the province in the near future. Finally, it would be significant in preventing further challenges for the Aboriginals living in the province. The “no” vote would be the yes that many aboriginal people in the province wanted. At the time of the referendum, there were approximately 68,000 aboriginals, mainly consisting of Crees and the Inuit of Northern Quebec. The Crees stated that no annexation of them or their territory to an impendent Quebec should take place without their consent. They were not happy with the idea of Quebec separating from the rest of the country. The Crees felt that if Quebec got the chose to leave Canada, then they too got the choice to keep their territory within Canada. They strongly argued that a unilateral declaration of independence by the province would be a violation of fundamental principles of democracy, human rights and consent. On October 24th, 1995, the aboriginal group launched a separate referendum. The question asked, “Do you consent, as a people, that the government of Quebec separate the James Bay Cress and Cree traditional territory in the event of a yes vote in the Quebec Referendum”. The result of this referendum would be that 96.3% of Crees voted to stay in Canada. The Inuit would also hold a similar question, with 96% of Inuits wanting to keep connections with Canada.

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