On October 30, 1995, Quebec had its second referendum in twenty years,
which asked the question of where Quebec stood in relation to Canada, and
asked the question of whether or not Quebec should follow a path toward
independent statehood (Wikipedia, "1995 Quebec referendum"). The
referendum brought with it scores of discontent and politic discussions
among all members of all classes. This paper will examine the reasons for
the referendum, both past and present, and will examine its effects on the
various populations within Canada, specifically within Quebec.
To understand the reasons behind the referendum, we must first
understand what the referendum was attempting to accomplish. The question
placed on the ballot was as follows:
"Do you agree that Quebec should become sovereign after having made
a formal offer to Canada for a new economic and political partnership
within the scope of the bill respecting the future of Quebec and of
the agreement signed on June 12, 1995, Yes or No'" (Trent, 2b, par
The question was announced in September, only two months before the
The question hinged on the June 12th agreement, signed by Jacques
Parizeau of the Parti Québécois, Lucien Bouchard, then leader of the Bloc
Québécois and Mario Dumont of the Action démocratique du Québec. These
parties represented the three major factions of the Sovereigntists, or
nationalists (CRIC, "Essentials"). In the agreement, all interested
parties that were sovereignists proposed ideas for which the referendum
The general idea for these sovereignists was to make Quebec a
sovereign nation. According to the sovereignists, most of Quebec wanted to
break away from the political, economic, and social ideals of the resst of
Canada. The agreement proposed the idea that a sovereignty would allow the
people of Quebec to handle ...