Distinct Society - After The Charlottetown Accord

After The Charlottetown Accord

After the 1995 Quebec referendum, the federal government under Jean Chrétien did endorse recognition of Quebec's distinct society. That recognition asked institutions of government "to take note of this recognition and be guided in their conduct accordingly." The term is still absent from the Constitution.

Since the death of the Meech and Charlottetown accords, the use of the expression has faded, replaced within Quebec with the term nation to describe Quebec, its people, and its state. On November 27, 2006, the federal House of Commons also voted to recognize the Québécois as a nation within Canada. As only a motion of the House, it is not legally binding.

Other euphemisms used mainly by federalist nationalists and federalists outside Quebec are different or unique society. The Calgary Declaration of 1997, for example, describes Quebec as "unique".

EGAL REALITY AS DOCUMENTED IN 1867 BY A FOUNDING FATHER OF CANADA

SAYS QUEBEC LEGALLY "DISTINCT" IN 1867:

On the very first "Canada Day," July 1st, 1867, Le Minerve, the newspaper mouthpiece of George Etienne Cartier, a Founding Father of Canada, wrote as follows to describe the new Confederation: (TRANSLATION:)

"Such is the meaning that must be attached to this Constitution. In it, we see the recognition of the French-Canadian nationality; we form a State within the State, with full enjoyment of our rights, and the formal recognition of our national independence."

ORIGINAL FRENCH:

La Minerve, porte-parole du père-fondateur du Canada, George-Etienne Cartier, a déclaré le 1e juillet 1867 :

"Telle est la signification que l'on doit attacher à cette constitution. On y voit la reconnaissance de la nationalité canadienne-française, comme nationalité DISTINCTE et SÉPARÉE, nous formons un État dans l'État, avec la pleine jouissance de nos droits, la reconnaissance formelle de notre indépendance NATIONALE." Source: "The Constitution Act, 1867, the Confederation Debates and Provincial Autonomy", Claude Bélanger, Department of History, Marianopolis College http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/federal/autonomy.htm