Quebec Is a Lot More Canadian Than Sovereigntists Want to Admit
Polls show a growing affection for the country, even as the Parti Québécois leads the province.
Since the Quiet Revolution, the question of whether one identifies first as Québécois or Canadian has remained a powerful marker of Quebec’s political and cultural life. The ambivalence of Quebec identity is deeply rooted in a long historical evolution—from the “Canadians” of New France before the British conquest to the “French Canadians” after the Act of Union of 1840, and, finally, to the “Quebecers” of today.
Recent surveys on Quebec sovereignty and identity suggest that Quebecers’ sense of belonging has evolved. It’s less a switch to flip than a dial that turns gradually between shades of identity.