Estates General of French Canada
Encyclopedia
The Estates General of French Canada were a series of three assizes held in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
between 1966 and 1969. Organized by the Ligue d'action nationale and coordinated by the Fédération des Sociétés Saint-Jean-Baptistes du Québec
(FSSJBQ), the stated objective of these Estates General was to consult the French-Canadian
people on their constitutional future.
review, the idea of the Estates General was launched by the FSSJBQ in 1961. Annual assemblies gathering the representatives of several French-Canadian associations occurred around that time, but these involved no more than 30 people.
In May 1963, MLA
Jean-Jacques Bertrand
presented a motion in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec
in which he asked for the setting up of "a special committee to prepare the convocation of the French-Canadian General Estates". However, this move was not followed and the initiative of convening the Estates General came from civil society instead of the Quebec Parliament.
In April 1964, the proposal of the FSSJBQ regarding the Estates General was endorsed by various associations and intermediary bodies of Quebec's civil society. In November 1965, a provisional committee composed of 27 members was set up to try to reach out as many associations as possible.
The December 1965 issue of L'Action nationale contained a first article treating the subject of the history and functioning of the Estates General in France. A second article on the same subject was published in the February 1966 issue. A third one was intended for the May–June 1966 issue, but this issue was never published.
The president of the Estates General, lawyer Albert Leblanc, was appointed to the Superior Court of Quebec during the course of the year 1966 and was replaced by law professor Jacques-Yvan Morin
.
, were said to be preliminary because their objective was to prepare the working material on the basis of which the subsequent assizes were to debate.
in Montreal. the delegates adopted among others an important resolution pertaining to the right to self-determination of the French Canadians on the territory of Quebec, which was declared the "national territory and fundamental political milieu" of their nation.
. The delegates adopted among others a important resolution proposing to convene a constituent assembly
for the drafting of the constitution of Quebec.
Articles
Publications by the Estates General
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
between 1966 and 1969. Organized by the Ligue d'action nationale and coordinated by the Fédération des Sociétés Saint-Jean-Baptistes du Québec
Mouvement national des Québécoises et des Québécois
Founded in 1947, the Mouvement national des Québécoises et des Québécois is a federation that groups together the various patriotic organizations in Quebec, Canada...
(FSSJBQ), the stated objective of these Estates General was to consult the French-Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
people on their constitutional future.
Origins
According to Rosaire Morin, editor of the L'Action nationaleL'Action nationale
L'Action nationale is a French-language monthly published in Quebec, Canada.The magazine publishes critical analysis of Quebec's linguistic, social, cultural and economic realities...
review, the idea of the Estates General was launched by the FSSJBQ in 1961. Annual assemblies gathering the representatives of several French-Canadian associations occurred around that time, but these involved no more than 30 people.
In May 1963, MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
Jean-Jacques Bertrand
Jean-Jacques Bertrand
Jean-Jacques Bertrand was the 21st Premier of Quebec, Canada, from October 2, 1968 to May 12, 1970. He led the Union Nationale party.-Member of the legislature:...
presented a motion in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec
Legislative Assembly of Quebec
The Legislative Assembly of Quebec was the name of the lower house of Quebec's legislature until 1968, when it was renamed the National Assembly of Quebec. At the same time, the upper house of the legislature, the Legislative Council, was abolished...
in which he asked for the setting up of "a special committee to prepare the convocation of the French-Canadian General Estates". However, this move was not followed and the initiative of convening the Estates General came from civil society instead of the Quebec Parliament.
In April 1964, the proposal of the FSSJBQ regarding the Estates General was endorsed by various associations and intermediary bodies of Quebec's civil society. In November 1965, a provisional committee composed of 27 members was set up to try to reach out as many associations as possible.
The December 1965 issue of L'Action nationale contained a first article treating the subject of the history and functioning of the Estates General in France. A second article on the same subject was published in the February 1966 issue. A third one was intended for the May–June 1966 issue, but this issue was never published.
The president of the Estates General, lawyer Albert Leblanc, was appointed to the Superior Court of Quebec during the course of the year 1966 and was replaced by law professor Jacques-Yvan Morin
Jacques-Yvan Morin
Jacques-Yvan Morin, was a politician in Quebec, Canada. Morin graduated from the McGill University Faculty of Law in 1953, where he was the founder of the McGill Law Journal...
.
Preliminary assizes of 1966
The Preliminary assizes of 1966 were the first meeting of the Estates General of French Canada. The assizes, held from November 25 to 27 at Université de MontréalUniversité de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
, were said to be preliminary because their objective was to prepare the working material on the basis of which the subsequent assizes were to debate.
National assizes of 1967
The National assizes of 1967 were the second meeting of the Estates General of French Canada. They were held from November 23 to 26 at Place des ArtsPlace des Arts
right|frame|View of the Place des Arts esplanade. The Musée d'art contemporain is on the left; behind it is the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, with the Théâtre Maisonneuve on the rightPlace des Arts is a major performing arts centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
in Montreal. the delegates adopted among others an important resolution pertaining to the right to self-determination of the French Canadians on the territory of Quebec, which was declared the "national territory and fundamental political milieu" of their nation.
National assizes of 1969
The National assizes of 1969 were the third and last meeting of the Estates General of French Canada. They were held from March 5 to 9 at the Queen Elizabeth HotelQueen Elizabeth Hotel
The Queen Elizabeth Hotel is a grand hotel in Montreal, Quebec. Completed in 1958, it was built by the Canadian National Railway, but was later sold to Canadian Pacific Hotels, now Fairmont Hotels and Resorts...
. The delegates adopted among others a important resolution proposing to convene a constituent assembly
Constituent assembly
A constituent assembly is a body composed for the purpose of drafting or adopting a constitution...
for the drafting of the constitution of Quebec.
Timeline
- 1966 - On September 13, election of the territorial delegates to the preliminary assizes.
- 1966 - From November 25 to 27, the preliminary assizes are held at Université de Montréal.
- 1967 - On April 16, election of the territorial delegates to the first national assizes.
- 1967 - From November 23 to 26, the first national assizes are held at Place des Arts in Montreal.
- 1969 - From March 5 to 9, the second national assizes are held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal.
Further reading
Studies- Michel BockMichel BockMichel Bock is a Canadian historian, who specializes in the history of Franco-Ontarian communities and cultures. His book Quand la nation débordait les frontières: les minorités françaises dans la pensée de Lionel Groulx was the winner of the 2005 Governor General's Award in the French language...
(2001). Comment un peuple oublie son nom. La crise identitaire franco-ontarienne et la presse française de Sudbury (1960-1975), Sudbury: Institut franco-ontarien / Prise de parole, 119 p. (critical review) - Marcel Martel (1998). French Canada: An Account of its Creation and Break up, 1850-1967. Ottawa: The Canadian Historical Association, 32 p.
- Marcel Martel and Robert Choquette (1998). Les États généraux du Canada français, trente ans après : actes du colloque tenu à l’Université d’Ottawa les 5, 6 et 7 novembre 1997, Ottawa : Centre de recherche en civilisation canadienne-française de l’Université d’Ottawa, 422 p.
- Marcel Martel (1997). Deuil d'un pays imaginé. Rêves, luttes et déroute du Canada-français. Les rapports entre le Québec et la francophonie canadienne, 1867-1975, Ottawa : Presses de l'Université d'Ottawa, 204 p.
Articles
- Marcel Martel, "Faut-il se souvenir de la tenue des États généraux du Canada français?", in L'annuaire du Québec 2007, p. 208-210
- Gratien Allaire, "Le triangle Canadien-Français au tournant des années 1960. le conseil de la vie Française en Amérique, la société Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal et l'Ordre de Jacques-Cartier", in Francophonies d'Amérique, 17 (2004) p. 108-117
- Martin Pâquet, "Un nouveau contrat social : les États généraux du Canada français et l’immigration, novembre 1967", in Bulletin d’histoire politique, 2001, 10, 2, p. 123-134.
- Jean Tournon, "Langue et politique linguistique aux États généraux du Canada français (1967)", in Études canadiennes - Canadian Studies, No. 45, 1998, pp. 185–194
- Michel Sarra-Bournet and Lucien-Pierre Bouchard, "Au-delà de la rupture politique entre les francophonies canadienne et québécoise", in Le site des cours de Michel Sarra-Bournet, Ph.D. chargé de cours en histoire et en science politique, 1997
- Michel Bock, "Les États généraux du Canada français, ou l'éclatement de la nation : une analyse des journaux de langue française de Sudbury", in Revue du Nouvel-Ontario, 1996
Publications by the Estates General
- EGCF (1969). Assises nationales tenues à l'hôtel Reine Elisabeth du 5 au 9 mars 1969, Montréal : Action nationale, 646 p. (L'Action nationale, vol. LVIII, N 9 et 10, mai-juin 1969)
- EGCF. Les Cahiers des États généraux du Canada français, Montréal, 1967-69 (19 issues)
- EGCF (1968). Les États généraux du Canada français : assises nationales tenues à la Place des arts de Montréal du 23 au 26 novembre 1967, Montréal : Éditions de l'Action nationale, 380 p. (L'Action nationale, vol. LVII, N 6, fév. 1968)
- EGCF (1967). Les États généraux du Canada français : assises préliminaires tenues à l'Université de Montréal, du 25 au 27 novembre 1966, Montréal, 128 p.
- EGCF (1967). États généraux du Canada français : exposés de base et documents de travail, Montréal : Éditions de L'Action nationale, 277 p.
- EGCF (1967). Un peuple en marche, le 16 avril 1967, s.n., 23 p.
- EGCF (1966). Un peuple parle, s.n., 16 p.