Bonne Fête Nationale
Icame to Quebec in 1956, right after Maurice Duplessis was elected with a good sized majority. I settled in Montreal because my husband got a job and I was accepted into Mcgill University to pursue the finer points of economic theory. I knew nothing about the economics or the politics of Quebec, although I learned fairly quickly that Quebec’s economy was much more rural than Ontario’s (manufacturing output was 55 per cent of that of Ontario, and personal income was about 72 per cent of Ontarian levels.)
There’s always been a rivalry between Quebec and the rest of Canada (really Ontario). Quebec, which accounts for roughly 20 per cent of Canada’s GDP, once held the coveted economic status Ontario now holds. The major culprits --political instability (see October Crisis, Quebec Referenda 1980 and 1995) and French-only language legislation. Beginning in the 1960s, this political instability reduced the incentive of international businesses to locate in the province. More recently, Quebec has re-emerged as a destination for business, and it is home to a thriving tech industry. The province has also seen a major increase in its employment rate since the 1990s. This growth is due in part to Quebec’s more developed social policies, in particular, subsidized daycare programs. Because of this policy, the gap between men and women in the workforce has narrowed in Quebec more than in any other province.
Regional rivalry was evident even in ancient times. Saint-jean-baptiste Day was celebrated as a religious holiday since the early days of New France. Journalist Ludger Duvernay pushed for a secular national holiday for French Canadians, similar to how the Irish celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. In 1843, the Association Saint-jean-baptiste de Montréal was created and on 24 June of that year, Montréal held its first Saintjean-baptiste Day parade, a tradition that continues to this day.
The Quebec economy has long been subject to conflicting forces. The dramatic decline in birthrates (since the 1960s), the growth of women in the labour force, of educational standards, and the emergence of a new francophone business class have all worked to raise incomes. On the other hand, the long threat of separation from Canada has had an economic cost, reflected in the out-migration of much of the old anglophone business elite in the 1970s and 1980s, and the relative decline of Montreal as a business centre.
During the 1960s and 1970s, which were turbulent years for Québec, Saintjean-baptiste Day became less about religion and more focused on culture, art and unity. Political leaders joined the parade, occasionally causing stirs in the crowd, and sovereigntists used it as an opportunity to champion their cause. The fleur-de-lys flew more prominently, Gilles Vigneault first performed “Gens du pays,” and René Lévesque renamed Saint-jean-baptiste Day the Fête nationale du Québec, not just distancing it from religion but making it a more inclusive holiday.
In the 1980s and 1990s, celebrations became highly politicized in the wake of the first and second referendums on Québec sovereignty. To this day, by government regulation the Fête nationale program must be conducted in French although the festival has attempted to be more inclusive, as groups have sung in Creole and aboriginal.
According to Wikipedia, the Montreal Metro attempts to symbolize the inclusive nature of the celebration through the motto it displays on information screens on stations and on-board trains on Fête nationale: Bonne Fête nationale à tous et à toutes avec surtout ce sentiment de se sentir membre à part entière de cette communauté québécoise diverse et fière! (English: “Happy Fête nationale to one and all and especially the feeling of being an integral part of this diverse and proud Quebec community!”).
By making it a statutory holiday, the day has become a holiday for all Quebecers rather than only those of French-canadian or Catholic origins. On a push-pull lever the Fête nationale welcomes the various communities that make up Québec society and embraces their cultural and artistic contributions.
I’m a realist. I hope for the best, plan for the worst. I’m also a transplanted Manitoban who speaks bad French but lives contentedly in la belle province.