1. A Portrait of Québec Christopher Kirkey, Ph.D. Director
Center for the Study of Canada
State University of New York College at Plattsburgh
133 Court Street, Plattsburgh, NY
Tel: (518)

3. Summary of Presentation
Regionalism and the importance of Quebec
Geography and People of the province
Key historical and cultural markers:
New France
The Conquest
La Survivance
Quiet Revolution
Language
Teaching Resources

6. Immense territoire, pas de pétrole, de gaz et de charbon, QC 1/6 des USA en superficie

12. 1. Middle Arctic Tundra     
2. Low Arctic Tundra     3. Torngat Mountain Tundra     
4. Eastern Canadian Shield Taiga      5. Southern Hudson Bay Taiga     
6. Central Canadian Shield Forests      7. Eastern Canadian Forests 
    
8. Eastern Forest/Boreal Transition     
9. Eastern Great Lakes Lowland Forests     
10. New England/Acadian Forests      11. Gulf of St. Lawrence Lowland Forest
     

15. ADMINISTRATIVE REGIONS
1. Bas-Saint-Laurent
2. Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
3. Capitale-Nationale
4. Mauricie
5. Estrie
6. Région de Montréal
7. Outaouais
8. Abitibi-Témiscamingue
9. Côte-Nord
10. Nord-du-Québec
11. Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine
12. Chaudière-Appalaches
13. Laval
14. Lanaudière
15. Laurentides
16. Montérégie
17. Centre-du-Québec

17. Mother tongue languages (2006)
Statistics Canada
Language
Greater Montreal
Quebec
Canada
French
66.5%
80.1%
22.3%
English
13.2%
8.6%
58.4%
Italian
3.5%
1.8%
1.5%
Arabic
3.1%
1.6%
0.9%
Spanish
2.6%
1.2%
Creole
1.3%
0.7%
0.2%
Chinese
0.6%
Greek
0.4%
Portuguese
0.8%
0.5%
Romanian
0.3%
Vietnamese
Russian
Armenian
0.1%
Polish

18. * Pour les années 1901 et 1911, les données portent sur l'origine ethnique.
Source: Recensement du Canada 1901, 1911, 1921, 1931, 1941, 1951, 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001, 2006.

19. Important Historical Dates New France
1534 – Jacques Cartier lands at Gaspé and claims the area that will eventually become Canada for the King of France
1608 – Samuel de Champlain establishes permanent settlement at Quebec
1642 – Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve founds Montreal, then called Ville Marie
1759 – Battle of the Plains of Abraham; French defeated by the British

20. Cod fishing was done off-shore by men dressed to withstand the cold and the sea (fisherman in the center of the picture). Note fishermen on ship to the right, protected by a cocoon. Fish were stored on ship with layers of salt or were dried on shore.

21. Europeans believed that the beavers, like the bees, worked as an organized society. Note Niagara Falls.

26. Population of New France circa 1740 (by region)

28. Conquest Importance & Consequences
First world war fought on American soil
England dominates North America
Results in the development of two new countries
Forms the basis for understanding Quebecois identity

29. Why France Lost
Trade as most important factor in understanding global context: Furs or Sugar
Geography: not enough people
Population comparisons: New France: 60,000 versus New England : 1.5 million
Military Strength: New France: 4,700 soldiers; 12,500 colonial militiamen New England: 24,300 soldiers; 900 colonial militiamen
Control of the seas = control of the world
England invested more than France in war

30. Important Historical Dates
1763 – Treaty of Paris signed by King of France cedes New France to Britain. Large influx of English, Irish, Scottish settlers.
1774 – Québec Act grants inhabitants to continue practicing Catholicism, speaking French and living by the French Napoleonic Civil Code
1791 – Constitutional Act divides Canada into 2 provinces: Upper Canada (eventually Ontario) with English-speaking majority and Lower Canada (eventually Quebec) with French speaking majority
1867 – British North America Act creates 4 Canadian provinces: Québec, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia

32. Important Historical Dates
1960 –Quiet Revolution period of modernization begins. Major political and cultural reforms.
1974 – French becomes official language in province of Québec
1980 – Referendum: 60% reject sovereignty
1995 – 2nd Referendum: 50.5% reject sovereignty

33. Language Legislation
1961: Office de la langue française was created (Lesage)
1969: Bill 63 protected French language teaching in the province (Bertrand)
1974: Bill 22, The Official Language Act, made French the official language of government (Bourassa)
1977: Bill 101, officially known as the Charter of the French Language, made French the language of work, education, communication, trade, and business. French-language education was mandatory for immigrants regardless of whether French was their mother tongue (Levesque)

34. Concluding Remarks, Resources and Discussion

35. THANK YOU