How Canada Adapted and Changed after WW2

When most people think of Canada they imagine maple syrup, beavers, and a fancy accent, but the different regions of the country are distinctly unique. For instance, the western provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia are know for their lush landscape and production of oils, wood, and minerals. Central Canada is home to the largest provinces of French speaking Quebec and capital holding Ontario. Eastern Canada, the first place the settlers called home, is home to a few small provinces specializing in fishing. The territories at the top of Canada are incredibly different to all the provinces as they have a much different climate and rules and regulations than the rest of the country. While each province and territory are incredibly distinctive and wonderful, there has been some upset throughout the years.

In the mid 70s, the western provinces of Canada became irate at the actions of central Canada. Believing that Ottawa was focusing more of their efforts and support to the central and eastern provinces, the 4 western provinces felt, what is knows as, Western Alienation. During the 70s oil crisis, the federal government froze the price of oil and gas from domestic sources and started a tax on petroleum from the west. Albertans were confuse and upset at this decision and wanted to dictate the price of their own oil to sell. The government then established petroleum companies in the arctic and Newfoundland which further upset western provinces as they had once been the hub of these industries.

Starting with the election of Maurice Duplessis, Quebec began to feel upset and estranged from the rest of Canada. As Duplessis came to power with his party Union Nationale in the 1930s, they were determined to prove Quebec to be its own, distinct, society. Since this time, nationalism has become a central part to the society of Quebec and their identity. A small but significant event arose after the death of Duplessis. Citizens disagreed with the direction the new leader, Jean Lesage, was taking and was determined to gain more recognition in the federal government. This planted a feeling of unrest in the people of Quebec.

A notable negative action, which the province took in 1970, was by the FLQ or Front de Liberation du Quebec. This group kidnapped James Cross and used him as a hostage to make demands towards the federal government. Once this failed, they kidnapped cabinet minister Pierre Laporte as well. The prime minister at the time, Pierre Trudeau, utilized the War Measures Act to arrest people who were involved in this scheme but in the end, Cross was sent free but Laporte was murdered.

A new party came to power called the Parti Quebecios with Rene Levesque at its head. This party was able to pass the Charter of the French Language which secured French as the official language of Quebec. This was a huge step forward in the independence of Quebec from the rest of English Canada. Levesque called a referendum in 1980 to determine if the people wanted Quebec to become a distinct society within Canada. The result of this referendum was unexpected to the Parti Quebecios. They expected that a large majority of Quebeckers would be for the separation of Quebec but only 40% of the province was in agreement. The Parti Quebecios is still a major political party in modern times and the sentiment to leave Canada is still strong in the minds of many Quebec citizens with the federal government still in the process of trying to appease the province.