What Political Consequences Would Have Occurred If Quebec Had Voted Yes in the 1995 Referendum - Term Paper Example

What political consequences would have occurred if Quebec had voted "Yes" in the 1995 referendum? Introduction This discussion tackles the if Quebec 1995 referendum, more especially regarding what would have been the consequence of a Yes Vote during the referendum. This topic is important, considering that it focuses on as issue of high political ramification, which has also found subsequent applications worldwide, with several other sections of different countries holding referendums to seek for a right to govern themselves as sovereign states. The significance of this topic lies in the fact that the Quebec 1995 referendum had a long political history which did not have an implication on Canada alone, but high potential implications on France, Britain and the USA, since a Yes Vote would have influenced the relationship amongst these countries (). The Quebec referendum that was held in 1995 was a second round of vote that was meant to give the residents of the Quebec province in Canada the chance to determine whether they wanted to secede from Canada and thus establish Quebec as a sovereign state (). Quebec has had a long history of wanting to secede from Canada, considering that it is the Canadian providence that is predominantly inhabited by the French-speaking people, whose political relationship with the rest of the Canadian provinces, mostly inhabited by the English-speaking people. Thus, the 1995 referendum was not the first political attempt to have Quebec gain its own independence. Therefore, this discussion seeks to analyze the political consequences that would have followed a yes vote in the 1995 Quebec referendum, with a view to establishing both the argument for a positive and those for a negative political consequence. The discussion holds that the Quebec 1995 referendum would have had both positive and negative implications. Discussion The political consequences would have occurred if Quebec had voted "Yes" in the 1995 referendum would have granted the aboriginal people the right to self-determination (). This group of people living in the Quebec has had a long history of wanting to be recognized as a core group of the province, who had the right to a sovereign state as did the other groups of the Canadian population, who had gained a sovereign state through the immigration from Britain, France and other parts of Europe, to form an independent and sovereign state in Canada (). Thus, considering that such groups were feeling left out in matters of sovereignty by feeling dominated by the other ethnic groups in Canada, the passing of a yes vote in the 1995 Quebec referendum will have afforded the aboriginal people the right to self-determination, through having the people form part of the newly established state, which they felt would comprise self-governance (). The favorable turn of the 1995 Quebec referendum into a yes vote would have meant freedom for the French-speaking people from Canada, something that they had been seeking for the longest time throughout Canada’s history (). The political benefit attainable from this move is that the Quebec population, which is predominantly French, would be able to retain their unique political, social and cultural identity as a sovereign state, considering that the Quebec has had a long history of a political identity that is highly aligned to the French political system, as opposed to the overall Canadian system, which is a British-dominated political system (). The sustainability of the distinct French-Quebecois culture has largely been hampered by the dominance of the English-speaking political system, which has constantly interfered and effectively destabilized the solid political culture that the province has tried to sustain. In this respect, the French- Quebecois distinct political culture has become hard to maintain as a unique identity, since the association of the province as part of the federation of Canada has resulted to the requirement that the province must incorporate some of the British oriented political system (). Most significant however, is the fact that the constant high immigration into Quebec province by the English-speaking Canadian has threatened to dilute the political, social and cultural identity of the French-speaking province, through English-speaking Canadian dominance (). This immigration has highly resulted to the threatened the French-speaking language in the province, and there is hardly control that can help save this language and culture, unless though a secession. Therefore, through Quebec gains its independence and sovereignty, the cultural, political, language and social identity of the territory would be maintained and sustained for the future generation (). This is opposed to when Quebec is part of Canada, since there is no control of the English-speaking population migrating into the Quebec province, and threatening to extinct the current unique identity of the province. Further, another political consequence that would have occurred if Quebec had voted "Yes" in the 1995 referendum, is that the newly formed state will have been able to establish its own laws and political frameworks that are suitable to its distinct political, cultural and social identity (). This is because; with the continued existence of Quebec as part of Canada, the Quebec province and its local government has constantly been interfered by the federal courts of Canada, preventing it from establishing laws and a political framework that is suitable for the province. Instead, the federal courts and the Canadian federal government have always termed the establishment of laws and a political framework that is suitable for Quebec as racist and discriminatory towards the English-speaking population in Canada (). Therefore, if the 1995 Quebec referendum has turned out to be a yes vote, the newly established state would have managed to assert its own position, through establishing own laws and a political framework that is suitable for its distinct political, social and cultural identity, without being stopped or interfered by the Canadian federal government of the federal courts (). In this respect, the only way through which Quebec could be able to establish a legal and political framework that suits its unique identity as a Canadian province e is through gaining independence from Canada, which is what the 1995 Quebec referendum vote would have achieved, if it was a yes vote (). Nevertheless, there are various negative political consequences that would have occurred, if Quebec had voted "Yes" in the 1995 referendum. First, a political tension would have arisen between the independent Quebec state and Canada, in relation to matters of matters of legal framework that would enable the two countries to operate as two distinct nations, yet interrelated as they are in their economies ().this is because, an independent Quebec state that is free from any relations with its Canadian counterpart would be completely infeasible, since the economy of the region is highly dependent on that of the larger Canada as a nation. Similarly, the complete blockade of Canada from the Quebecois territory would affect the Canadian economy negatively (). Therefore, the major political challenge that would have emanated from the yes vote in favor of the secession of Quebec from the 1995 referendum is a never-ending political tension between Canada and the new Quebec state. Further, the other negative political consequence that would have occurred if Quebec had voted "Yes" in the 1995 referendum is the issue of the identity of the English-speaking Canadians living in Quebec province, who would feel completely discriminated against by the subsequent legal, political and social-cultural policies and framework that would be established in the new Quebec state (). This would in turn pose a political crisis within the new Quebec state, which would also invite the participation of other nations such as French, Britain and America, all being nations that are affected in one way or the other by the Quebec question (). The implication of this would be a much more political conflict pitching France, United Kingdom, America and Canada, which may eventually turn into a major political conflict that may destroy the relationship and the cooperation amongst these countries as it existed then. The other major negative political consequence that would arise from a yes vote in the Quebec referendum of 1995 is in relation to the territorial boundaries of the new Quebec state. The major question that would arise under the territorial border issue is the question of whether the Quebec state would have remained an independent state based on its territory in 1995 (). Further, the territorial question would arise relating to whether the territory would be determined by the federal legislation of 1898 and 1912, or by the Canadian Federation agreement established in 1867 (). Read More