The relationship between Quebec and the US

Résumé du document

The question of the relationship between Quebec and the US is very interesting and must be studied because it helps understand the major part of the contemporary stakes in Quebec. The question of the relationship with the US goes hand in hand with the relations of Quebec with Canada and France, and the issue of separatism and its deep identity. At first sight, Quebec and the United States appear to be linked at least by the border the two countries share for many hundreds kilometers. However, the two regions are separated by language since French is spoken on one side and English on the other side of the border. Thus, we may wonder if the peculiar identity of Quebec and its special status are a drawback or an advantage on the establishment of connections with the US.

Extraits

[...] The place where I am most at home outside Quebec is the United-States”. A poll recently published by the Globe and Mail found that thirty per cent of those polled in Quebec said that they agreed with the statement: have more in common with Americans than I do with other Canadians living in other provinces”. In the rest of Canada, only six per cent of the respondents answered similarly. Now, most of the population refuses the name Franco-American: they just identify as Americans or, at least as French speaking Americans. [...]

[...] Centre for international affairs. The future of North America; Canada, the United States and Quebec nationalism, Harvard University p. [...]

[...] The major part of this relationship is represented by the Quebec network of delegations. Among all of the non central governments in the world, Quebec has by far the largest representation in the United States, including a general delegation in New York City. There are also delegations in Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles, a tourism office in Washington, D.C., and commercial offices in Atlanta and Miami. The first delegation in the United States was established in New York City during the World War Two, but The Quebec government had decided to extend this network, the second after France, in the sixties, in order to present Quebec as an independent entity. [...]

[...] In fact, Quebec and its aspiration for independence are not very known in the US, except when the province organizes a referendum like in 1980 or in 1995. As an example of this lack of understanding, the project of separation reminds the Americans of the Civil War. American suspicion toward a sovereign Quebec To understand better the American behaviour towards Quebec, it can be worth examining how U.S. policymakers should react to a yes vote in some future referendum. Officially, The United States of course remains neutral concerning a possible independence of Quebec. [...]

[...] Without trade barriers to the south, Quebec would be part of a much bigger market than Canada had ever offered. So, free trade agreement provoked such consternation in nationalist circles in English Canada was viewed as a positive boon by Quebec nationalists. English Canadian nationalism defines itself largely as resistance ton economic cultural encroachment by the US. On contrary, Quebec nationalist movement embraces the prospect of closer trade ties with the US. So, Québec was one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the Canada-U.S. [...]