The Time Canada Almost Broke Up

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I want you to think back to your first memory of a historic event. You can even comment down below with it, I’d be curious to hear. This is mine. It was near Halloween 1995. I remember being at a restaurant, and everyone was watching the sports bar TVs pretty close. But, it wasn’t for a big Maple Leafs or Blue Jays game, but an election, kinda. I was six at the time and I remember asking my mom what was going on. She was nervous and told me one of the Canadian provinces, Quebec, was voting on whether or not it should stay in Canada. She worried about the country’s future, and the future of French Canadians that remain like us.

It was a long story that got us to that night, going back to the beginning of European colonization of Canada. So, with the many requests to talk about Canada this year, I decided to do my patriotic duty, and talk about the time it almost fell apart. Let’s talk about the referendum of 1995.

Canada's got some great stories. Watch a few of them here

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Step Back is a history channel releasing videos biweekly that endeavors to go past the names, dates, and battles you might find elsewhere. It invites you to take a step back, consider the past and how it connects to today. We search for the quirky, unconventional, and just plain weird parts of our collective story.

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Photo Credits:

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Music Credits:

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Sources:

Chrétien, Jean. My years as Prime Minister. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2008.

Grenier, Éric. "Scottish independence vote could be as close as Quebec referendumÉric Grenier." CBCnews. September 17, 2014. Accessed August 23, 2017.

Hébert, Chantal, and Jean Lapierre. The morning after: the 1995 Quebec referendum and the day that almost was. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2015.

Jacobs, Jane. The question of separatism: Quebec and the struggle over sovereignty. Montréal: Baraka Books, 2011.

Lang, Eugene. "Did the 1995 referendum kill Quebec separatism?" Thestar.com. April 13, 2014. Accessed August 23, 2017.

Maloney, Ryan. "1995 Quebec Referendum20 Years Later, Canada Still Standing, But So Is Sovereignty." HuffPost Canada. October 28, 2016. Accessed August 23, 2017.

Millette, Dominique, Gerald L. Gall, and MaudeEmmanuelle Lambert. "Quebec referendum of 1995." Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed August 23, 2017.

Valiante, Giuseppe. "1995 referendum20 years later, country still standing, but so is sovereignty." CBC news. October 28, 2015. Accessed August 23, 2017.

Wells, Paul. "The 1995 referendumWhat would have come after a Yes." Macleans.ca. April 04, 2016. Accessed August 23, 2017.

Woods, Allan. "Borders, recognition of sovereign Quebec were in doubt before 1995 referendum, U.S. documents show." Thestar.com. March 14, 2014. Accessed August 23, 2017.

Young, R. A. The Secession of Quebec and the Future of Canada. Montréal: McGill-Queens University Press, 2014.

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Please watch: "Is America REALLY a Democracy?"

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