Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-1-1991

Department

Political Science

Abstract

The contemporary conflict between the province of Quebec and the federal government in Canada has recently been a focus of international attention. Quebec is inhabited by a majority group of French-speakers whose ancestry is rooted in Quebec, whose historical religion is Roman Catholicism, and who are known collectively (in French) as “Quebecois.” The conflict involves Quebec’s claim to special recognition as a separate entity—a nation or a “distinct society”—within Canada. This claim clashes with the rights of individuals to express themselves in the official language (French or English) of their choice and also puts in doubt the idea of a national “Canadian” identity.

Comments

Copyright © 1991 The Johns Hopkins University Press. This article first appeared in Human Rights Quarterly 13.3 (1991), 412-419. Reprinted with permission by The Johns Hopkins University Press.

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