Quebec occupies a unique place in Canada, and shares a unique political history that is shared only by a handful of other regions, such as Basque, Hong Kong, et cetera. Depending on who one asks, Quebec is either an unfairly anointed juggernaut that practically rules Canada or an oppressed region worthy of more autonomy. The culmination of those ideals occurred during the second (and last) Quebec Independence referendum in 1995. Unlike the previous vote in 1980, the margin between separatists, those who wanted Quebec to leave, and the federalists, those who wanted Quebec to stay, was a razor-thin. Regardless of the opinion of those outside of the province, Quebec was growing dissatisfied with its place in Canada. During the "Quiet Revolution" spearheaded by premier Rene Levesque, Quebec had made great stride in economic and social growth, becoming a massive population center and rapdily modernised. With this newfound success, many Quebecers began to question their place in a nation that it had found itself as unlikely bedfellows. A feeling that Quebec and its unique needs were being ignored by the leaders in Ottawa. After a flair-up of violent militarism by the FLQ in the 70s, separatist views became mainstream in Quebec.
Thankfully, Quebecers rejected a plan for separation, perhaps harkening to this John A Macdonald Quote: "If I had influence over the minds of the people of Canada, any power over their intellect, I would leave them this legacy: ‘Whatever you do, adhere to the Union. We are a great country, and shall become one of the greatest in the universe if we preserve it; we shall sink into insignificance and adversity if we suffer it to be broken.". There are many lessons we can learn from the referendum in Quebec, perhaps the greatest being that the vote was the first great test of Canada's "Cultural Mosaic" ideals. Canada has been dealing with the issue of multiculturalism since before the term was coined. French and English relations had oftentimes been strained. As Canadian demographics changes, we can rest assured knowing that there is great belief in the ideals of a multicultural and pluralistic Canada.