Quebec's impact on North America

Roger Gibbons asked in his writing “Canada Without Quebec: Thinking Through the Unthinkable”1 “…could Canada survive without Quebec?” (CWQ pg. 116) Not only is this a question that is not easily answered, but one that can be brought to an even more straightforward question. Can North America remain the same without Quebec belonging to Canada? To imagine Canada without Quebec is like watching the news with no sporting event highlights, a possibility but unlikely to say the least. A Quebec departure from Canada will not only reshape Canada, but will also reshape the entire continent of North America.

As the two governments of Quebec and Canada continue to talk about separation, they hold decisively the future of North America. Quebec leaving Canada will open doors for new nations to be built and for other current nations, such as the United States, to consume Canada that is lost in pandemonium. When or if Canada should lose Quebec, those remaining outside of Quebec would be lost in their Canadian distinctiveness and Canadian foundation of life. Canada’s uniqueness is one of multiculturalism, bilingualism, rights and freedoms, and well being for all. With the departure of Quebec, Canada loses one of its strongest identities. Canada is known as a French speaking country and an English speaking country; Canada would lose their whole French language characteristics. However, don’t think that a language forms a complete identity, for it doesn’t, but it does give a sense of belonging and historical background. As stated before, Quebec leaving Canada will form a new nation on the North American Continent. This formation being the most important, for it will allow the others to follow.

As soon as Quebec is granted or achieves separation, the James Bay Cree will be the first to follow. The Cree argue that Quebec separating from Canada should allow the Cree from separating from Quebec, much to Quebec’s chagrin. Matthew Coon Come wrote in “Dishonourable Conduct: The Crown in Right of Canada and Quebec, and the James Bay Cree”2, “we Crees feel that our rights and interests will be best protected if we remain within Canada…” (DC pg. 98) Though this would no longer be relevant after Quebec’s departure. Come did say this however, “how can people who claim these rights deny these rights to us? Where is the logic?” (DC pg. 91) This referring to Quebec’s stand that the James Bay Cree have no need or right to separate from Quebec. Though this will be a much-debated problem for years to come, the logic will never come around, and the James Bay Cree will separate from Quebec, creating the second new nation in North America. So now with the French Canadians content, and the James Bay Cree content, what about the rest of the Canadians that are lost in all the disorder? The United States will be one of the first to take advantage of Canada’s’ misery.

Roger Gibbons points out “the absorption of Canada would be with interest to Americans.” (CWQ pg. 106) Why wouldn’t the United States want to expand their boundaries and power of North America and the World? The US would be keen on gaining more territory, especially the fertile land that would boost the American economy. Not only that but having an American soil gateway to Alaska would prove to be very beneficial. The United States main prize would be in gathering the two great cities of Toronto and Vancouver, the two most Canadian cities that resemble an American city. Not just for the fact that these accommodate two or did accommodate two of the Americans National Basketball Associations (NBA) teams, but the economic advance of these cities would certainty enhance the American economy. Though this sounds easy and simple to expand the American border to gain a few ports, cities and gateways, the border around the new land itself would be of disarray and create lots of turmoil. Gibbons explains how the American absorption would pan out, “picking off provinces or even regions one at a time would make no sense for the United States. It would require a series of institutional accommodations…Canada will be absorbed holus-bolus or not at all.” (CWQ pg. 107) Now what was formerly known as Canada, is an expanded United States, and two new nations of Quebec and the James Bay Cree, with a lost and utterly confused Canadian remain.

Canada now remains a small, weak, and struggling nation, but one that is surrounded by allies. The remains of Canada would be ones that are still strong on multiculturalism and the Canadian way of life. Those Canadians that fit in none of the new nations and forbid to be consumed by the US, remain in what is a small nation, most likely located in north Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Manitoba. This remaining country would become as Gibbons suggests, “a new set of political institutions that would be much closer to the American model than to Canadian parliamentary tradition.” (CWQ pg. 113) So now North America stands as a reshaped continent, one with two new nations and one that has become even stronger and one that is much smaller and still recovering from the departure of Quebec.