Chapter 14 Objectives for Student Learning

Language Politics

After reading this chapter, students should be able to:

  • Describe some historical and current developments in the size and distribution of Canada’s francophone population.
  • Explain the significance of language transfer rates for francophone communities and their political influence outside Quebec.
  • Identify the chief characteristics of traditional French-Canadian nationalism.
  • Discuss the impact of the “Quiet Revolution” on Quebec politics and explain how it transformed Quebec nationalism.
  • Outline the main features of language policy both in Quebec and federally, and identify their major points of difference.
  • List the various arguments made to support the claim that Quebec should be recognized as a “distinct society.”
  • Outline the “distinct society” provisions of the Meech Lake Accord, the Charlottetown Accord, the 1995 motion passed by Parliament, and the Calgary Declaration.
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