Is Quebec Nationalism dead?

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

What with the seeming collapse of both BQ and PQ?

[International Brotherhood of Bernard]

I don't think it's necessarily dead, especially with the soft-nationalist CAQ (correct me if that characterization is wrong) leading the polls currently. But Quebec separatism is dead dead dead for good I think. Francois Legault was once a sovereignist but now merely calls for more autonomy. Pauline Marois went into the 2014 snap election with a lead and then collapsed once their candidates started making noise about independence. There's just no appetite for it anymore. They went through decades of upheaval and instability over the topic of independence and as a result saw much of their industry and prosperity go to Ontario, BC, and Alberta, and now that the issue's been closed for a while, no one outside hardcore Pequistes really has any interest in restarting it and losing what's left.

[parochial boy]

Si c'est ça l'Québec moderne
Ben moi j'mets mon drapeau en berne
Et j'emmerde tous les bouffons qui nous gouvernent!
Si tu rêves d'avoir un pays
Ben moi j'te dis qu't'es mal parti
T'as ben plus de chances de gagner à' loterie...

Seriously, one thing that is a factor is that Souverainisme is essentially only supported by native Quebeckers. The level of immigration to the province, and the fact that immigrants and their children are overwhelmingly against independence make it much harder to build a pro-independence coalition, which inherently means the issue falling of the agenda.

[RogueBeaver]

Nationalism never, but sovereignty is moribund.

[EPG]

Canada under Harper was the healthiest major developed economy in the world. That's not an objectively conducive circumstance to separatism.

[DC Al Fine]

Nationalism never, but sovereignty is moribund.

To add to what RB said, separatism is having some pretty serious demographic issues. It's perceived as a boomer and up thing.

[Helsinkian]

Nationalism never, but sovereignty is moribund.

To add to what RB said, separatism is having some pretty serious demographic issues. It's perceived as a boomer and up thing.

It's interesting that in Scotland the situation is the exact reverse.

[Former President tack50]

Nationalism never, but sovereignty is moribund.

To add to what RB said, separatism is having some pretty serious demographic issues. It's perceived as a boomer and up thing.

It's interesting that in Scotland the situation is the exact reverse.

Same in Catalonia, young people are more secessionist, not less.

[Pennsylvania Deplorable]

Not yet. If anything, the Quebecois seem to be the only white people in Canada capable of expressing any connection to or pride in their heritage. It has deeper roots than the awkward cultural nationalism pushed by former PM Harper in Anglo Canada. At this point, it can go 3 ways.

1. Quebec's nationalists regain power and successfully hold a referendum on leaving. This is unlikely.

2. Quebec's nationalists slowly fade away as more young people speak English by default and immigration reduces the share of French Canadians among Quebec's population. This is the most likely.

3. Quebec become the basis for a Canadian nationalist revival, with nationalists focusing on immigration, pushing Francophone specific issues aside, advocating federalism instead of secessionism, and creating a national party. This path (the Lega Nord path for those familiar with Italian politics) also looks highly unlikely.

[Fuzzy Bear]

It's been a long time since Charles DeGaulle visited Canada and uttered "Long Live Free Quebec!".

[parochial boy]

Not yet. If anything, the Quebecois seem to be the only white people in Canada capable of expressing any connection to or pride in their heritage. It has deeper roots than the awkward cultural nationalism pushed by former PM Harper in Anglo Canada. At this point, it can go 3 ways.

1. Quebec's nationalists regain power and successfully hold a referendum on leaving. This is unlikely.

2. Quebec's nationalists slowly fade away as more young people speak English by default and immigration reduces the share of French Canadians among Quebec's population. This is the most likely.

3. Quebec become the basis for a Canadian nationalist revival, with nationalists focusing on immigration, pushing Francophone specific issues aside, advocating federalism instead of secessionism, and creating a national party. This path (the Lega Nord path for those familiar with Italian politics) also looks highly unlikely.

It won't go any of those ways
1. wont happen as there isnt demographic support for it

2. wont happen because of bill 101 - immigrants to Quebec no longer integrate solely into Anglo-Quebecker as used to be the case and have to go to French schools. Montreal may already be a thoroughly anglophone bilingual city, but the rest of the province has a long way to go (I mean, they would have to learnt to speak proper French first, before worrying about being anglicised)

3. Would require a pretty major change in the nature of both Quebecois and Canadian nationalism. Not that it won't happen, but it doesn't make sense given the sentiment that drives Quebec nationalism in the first place.

[Obama-Biden Democrat]

Back in the 90's, after the 1995 referendum people said that they had got blown out 60-40 in 1980 and then had only lost by 50,000 votes 15 years later. It seemed that the long term trend was on their side and the youth would embrace Quebec nationalism. Old people in general are more cautious and averse to change. They were dead wrong. Millennials have almost entirely given up on it. Demographically a Quebec nationalist rally looks like a Tea Party or Trump rally.

[Don Vito Corleone]

Nationalism never, but sovereignty is moribund.

[King of Kensington]

The younger generation in Quebec tunes out a lot of the PQ old guard but they don't have a particular affinity for "Canada" either.