Question

sovereign? this was the question that over five million quebecers answered at poll stations on october 30, 1995. those who answered \yes\ wanted quebec to separate from canada. those who answered
o\ rejected separatism.

1. this was not the first time quebecers voted on this question. quebec held its first province-wide referendum on sovereignty in 1980. parti quebecois (pq) founder rene levesque led the movement. when 60% of quebec voters said

o\ to separating, rene levesque put sovereignty on the back burner. in 1988, jacques parizeau became the pq leader. this caused many french canadians to regain interest in the independence movement. in 1994, the party won a majority government, and parizeau became quebecs premier.

1. two weeks before the 1995 referendum, it looked like the \yes\ side was going to win. jacques parizeau was confident that quebec would get the green light to form its own nation. this was important to many french canadians. the \yes\ side felt that quebec would be able to preserve its french language and cultural uniqueness by gaining independence from canada.

\when politics is interesting, people go vote.\ —jacques parizeau, quebec premier (1994 - 96)
want quebec to separate. in the weeks leading up to the 1995 poll, chretien made several speeches in support of canadas unity. on october 27, approximately 100,000 canadians from across the country joined chretien in montreal for a unity rally.

1. over 92% of eligible voters cast a vote in the 1995 quebec referendum. the

o\ side won by a slim margin, with 50.6% of the votes. after the announcement, parizeau made a historic speech. he admitted defeat, and told his supporters that they lost because of \money and the ethnic vote.\ many canadians accused parizeau of being racist, and he resigned as premier the following day.

1. after the 1995 defeat, support for the parti quebecois began to fall. without the pq as a majority government, the sovereignty movement began to lose momentum. when parizeau died 20 years after the second referendum, many felt that the movement lost its soul. recent polls conclude that other issues, including the environment and the economy, are more important to quebecers than sovereignty.

negative connotations
many quebecers who voted \yes\ in 1980 and 1995 referred to themselves as \sovereigntists.\ they wanted to preserve the french language and unique culture of quebec and create a new country of their own. many quebecers who voted
o\ called the \yes\ side \separatists.\ they accused french canadians of trying to break up the country. though these two words essentially mean the same thing, \separatist\ has a negative connotation.
comprehension
a. timeline
place the following in chronological order (1 - 8). one tem is not mentioned in the reading. place a star beside it and guess where it belongs.
_____ canadians rallied in montreal to bring support to the
o\ side in the fall of 1995.
_____ rene levesque led the first separatist referendum.
_____ 60% of quebecers said
o\ to separating in 1980.
_____ 92% of the eligible voters turned up at the poll stations for the second referendum.
_____ jean chretien began to make several speeches in support of a united nation.
_____ the \yes\ side lost by a slim margin.
_____ jacques parizeau offended canadians with a remark that seemed racist.
_____ rene levesque died of a heart attack.
b. ask and answer
answering the following questions.

1. who was jacques parizeau?
2. how does the word \sovereigntist\ differ from the word \separatist\?
3. why did nearly half of quebec vote \yes\ in 1995?
4. why did canadians accuse jacques parizeau of being a racist?
5. what happened to the parti quebecois after the 1995 referendum?

Explanation:

1. Jacques Parizeau was the PQ leader in 1988 and Quebec's premier from 1994 - 1996.
2. "Sovereigntist" is used by those who voted "Yes" to refer to themselves, aiming to preserve French language and culture. "Separatist" is used by "No" voters, with a negative connotation, accusing French Canadians of trying to break up the country.
3. The "Yes" side thought Quebec could preserve French language and cultural uniqueness by independence.
4. Because he admitted defeat and said they lost due to "money and the ethnic vote", which many saw as racist.
5. Support for the Parti Quebecois began to fall. Without PQ as a majority government, the sovereignty movement lost momentum.

Answer:

1. Jacques Parizeau was the PQ leader in 1988 and Quebec's premier (1994 - 96).
2. "Sovereigntist" is self - reference by "Yes" voters (preserve French language/culture). "Separatist" (negative) by "No" voters (accuse breaking up country).
3. Thought Quebec could preserve French language and cultural uniqueness by independence.
4. Because of his remark about "money and the ethnic vote".
5. Support began to fall. Sovereignty movement lost momentum.