After the Referendum:

The pollsters had wavered in their predictions, so the atmosphere was tense in Canada on May 20. The final tally was an impressive 59.4 per cent No vote on Premier Levesque’s thinly disguised separatist question. The immediate reaction was euphoric, but within hours a feeling of unease began to grow. The separatist snake had been scotched, not killed.

It was Quebeckers of Scotch, English, Irish, Jewish, and Italian descent who supplied the victory margin, as French-Canadians divided almost evenly. That half the French rejected separatism was hardly reassuring, given the tremendous campaign waged by federal cabinet ministers like Marc Lalonde, Jean Chretien, and, most importantly, by an aroused and very emotional Pierre Trudeau. Furthermore, the federalist forces made promises about rewriting the Canadian constitution in Quebec’s favor that they may not be able to keep.

DC

About the Author

Donald Coxe

Featured Tags

The pollsters had wavered in their predictions, so the atmosphere was tense in Canada on May 20. The final tally was an impressive 59.4 per cent No vote on Premier Levesque’s thinly disguised separatist question. The immediate reaction was euphoric, but within hours a feeling of unease began to grow. The separatist snake had been scotched, not killed.

It was Quebeckers of Scotch, English, Irish, Jewish, and Italian descent who supplied the victory margin, as French-Canadians divided almost evenly. That half the French rejected separatism was hardly reassuring, given the tremendous campaign waged by federal cabinet ministers like Marc Lalonde, Jean Chretien, and, most importantly, by an aroused and very emotional Pierre Trudeau. Furthermore, the federalist forces made promises about rewriting the Canadian constitution in Quebec’s favor that they may not be able to keep.