''Breaking Point'' (French: ''Point de rupture'') is a Canadian documentary film, released in 2005. Aired on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

in English and on

Radio-Canada The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

in French and released to mark the tenth anniversary of the 1995 Quebec sovereignty referendum, the film explored the dynamics of the referendum campaign through interviews with and news clips of several of the major players on both sides of the debate. The two-part film aired on SRC in September 2005, and on CBC in October. It has also been released on DVD.

Synopsis

The two-part documentary focuses on the battle between the Federalist camp lead by

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. Born and raised in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Chrétien is a law graduate from Uni ...

representing the "No-side" vote regarding

Quebec Sovereignty The Quebec sovereignty movement (french: Mouvement souverainiste du Québec) is a political movement whose objective is to achieve the sovereignty of Quebec, a province of Canada since 1867, including in all matters related to any provision o ...

as they go against the "Yes-side", led by

Lucien Bouchard Lucien Bouchard (; born December 22, 1938) is a Canadian lawyer, diplomat and retired politician. Minister for two years in the Mulroney cabinet, Bouchard then led the emerging Bloc Québécois and became Leader of the Opposition in the House ...

and

Jacques Parizeau Jacques Parizeau (; August 9, 1930June 1, 2015) was a Canadian politician and Québécois economist who was a noted Quebec sovereigntist and the 26th premier of Quebec from September 26, 1994, to January 29, 1996. Early life and career Pariz ...

promoting a sovereignty society separate from Canada.

Film Content

Part-one of the CBC Documentary ''Breaking Point'' goes behind the scenes of the 1995 Quebec Referendum. The documentary outlines the Quebec sovereigntist campaign after they were defeated by the Federalist in the 1980 referendum. Part-one highlights the successes and struggles of the Quebec Sovereignty movement as

, former Premier of Quebec who led the

1980 Quebec Referendum The 1980 Quebec independence referendum was the first referendum in Quebec on the place of Quebec within Canada and whether Quebec should pursue a path toward sovereignty. The referendum was called by Quebec's Parti Québécois (PQ) government, whi ...

, had been forced to hand the initially struggling 'Yes camp' to the more-popular

, member of the

Bloc Quebecois Bloc may refer to: Government and politics * Political bloc, a coalition of political parties * Trade bloc, a type of intergovernmental agreement * Voting bloc, a group of voters voting together Other uses * Bloc (code school), an educational we ...

. In this, the documentary shows the struggles of Quebec trying to obtain outside support from other countries such as; United States and France. Support inside their province becomes a challenge as groups such as; James Bay Cree and French-Canadians are skeptic regarding what the future would look like in the absence of Canada. Part-two focuses on the head-to-head battle between

Jean Chretien Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jean ...

and

as both leaders campaign to their supporter's weeks before the 1995 referendum vote. In Part two, the United States showed their support for Chretien's Federalist campaign and the James Bay Cree hold a referendum deciding whether they want to separate from Canada alongside Quebec. Ultimately,

and

are left to give their final speeches before fate is determined on October 30, 1995 as the population of Quebec vote to decide whether they should separate, or remain a part of Canada.

The "No-side"

Known as the Federalist camp voting "No" to Quebec Sovereignty in the 1995 referendum led by Jean Chretien and the Quebec Liberal Party.

The "Yes-side"

Consisted of the individuals of the Quebec population in favor of separating from Canada. This campaign was led by Jacques Parizeau and Lucien Bouchard promoting the "Yes-side" campaign.

James Bay Cree Referendum

The James Bay Cree held a referendum to decide if their territory should remain a part of Canada should Québec vote to separate in its own forthcoming referendum. This three-day referendum was a result of the First Nations of James Bay Cree "who are requesting the same recognition" like Quebec for a distinct society during the Quebec referendum years. They do this because they are worried about what the future holds if Quebec separates from Canada. CBC Documentary ''Breaking Point'' highlights that the "Cree is determined to have their own referendum and they intend to be the masters of their own future". The referendum is based on one question, "Do you consent the government of Quebec separates the James Bay Cree and create traditional territory from Canada in the event of a yes vote in the Quebec referendum?" This situation put Canada in a difficult position because they now have to vote on Quebec and James Bay Cree. Once the votes were polled, 77% of the eligible members of the Cree ended up voting and the majority vote was to stay with Canada.

1995 Quebec Referendum

Following the

, the 1995 Quebec referendum was the second time that Canadian French-speaking individuals would vote whether the province of Quebec would declare national sovereignty and become an independent country or continue to be a cooperative partner as a province within Canadian borders.

References

External links

*

Breaking Point (2005) Pt.1

Breaking Point (2005) Pt. 2 {{Quebec sovereignty movement CBC Television original films 2005 television films 2005 films Documentary films about Quebec politics Federalism in Canada Quebec sovereignty movement 1995 in Canada Jean Chrétien French-language Canadian films Canadian documentary television films 2000s English-language films 2000s Canadian films