The Estates General of French Canada (french: États généraux du Canada français) were a series of three
assizes
The courts of assize, or assizes (), were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes e ...
held in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
between 1966 and 1969. Organized by the
Ligue d'action nationale and coordinated by the
Fédération des Sociétés Saint-Jean-Baptistes du Québec (FSSJBQ), the stated objective of these Estates General was to consult the
French-Canadian
French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fr ...
people on their constitutional future.
Origins
According to
Rosaire Morin, editor of the ''
L'Action nationale
''L'Action nationale'' () is a French-language monthly published in Quebec, Canada.
The magazine publishes critical analyses of Quebec's linguistic, social, cultural and economic realities. Since 1917, approximately 17,000 authors have appeared ...
'' review, the idea of the Estates General was launched by the FSSJBQ in 1961. Annual assemblies gathering the representatives of several French-Canadian associations occurred around that time, but these involved no more than 30 people.
In May 1963,
MLA Jean-Jacques Bertrand
Jean-Jacques Bertrand (; June 20, 1916 – February 22, 1973) was the 21st premier of Quebec, from October 2, 1968, to May 12, 1970. He led the Union Nationale party.
Member of the legislature
Bertrand served as Member of the Legislative Assemb ...
presented a motion in the
Legislative Assembly of Quebec
The Legislative Assembly of Quebec (French: ''Assemblée législative du Québec'') was the name of the lower house of Quebec's legislature from 1867 to December 31, 1968, when it was renamed the National Assembly of Quebec. At the same time, t ...
in which he asked for the setting up of "a special committee to prepare the convocation of the French-Canadian General Estates". However, this move was not followed and the initiative of convening the Estates General came from civil society instead of the
Quebec Parliament.
In April 1964, the proposal of the FSSJBQ regarding the Estates General was endorsed by various associations and intermediary bodies of Quebec's civil society. In November 1965, a provisional committee composed of 27 members was set up to try to reach out as many associations as possible.
The December 1965 issue of ''L'Action nationale'' contained a first article treating the subject of the history and functioning of the Estates General in France. A second article on the same subject was published in the February 1966 issue. A third one was intended for the May–June 1966 issue, but this issue was never published.
The president of the Estates General, lawyer
Albert Leblanc
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia
* Albert Productions, a record label
* Albert ...
, was appointed to the
Superior Court of Quebec
The Superior Court of Quebec (french: Cour supérieure du Québec) is a superior trial court in the Province of Quebec, in Canada. It consists of 157 judges who are appointed by the federal government. Appeals from this court are taken to the Que ...
during the course of the year 1966 and was replaced by law professor
Jacques-Yvan Morin
Jacques-Yvan Morin, (born July 15, 1931 in Quebec City, Quebec) is a former professor of law and a politician in Quebec, Canada. Morin graduated from the McGill University Faculty of Law with a BCL in 1953, where he was the founder of the ''McGi ...
.
[Rosaire Morin.]
Les États généraux du Canada français
, in ''L'Action nationale'', 1990, 80, 6, p. 799-815.
Preliminary assizes of 1966
The Preliminary assizes of 1966 were the first meeting of the Estates General of French Canada. The assizes, held from November 25 to 27 at
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-de ...
, were said to be preliminary because their objective was to prepare the working material on the basis of which the subsequent assizes were to debate.
National assizes of 1967
The National assizes of 1967 were the second meeting of the Estates General of French Canada. They were held from November 23 to 26 at
Place des Arts
Place may refer to:
Geography
* Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population
** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government
* "Place", a type of street or road name
** Often ...
in Montreal. the delegates adopted among others an important resolution pertaining to the
right to self-determination
The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a ''jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It stat ...
of the French Canadians on the territory of Quebec, which was declared the "national territory and fundamental political milieu" of their nation.
National assizes of 1969
The National assizes of 1969 were the third and last meeting of the Estates General of French Canada. They were held from March 5 to 9 at the
Queen Elizabeth Hotel
Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth (french: Fairmont Le Reine Élizabeth) is a historic grand hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. With 950 rooms and 21 floors it is the largest hotel in the province of Quebec, and the second largest Fairmont hotel in ...
. The delegates adopted among others an important resolution proposing to convene a
constituent assembly
A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
for the drafting of the constitution of Quebec.
Timeline
* 1966 – On September 13, election of the territorial delegates to the preliminary assizes.
* 1966 – From November 25 to 27, the preliminary assizes are held at Université de Montréal.
* 1967 – On April 16, election of the territorial delegates to the first national assizes.
* 1967 – From November 23 to 26, the first national assizes are held at Place des Arts in Montreal.
* 1969 – From March 5 to 9, the second national assizes are held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal.
Notes
References
*
Marcel Martel,
Estates General of French Canada, in ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. Fondation Historica, 2008
* Rosaire Morin,
, in ''L'Action nationale'', 1990, 80, 6, p. 799-815.
Further reading
; Studies
*
Michel Bock (2001). '' (1960-1975)'', Sudbury: Institut franco-ontarien / Prise de parole, 119 p.
critical review
* Marcel Martel (1998). ''French Canada: An Account of its Creation and Break up, 1850-1967''. Ottawa: The Canadian Historical Association, 32 p.
* Marcel Martel and Robert Choquette (1998). ''Les États généraux du Canada français, trente ans après : actes du colloque tenu à l’Université d’Ottawa les 5, 6 et 7 novembre 1997'', Ottawa : Centre de recherche en civilisation canadienne-française de l’Université d’Ottawa, 422 p.
* Marcel Martel (1997). ''Deuil d'un pays imaginé. Rêves, luttes et déroute du Canada-français. Les rapports entre le Québec et la francophonie canadienne, 1867-1975'', Ottawa : Presses de l'Université d'Ottawa, 204 p.
; Articles
* Marcel Martel,
Faut-il se souvenir de la tenue des États généraux du Canada français?, in ''L'annuaire du Québec 2007'', p. 208-210
*
Gratien Allaire,
Le triangle Canadien-Français au tournant des années 1960. le conseil de la vie Française en Amérique, la société Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal et l'Ordre de Jacques-Cartier, in ''Francophonies d'Amérique'', 17 (2004) p. 108-117
*
Martin Pâquet, "Un nouveau contrat social : les États généraux du Canada français et l’immigration, novembre 1967", in ''Bulletin d’histoire politique'', 2001, 10, 2, p. 123-134.
*
Jean Tournon, "Langue et politique linguistique aux États généraux du Canada français (1967)", in ''Études canadiennes - Canadian Studies'', No. 45, 1998, pp. 185–194
*
Michel Sarra-Bournet and
Lucien-Pierre Bouchard,
Au-delà de la rupture politique entre les francophonies canadienne et québécoise, in ''Le site des cours de Michel Sarra-Bournet, Ph.D. chargé de cours en histoire et en science politique'', 1997
* Michel Bock,
Les États généraux du Canada français, ou l'éclatement de la nation : une analyse des journaux de langue française de Sudbury, in ''Revue du Nouvel-Ontario'', 1996
; Publications by the Estates General
* EGCF (1969). ''Assises nationales tenues à l'hôtel Reine Elisabeth du 5 au 9 mars 1969'', Montréal : ''Action nationale'', 646 p.
''L'Action nationale'', vol. LVIII, N 9 et 10, mai-juin 1969
* EGCF. ''Les Cahiers des États généraux du Canada français'', Montréal, 1967-69 (19 issues)
* EGCF (1968). ''Les États généraux du Canada français : assises nationales tenues à la Place des arts de Montréal du 23 au 26 novembre 1967'', Montréal : Éditions de l'Action nationale, 380 p.
''L'Action nationale'', vol. LVII, N 6, fév. 1968
* EGCF (1967). ''Les États généraux du Canada français : assises préliminaires tenues à l'Université de Montréal, du 25 au 27 novembre 1966'', Montréal, 128 p.
* EGCF (1967). ''États généraux du Canada français : exposés de base et documents de travail'', Montréal : Éditions de L'Action nationale, 277 p.
* EGCF (1967). ''Un peuple en marche, le 16 avril 1967'', s.n., 23 p.
* EGCF (1966). ''Un peuple parle'', s.n., 16 p.
{{Estates General of French Canada
Political history of Quebec
20th century in Canada