Thirty years after a razor-thin referendum defeat, Quebec separatists are gaining momentum with rising youth support for independence
MONTREAL: Thirty years after a cliffhanger independence referendum, Quebec separatists are voicing renewed hope for sovereignty.
The 1995 vote saw 50.6% of Quebecers reject independence while 49.4% supported it, preserving Canada’s unity.
Devoted separatists rallying in Montreal this month insist the movement is gaining momentum after years of stalled progress.
“Quebec’s culture is disappearing,” said 20-year-old Zachary Cyr among the crowd of blue-clad supporters chanting through Montreal’s streets.
His friend Gabriel Paradis-Fortin agreed that “English always dominates” as French language use declines.
“We want to be able to speak French to our children in 40 years,” added Paradis-Fortin, also aged 20.
Quebec’s population of nine million holds special status within Canada recognizing its unique linguistic and cultural character.
Independence supporter Camille Charbonneau stated she has “no hatred of Canada or hatred of English” but wants “an assertion of a distinct people with a different culture.”
Recent polling offers optimism with 56% of Quebecers aged 18-34 supporting independence according to a summer Crop survey.
OUI Quebec leader Camille Goyette-Gingras said these numbers reflect viewing separatism as “a project of hope.”
“The public mobilization we see in Catalonia inspires us,” she told AFP, referencing Spain’s 2017 secession bid.
Goyette-Gingras wants independence debates central to next year’s provincial elections where the pro-independence Parti Quebecois polls strongly.
Parti Quebecois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon promises a referendum in his first term if elected premier.
Prominent political journalist Chantal Hebert argues polling misses that most Quebecers “do not want to be asked the question.”
Federalists avoid reliving 1995’s trauma while separatists “don’t see momentum suggesting a positive result” from another vote.
A September Leger survey showed 59% of Quebecers oppose independence with only 31% in favor.
Hebert suggested separatist momentum is undermined by economic blows from US President Donald Trump’s trade war.
“When the economy is being threatened in such an unprecedented way, it doesn’t make it likely that voters will want to take a chance on even more uncertainty,” she explained.
Youth enthusiasm appears in 17-year-old rapper Kinji00 whose lyrics dream of an independent Quebec.
“The young people who come to my show are all under 18 and they all bring their Quebec flags,” he said.
Passion extends beyond youth as 75-year-old Denise Michaud drove five hours from Rimouski to attend the Montreal rally.
Michaud also voted for separation in the 1980 referendum when federalists won with 60% support.
“I would like the money I send in taxes to the federal government to stay in Quebec,” she stated.
“We have everything we need to be on our own.” – AFP
