Shaping modern Canada
After the Second World War, Canada changed rapidly. Three big debates helped define the country we know today: language and Quebec’s place in Canada, health care, and the Constitution.
Language and Quebec
The Quiet Revolution
In the 1960s, Quebec went through the Quiet Revolution: a period of rapid change under Premier Jean Lesage, with the slogan Maîtres chez nous ("Masters in our own house").
- the province took control of education and health care from the Catholic Church
- Hydro-Québec expanded by nationalizing private power companies
- francophones gained more control of the economy
- a stronger Québécois identity emerged, and some called for independence
Federal response: bilingualism
The Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism (1963–69) found that French speakers were often disadvantaged. In response, Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s government passed the Official Languages Act (1969), making English and French equal in federal institutions. Bilingualism became a national policy, and French immersion schools spread across the country.
In 1971, Canada also adopted an official policy of multiculturalism, made law in the Canadian Multiculturalism Act (1988).
Quebec nationalism
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1970 | October Crisis: the FLQ, a violent separatist group, kidnapped a British diplomat and murdered Quebec cabinet minister Pierre Laporte; Ottawa invoked the War Measures Act |
| 1976 | the Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, won power |
| 1977 | Bill 101 (Charter of the French Language) made French the main language of work, business and schooling in Quebec |
| 1980 | first referendum on sovereignty-association: about 60% voted No |
| 1995 | second referendum on sovereignty: No won by about 50.6% to 49.4% |
| 2000 | the Clarity Act set rules for any future referendum |
Health care
Before public health care, many Canadians couldn’t afford to see a doctor or stay in hospital.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1947 | Saskatchewan creates public hospital insurance under Premier Tommy Douglas |
| 1957 | federal Hospital Insurance and Diagnostic Services Act |
| 1962 | Saskatchewan introduces medicare for doctors’ services, despite a doctors’ strike |
| 1966 | federal Medical Care Act; all provinces join by 1972 |
| 1984 | Canada Health Act |
The Canada Health Act sets five principles provinces must follow to receive full federal funding:
- Public administration: run on a non-profit basis by a public authority
- Comprehensiveness: covers medically necessary hospital and doctor services
- Universality: covers all eligible residents
- Portability: coverage continues when you move or travel within Canada
- Accessibility: no user fees or extra billing that block access
Tommy Douglas is often called the "father of medicare." Today debates continue about wait times, staffing, private delivery and expanding coverage to areas such as prescription drugs and dental care.
The Constitution
Until 1982, Canada’s main constitution was the British North America Act, a British law. Canada needed Britain’s Parliament to amend it.
Patriation, 1982
Prime Minister Trudeau pushed for patriation: bringing the Constitution home with a made-in-Canada amending formula and a charter of rights.
- In November 1981, after tense negotiations, the federal government and nine provinces reached agreement. Quebec was left out of the final deal, in what Quebec nationalists call the "Night of the Long Knives."
- The Constitution Act, 1982 was proclaimed on April 17, 1982. It included:
- the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
- Section 35, recognizing Aboriginal and treaty rights
- an amending formula
- equalization (section 36)
Quebec’s government never signed it, though it applies in Quebec.
Failed attempts to bring Quebec in
- Meech Lake Accord (1987): would have recognized Quebec as a "distinct society." It died in 1990 when it wasn’t ratified in time, after Manitoba MLA Elijah Harper, an Oji-Cree member, blocked it, protesting the exclusion of Indigenous peoples, and Newfoundland did not vote on it.
- Charlottetown Accord (1992): a broader package rejected in a national referendum.
Other changes in modern Canada
- New flag (1965) and Expo 67 boosted national pride
- Immigration rules reformed in 1967 with a points system, removing explicit racial and national discrimination
- The Canada Pension Plan (1966) and expanded social programs
- Growing Indigenous rights movements, and the 1969 White Paper’s rejection
Try it yourself
- Explain how the Quiet Revolution changed Quebec and Canada.
- Evaluate the five principles of the Canada Health Act. Which matters most to you, and why?
- Debate: "Patriation in 1982 was a success for Canada."
- Compare the 1980 and 1995 Quebec referendums.
Quick recap
- The Quiet Revolution transformed Quebec in the 1960s.
- The Official Languages Act (1969) made English and French equal federally.
- Quebec held sovereignty referendums in 1980 and 1995; both were defeated.
- Medicare grew from Saskatchewan to national coverage under the Canada Health Act (1984).
- The Constitution was patriated in 1982 with the Charter, but without Quebec’s signature.