Quebec has alot going for it. It is the second largest province by area and population in the country. Its levels of education is among the highest in the country. It has resources to burn and it has access to the outside world through one of the longest rivers in the world.
You would think that with all of those advantages that the people or Quebec would have a much broader view of the world and would not be so damned provincial. And yes, with the exception of a few pockets in and around Montreal Quebecers are probably the most inward looking people in the country.
I can understand this to a certain extent. When I was born Quebec was dominated by a minority English speaking elite that exploited the French majority for their own benefit. Those benefits never reached the French majority.
That began to change soon after I was born and the majority French were successful in throwing off the yoke of the English elite and taking control of their own province and they did it with next to no violence. It really was an astounding achievement.
Which brings up the question of why French Quebecers have not shown the confidence in themselves that would come from such an achievement. There is no sign of it. If you speak to some francophone Quebecers you would think that nothing has changed in the last 60 years, that les anglais are still plotting to reverse the progress they have made.
It is a preposterous notion. It is true that Quebec is 5 million French people in a sea of almost 400 million English people. However, Americans do not care about Quebec. Many of them would not be able to find it on a map. They are not an active threat, although like the rest of Canada, Quebec does have to push back against American culture in order to maintain its distinctiveness, but this is just a function of the sheer size of the US population and the dominance of the US on the international scene. As for English Canadians, there are no evil anglos, sitting in offices in Toronto and other places in Canada, twirling their mustaches, and planning the subjugation of French Quebecers.
So why are French Quebecers still so damned afraid of losing their identity?
The reason is the English elite has been replaced by a French elite and it is in their interests to keep ordinary Quebecers in fear for their identity. Just look at the ruling class in Quebec. Politicians of ALL stripes, the media, business moguls and academics all still claim that the French identity is fragile and in constant threat of being overwhelmed. They do this of course for the same reasons other politicians use identity politics, to cover up the fact that they are exploiting ordinary French Quebecers and to cover up the fact that Quebec is probably the most mismanaged political jurisdiction in Canada, and in the top 10 mismanaged jurisdictions in North America.
Simply put Quebecers threw off one parasitic elite only to be saddled with another one. The result is Quebec is a perennial poor province in relation to its population, education levels and natural gifts. Government services are below the national average in quality, again despite its many advantages.
Some Quebecers are noticing, which is why there has been a rise in the use if identity politics in the province in recent years. However, the Quebec elite have a problem of not being able to kick around the English any more, which is why they have begun to target immigrants, particularly those of other cultures and religions.
It really is too bad. Quebec could be a power house in this country but it is being held back by an elite that sees political and economic value in perpetuating that process and a population that is unable or unwilling to look outside of their little bubble. As long as that remains the reality Quebec and it people will never reach their full potential.
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