The Future of the Quebec Question

  2 Events       2 Exchanges       1 Track 1/1.5/2    

21CQ is interested in the future of the Quebec Question for two reasons:

1. The defensive posture: If Quebec should ever secede, the Canadian federation would dissolve.

2. The offensive posture: Without Quebeckers – particularly francophone Quebeckers – dreaming about, and invested in, the continuous building and evolution of the Canadian federation, Canada is de-energized (not firing on all cylinders) – intellectually, culturally, politically and economically.

21CQ engages both postures concurrently. To this end, 21CQ’s key objectives include:

1. a national languages strategy for Canada, stressing the need for future generations of Canadians to be fully bilingual in English and French, plus proficient in a third tongue – either a foreign tongue or an Indigenous language (see 21CQ’s work on The Future of the Aboriginal Question).
2. promotion of civil law pedagogy and training in Canadian common law schools, with the aim of developing a fully bijuridical legal class in Canada.
3. advancement of the idea of regular rotation of civil servants across jurisdictions – from Ottawa to Quebec City; from Quebec City to Edmonton; from the City of St. John to Trois-Rivières – in order to create deeper professional and personal relationships and governance networks to keep Canada together, built on a richer understanding of the country’s many moving parts.

21CQ will makes its arguments and interventions in support of its goals through conferences, briefings, publications, private and public interventions, as well as Track 1, Track 1.5 and Track 2 initiatives in Quebec and in other parts of Canada.

21CQ is interested in the future of the Quebec Question for two reasons:

1. The defensive posture: If Quebec should ever secede, the Canadian federation would dissolve.

2. The offensive posture: Without Quebeckers – particularly francophone Quebeckers – dreaming about, and invested in, the continuous building and evolution of the Canadian federation, Canada is de-energized (not firing on all cylinders) – intellectually, culturally, politically and economically.

21CQ engages both postures concurrently. To this end, 21CQ’s key objectives include:

1. a national languages strategy for Canada, stressing the need for future generations of Canadians to be fully bilingual in English and French, plus proficient in a third tongue – either a foreign tongue or an Indigenous language (see 21CQ’s work on The Future of the Aboriginal Question).
2. promotion of civil law pedagogy and training in Canadian common law schools, with the aim of developing a fully bijuridical legal class in Canada.
3. advancement of the idea of regular rotation of civil servants across jurisdictions – from Ottawa to Quebec City; from Quebec City to Edmonton; from the City of St. John to Trois-Rivières – in order to create deeper professional and personal relationships and governance networks to keep Canada together, built on a richer understanding of the country’s many moving parts.

21CQ will makes its arguments and interventions in support of its goals through conferences, briefings, publications, private and public interventions, as well as Track 1, Track 1.5 and Track 2 initiatives in Quebec and in other parts of Canada.