French Canadian nationalists favoured some form of enhanced status for Quebec: special status within confederation, a new form of association on the basis of equality with English Canada, or complete independence as a sovereigncountry. During the late 1960s the movement was motivated primarily by the belief, shared by many Quebec intellectuals and labour leaders, that the economic difficulties of Quebec were caused by English Canadian domination of the confederation and could only be ended by altering—or terminating—the ties with other provinces and the central government. By the late 20th century, economic conditions had begun to improve, and cultural and linguistic differences became the primary motivation for the resurgence of Quebec separatist sentiment in the 1990s. Quebec separatism was deeply rooted in Canadian history: some Québécois maintained a perennial desire to have their own state, which in a sense they had possessed from 1791 to 1841, and many French Canadians had long felt a sense of minority grievance, stimulated by the execution of Louis Riel, given substance by the Manitoba Schools Question, and given voice in the nationalism of journalists such as Jules-Paul Tardivel and Henri Bourassa.
Casinos in Quebec have been closed since March but many are scheduled to reopen in July, with significant restrictions. Under the new rules, there will be a reduced number of players allowed to.
French Canadian nationalism was also the outcome of profound economic and social changes that had taken place in Quebec since about 1890. Until that time French Canadians had lived by agriculture and seasonal work in the timber trade. The middle-class French of Quebec and Montreal acted as intermediaries between the working-class French and the English industrial and commercial leaders. The growth of hydroelectric power and the wood pulp industry helped to create manufacturing plants in Quebec and Ontario and brought French Canadian workers into the cities, particularly Montreal. The rate of growth of the French Canadian population and the lack of good workable land outside the narrow St. Lawrence and Richelieu valleys contributed to the rush to low-paying jobs in urban industries and to the growth of urban slums, especially in Montreal. By 1921 Quebec was the most urbanized and industrialized of all Canadian provinces, including Ontario, which remained the most populous and the wealthiest. The Quebec government, devoted to the 19th-century policy of laissez-faire economics, recklessly encouraged industry and did little to check its worst excesses. With few exceptions the new enterprises were owned and directed by English Canadians or U.S. businesses.
At the same time, industrialization destroyed the myths by which French Canada had survived: that of the Roman Catholic mission to the New World and the cult of agriculture as the basis of virtuous life. The clash of the traditional and the new came to a head in the last years of the regime of Premier Maurice Duplessis, an economic conservative and Quebec nationalist who led Quebec in 1936–39 and 1944–59. As leader of the Union Nationale party—a party he had helped to create—Duplessis’s first term in office ended when he lost the 1939 election after challenging Ottawa’s right to intervene in provincial jurisdictions during wartime. Reelected in 1944, Duplessis refused to cooperate with most of the new social and educational initiatives launched by the King and Saint Laurent governments. Duplessis favoured foreign investment, supported the Roman Catholic church as Quebec’s chief agency of social welfare and education, and strongly opposed trade unionism.
Quebec society was changing dramatically in the late 1940s and ’50s. Montreal and other urban centres grew rapidly after the war, and a burgeoning French-speaking urban middle class was entering business and other white-collar professions. Increasing numbers of students completed high school and entered Canadian colleges and universities. A prolonged and bitter strike by asbestos workers began a period of labour conflict and gave young idealists—one of them Pierre Trudeau, future prime minister of Canada—a chance to combine with labour in a struggle for a free society of balanced interests. A new Quebec was emerging, despite Duplessis’s best efforts to keep it Catholic, agrarian, and conservative. At the time of his death in 1959, the province was ready for major political changes.
In June 1960 the Quebec Liberal Party, under Jean Lesage, gained power in Quebec. Lesage launched several new legislative initiatives aimed at reforming the corruption that had become widespread during the Duplessis years, transforming and improving the social and educational infrastructure, removing the Roman Catholic church from most secular activities, and involving the provincial government directly in economic development. The Quebec government nationalized the province’s private power companies and consolidated them into one government-owned company. It also established a new provincial pension plan, creating a large pool of investment capital. Much was done quickly in this period of Liberal activism that became known as the “Quiet Revolution.”
After the Liberals were defeated by the Union Nationale in 1966, the range of extremes widened in Quebec. The Liberal Party was federalist, holding that the reforms needed in Quebec could be obtained within the federal system. The Union Nationale also remained fundamentally federalist, but it stressed the importance of remaining Québécois and of obtaining greater provincial power. To the left of the traditional parties, however, opinion ranged from a demand for a special status for Quebec to support for separation and independence. An active minority of leftist Montrealers broke with the Liberals and began advocating independence as a first step to social change. Their efforts resulted in the establishment of the Parti Québécois, which advocated secession from the confederation. Under René Lévesque, a former Liberal, the Parti Québécois won 24 percent of the popular vote in the election of 1970, but the Liberals still secured 72 of the assembly’s 95 seats.
Other social revolutionaries, inspired by refugees from Algeria and by events in Cuba at that time, began to practice terrorism. Bombings began in 1963 and continued sporadically. Most French and English Canadians considered these actions “un-Canadian,” but they illustrated both the social ills of Quebec and the ties of the French intellectuals with the world outside Canada. In October 1970 a terrorist group, the Front de Libération du Québec (Quebec Liberation Front), kidnapped the British trade commissioner, James Cross, and Quebec’s labour minister, Pierre Laporte, who was subsequently murdered. Quebec’s government asked for federal intervention, prompting enactment of the War Measures Act, which suspended the usual civil liberties. Subsequently some 500 people were arrested, and troops were moved into Quebec. The Canadian public generally approved of the act, but few convictions followed, except of those accused of the murder of Laporte.
William Lewis MortonDavid J. BercusonRoger D. HallIn the age of online gambling, why should you even bother finding a casino near you? Well, traditional, brick-n-mortar betting offers an unforgettable experience, which can hardly be compared to playing on the web. Besides, physical casinos are constantly developing the quality of their services and innovating to impress the punters. To find the best gambling houses in your region, consider visiting https://casinonearme-ca.com/.
Best Casinos Near You in Alberta
River Cree Resort and Casino
If you’re looking for the biggest casino in Alberta, don’t hesitate to visit River Cree Resort. It’s located within a 20-minutes’ drive from Edmonton Airport and the city downtown. The venue offers a pretty impressive choice of activities – there are around 1,350 slot machines and 40 table games available. The total square of all entertainment facilities at River Cree Resort exceeds 49 acres; so, there’s definitely enough room for all punters. The casino also includes a hotel with 249 suites, 2 hockey rinks, an indoor pool, a fitness club, and several restaurants. River Cree Resort offers 2 separate gambling facilities: a non-smoking main hall and Embers lounge, a smaller building with 405 slots and 14 table games.
Stoney Nakoda Resort and Casino
Stoney Nakoda is the second-largest casino in the province. It combines a convenient location within a 35 minutes’ drive from Calgary with a wide choice of activities for the whole family. The venue is run by Stoney Tribal Administration. Stoney Nakoda provides around 250 slots, a poker room, and multiple table games. Available activities include blackjack, baccarat, and roulette. There’s also a restaurant with local cuisine, alongside a cocktail lounge on the casino’s territory. Stoney Nakoda offers one of the best hotels in the Rocky Mountains. Its 110 guest rooms are favored by tourists and punters; besides, the venue provides an indoor pool and complimentary parking for RVs and trucks.
Best Casinos near You in Quebec
Casino de Montreal
The largest gambling house in the whole country, Casino de Montreal, is located right in the city center, on Notre Dame Island. It provides an incredible choice of 3,200 slots and 115 table games, including poker, blackjack, craps, baccarat, keno, and roulette. Casino de Montreal spans over 12.1 acres (526,000 sq. ft.) and 10 floors of gambling halls. Unfortunately, there’s no hotel in the casino itself; you’ll need to search for a place to stay somewhere in the city. The venue also includes several unique features, such as its three-floors-high digital wall created in collaboration with Moment Factory and an affordable hall for newbies, known as the Zone. There are 5 restaurants and 3 bars available to the facility’s customers.
Casino du Lac-Leamy
A quick glance at the map of Quebec will show that Casino du Lac-Leamy is located in a stunning place – on the shore of Leamy Lake, close to Ottawa city. The casino offers an array of 1,800 slots, a separate room for Texas Hold’em poker players, and 65 table activities. There are special halls for VIP customers and high rollers, alongside a theater with 1,100 seats. The facility occupies around 300,000 sq. ft. of space. If you’re looking for a place to stay, consider checking out Hilton Lac-Leamy, which is located right in front of the casino. There are 6 restaurants and 4 bars on the venue’s territory, through no bingo halls are available.
Best Casinos near You in Ontario
Fallsview Casino
Fallsview Casino is among the leading gambling destinations in the country; it provides customers with over 3,200 slot machines and 140 table games. The building offers a stunning view panorama of the Niagara Waterfall; the casino’s total floor space exceeds 200,000 square feet. Visitors can stay in the 4-star Fallsview Hotel and try out the best cuisine from all over the world in one of 20 available restaurants. The venue frequently runs live shows, offers an in-house stand-up comedy hall, and provides special treatment to VIP customers. Mind that you must be at least 19 years old to gamble and consume alcohol in Ontario.
Caesars Windsor Casino
Caesars Casino in Windsor is the largest gambling destination in the city, favored by punters from Canada and neighboring cities of the United States. Here are some noteworthy facts about the facility:
Closest Casino To Quebec In Ontario Today
- Caesars offers 2 separate hotel towers: Forum (opened in 1998) and Augustus (opened in 2008).
- The venue is visited by 6 million punters from Canada and the US.
- A total gambling space at Caesars exceeds 100,000 sq. ft.
- The casino offers more than 2,500 slots, a wide array of table games, and several poker rooms.
Unfortunately, Caesars isn’t currently offering a bingo hall, but there are plenty of other things to do; for example, visiting a 5,000-seat theater or dining in one of 5 available restaurants.
Best Casinos near You in Manitoba
McPhillips Station Casino
Although McPhillips Station Casino isn’t the largest or the most well-known gambling destination in Canada, it’s definitely worth checking out if you reside in Winnipeg (or plan to visit the city soon). The venue provides 1,200 slots, over 40 variants of table games, and a separate bingo hall. McPhillips Station Casino doesn’t have a hotel, but there’s a lounge, a bar, and a fine dining restaurant available. The facility runs plenty of promotions for both new and existing customers. There’s also an event hall available.
Club Regent Casino
Club Regent Casino is located in Winnipeg; so, it’s a direct competitor to the above-mentioned venue. Club Regent is close to the city’s airport (25-minute drive), and it offers a hotel with 146 rooms. The choice of games is quite decent as well – the facility offers around 1,200 slots, including multiple progressive jackpot ones. There are lots of keno and bingo machines, electronic versions of classic table games, and, of course, live dealer activities. Dining options include a lounge, a bar, and an ice cream shop. Club Regent offers a huge poker room, where the venue’s management regularly runs various tournaments.
Best Casinos near You in Saskatchewan
Casino Regina
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Casino Regina is the largest gambling destination in Saskatchewan. With 750 slots and 41 table games, it provides an activity to suit every player’s needs. The venue provides unique hotel deals for its customers; for instance, there’s a 20% discount for Players’ Club Members on their stay in Delta Regina hotel. It’s connected with the casino by an array of skywalks; so, visitors always receive convenient access to betting and dining services. The facility offers a large poker room, where you can play with friends or take part in one of the regular tournaments.
Dakota Dunes Casino
Dakota Dunes Casino is, perhaps, the smallest venue from this list: its total floor space is just 85,000 sq. ft., which isn’t that much compared to other destinations. However, Dakota Dunes still provides a decent selection of slot machines – around 500 games. There are 4 table activities available, alongside a separate room for high rollers. If you need a place to stay, consider checking out Dakota Dunes Resort. It offers 155 luxurious rooms and meeting spaces with a total room of 10,000 sq. ft. The facility can run events for any number of visitors, from 15 to 600.