Debts to Pay: A Fresh Approach to the Quebec Question

Jeffrey J. Cormier is a PhD candidate in sociology specializing in
Canadian society at McGill University.

Originally an essay, this lively and passionate book charts the ebb and
flow of relations be-tween Quebec and English Canada from 1759 to 1997.

Conway’s intent is to sensitize English Canada to the humiliation and
oppression that Quebec has suffered under the yoke of English-Canadian
arrogance and ignorance. He begins with the ominous statement,
“Canadians are living through a death-watch as the country slowly ebbs
and fails,” and concludes on a similar note: “The Quebec nation does
not believe we have yet paid our debts. Nor do many of us. We can pay
them now, or we can pay them later. But pay them we must.” The 1759
Conquest, the 1837–38 Patriot uprisings, Riel’s execution in 1885,
the 1982 Patriation, Meech Lake, and Charlottetown—all are seen as
missed opportunities (for English Canada) that served to heighten
Quebec’s humiliation.

Social scientists will be frustrated by the lack of endnotes and other
documentation. For the general reader, the book provides insights into
the thinking of hardline Quebec nationalists, but glosses over the
complexities of Quebec society.