The French-Canadian Idea of Confederation, 1864-1900. 2nd ed.

R. Douglas Francis is a professor of history at the University of
Calgary and the co-author of Destinies: Canadian History Since
Confederation.

This book explains, lucidly and in detail, the French-Canadian view of
Confederation in 1867. That view changed and evolved in the late
19th-century with the rise of Quebec nationalism and the assault on the
language rights and separate schools of French-speaking Canadians living
outside of Quebec.

Silver argues that, contrary to popular belief, French-Canadians in
1867 accepted Confederation not for the opportunity to live within the
larger nation state of Canada, but because the Confederation agreement
ended the old union of Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and
Quebec)—which had never worked to Quebec’s advantage—and because
the agreement guaranteed French-Canadian cultural rights in the Province
of Quebec. In other words, even at the time of Confederation,
French-speaking Canadians in Quebec looked to Quebec first as their
homeland. However, as Anglo-Protestants in Quebec gained power within
this province, and as French-Catholic minorities in other provinces were
losing their rights, French-speaking Quebecers began to use their clout
in Quebec to fight for the rights of their brothers and sisters beyond
Quebec’s borders.

French-Canadian leaders responded in two ways to the English-speaking
political and intellectual elite’s demands that Canada be unilingual
(English) and unicultural (Anglo-Canadian). A few advocated Quebec
separatism, abandoning concern for French-speaking Canadians outside
Quebec, while the majority demanded the recognition of Canada as a
bilingual and bicultural country. Henri Bourassa, a vociferous advocate
of the latter position, went so far as to argue that the Confederation
agreement itself had been a “moral compact” between the two founding
groups.

Silver has done a fine job of showing the par-allels between the debate
at Confederation and the current debate over Canada and the
French-Canadian question. His book is required reading for anyone
interested in understanding the situation in Quebec today.