Quebec's Anglophone Communities and the Legacies of the Quebec Act, 1774-2024

Author/contributor
Title
Quebec's Anglophone Communities and the Legacies of the Quebec Act, 1774-2024
Abstract
2024 marked the 250th anniversary of the Quebec Act, a landmark piece of legislation shepherded through the Westminster Parliament by then Governor of Quebec Guy Carleton, later known as Lord Dorchester. This paper explores the reactions of Anglophone communities in Quebec to Carleton’s actions in the 1770s and also in the 1980s, when the disappearance of “Dorchester Boulevard” in Montreal caused mixed reactions. Despite having been raised in an Irish Protestant family that benefited from the punitive anti-Catholic Penal Laws of the 18th century, Carleton broke with established British imperial policies of forced assimilation and territorial expulsion. Instead, he promoted a more pluralistic vision for Quebec where French Canadian Catholics enjoyed civil rights unheard of in the rest of the British Empire. However, while Carleton’s actions permanently affected future ideas of what defined “Canada,” they also alienated many members of the Anglophone community in Quebec City and Montreal on the eve of the American Revolution.
Date
March, 2025
Pages
16
Language
en
Rights
You are not authorized to use or reproduce this work for any commercial purpose or to further distribute, perform, or alter works in any way without express permission of the owner of the copyright or proxy.
Citation
McGaughey, Jane G.V. Quebec’s Anglophone Communities and the Legacies of the Quebec Act, 1774-2024, March 2025.
Subject
  • Ethno-Cultural Groups
  • Government and Law
    • Provincial Government (Quebec)
  • History and Heritage
    • Local History
Geographical area
  • Québec (Province)
Type
  • Report
Contributing CKOL partner
  • Quebec English-speaking Communities Research Network (QUESCREN)

Related contributing CKOL partner

Logo of Quebec English-Speaking Communities Research Network (QUESCREN)

Quebec English-Speaking Communities Research Network (QUESCREN)

Founded:
2008

Constituents:
People seeking information on English-speaking Quebec; members of QUESCREN’s networks (Inter-Level Educational Table, researcher-members, etc.)

Website:
https://www.concordia.ca/artsci/scpa/quescren.html

Activities:
Mobilizing knowledge; researching and publishing; networking the English-language education sector and a researcher-member group; managing multi-partner community-based research and development projects; training students

Former Names:
none