This document, intended for an international public, was prepared by: Michel Seymour, Département de philosophie, Université de Montréal, Lubin Bisson, administrateur, Radio C.I.B.L. - FM, Didier Calmels, journaliste, Station de télévision indépendante, Jean-Pierre Chelhot, étudiant à la maîtrise, Département de sociologie, Université de Québec à Montréal, Jocelyne Couture, Département de philosophie, Université de Québec à Montréal, Guy Lachapelle, Département de sciences politiques, Université Concordia, Yves Nadeau, Faculté de Droit, Université de Montréal, Kai Nielsen, Département de philosophie, Université Concordia, Éric Normandeau, M.A. en sciences politiques, Université de Québec à Montréal, Ercilia Palacio, Département de philosophie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Paul-André Quintin, Département de philosophie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Michel Robert, Département de philosophie, CÉGEP du Vieux-Montréal, Geneviève Sicotte Ph.D., Département d'études françaises, Université de Montréal, Daniel Turp, Faculté de droit, Université de Montréal, Louise Vandelac, Département de sociologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Jules-Pascal Venne, Département de sciences politiques, CÉGEP Édouard-Montpetit.

What does Quebec want?

Opponents of the Quebec sovereignty movement sometimes ironically ask, "What does Quebec want?", implying that Quebec has no reason to complain. It is indeed true that Quebec is not a colony, nor are Quebecers' rights and physical well-being in jeopardy. Our standard of living is enviable and we have access to ample social security. Furthermore, our right to freedom of expression is such that we can promote political goals which might, elsewhere, be considered subversive or highly treasonable. What, then, are the arguments supporting many Quebecers' wish for sovereignty? This paper details a political analysis of the relations between Quebec and Canada and sets out the reasons why a growing number of Quebecers are in favour of political independence.

We shall first provide an overall picture of Quebec's unique situation and describe some of the special features of Quebec's current ties with Canada (Part 2). Part 3 will discuss certain historical developments that highlight the democratic nature of Quebec's approach to sovereignty. In Part 4, we shall argue that Quebec's sovereignty is primarily a matter of political legitimacy and democracy, rather than of constitutional law. Part 5 will focus on some of the reasons why we favour sovereignty. Finally, in Part 6, we shall appeal to intellectuals, asking them to monitor events closely should Quebec secede, given the intransigence which the Canadian government seems currently prone to display.

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Read the whole document on the site Independence of Québec - Resource Centre for the English-Speaking World.