100 Quebec intellectuals signed this manifesto prepared by: Jocelyne Couture, Pierre Gendron, Guy Lachapelle, Jacques-Yvan Morin, Kai Nielson, Guy Rocher, Michel Sarra-Bournet, Mathieu-Robert Sauvé, Michel Seymour, Geneviève Sicotte, Daniel Turp, Jules Pascal Venne.

Public affairs should interest all citizens of a community, but none more than its intellectuals. This is all the more true of Quebec where intellectuals have played a determining role in recent developments, a role they must not relinquish at a moment when the people of Quebec are called upon to take major decisions on their future as a collectivity. Intellectuals should not misperceive the freedom of thought that is their most precious good. To contend that they must abstain from intervening in the public debate in order to preserve their ability to be objective and critical is to neglect their responsibilities. There comes a time when doing nothing and saying nothing amounts to endorsing the status quo.

One must, as once suggested by a Quebec intellectual, sometimes take the "risky path". The spirit of conformism and the prevailing inertia must be overcome. Intellectuals have the responsibility to speak out at crucial historical moments. They can articulate, refine, and clarify the ideas that their fellow citizens feel intuitively. In the present case, they can set out original arguments in favour of sovereignty. This is why we deem it necessary to intervene in the referendum debate and to show our support for Quebec sovereignty.

Some suggest that everything has been said on the subject, and that the citizens of Quebec have only to await the fall to vote YES or NO. But reality is more complex. The question of nationhood is at this point in time at the heart of debates going on all over the world. Concrete solutions reached in different countries to resolve their problems as well as theoretical research being carried on concerning these issues in the field of law, philosophy, political science and cultural studies, can and must enrich our own understanding. It is in this light that our group brings together individuals engaged in teaching, research, and culture. Our group is organized as a network of networks, where every person works in his or her field of specialization and in his or her own name, while at the same time recognizing the need for mutual commitment and concerted action. During the referendum campaign about to begin, we will develop and set out in detail a number of arguments in favour of sovereignty. Here is a short summary of the questions that we will be tackling.

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Read the entire manifesto on the site Independence of Québec - Resource Centre for the English-Speaking World.