Quebecer or Québécois?? - 2006-11-29
The major political parties seem to decide which a person is depending on which works better for their argument. Personally, I feel that a definition of each needs to be agreed on before any discussion relating to Quebec or it's sovereignty can proceed.
Québécois is a term to describe a person who has French ancestors from Quebec and whose social values and culture reflect that group of ancestors. Québécois are certainly people of French origin and their ancestors who have lived and formed the province of Quebec but also include people who have moved away from Quebec.
Québécois is a heritage not a geographical designation. A person can live in Canada and be a Canadian but have a non Canadian heritage. A person can be of Scottish, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, African or any other heritage and still be a Canadian. A Québécois can live in Alberta, Newfoundland, Mexico, Australia or any other country and still have a Québécois heritage while being a citizen of the locality in which they live.
A Quebecer on the other hand, is a person who lives in the geographical area known as Quebec. A Quebecer can be of Scottish, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, African or any other heritage and still be a Quebecer. Once a person move out of Quebec they are no longer a Quebecer but may or may not still be a Québécois, depending on their heritage.
Québécois have no geographical boundaries and, due to the new government legislation, are a nation in the same sense that native Indians are a nation. They share a heritage among themselves, but not a geographical location.
The Bloc Québécois has a big problem here. If the Bloc are claiming independence based on the Québécois being a nation, they can't really be independent because the Québécois are a geographically diverse group of people who don't necessarily Quebec. In fact, large areas of the Montreal area are non-Québécois Quebecers and large areas of northern Quebec are inhabited by Quebecers of the native Indian nation.
