What people, ideas, and events have torn us apart and brought us together?

1. New Flag

1.1. The flag shown above had been the official flag of Canada up until 1965. The flag debate had gone for years and years as many in the country felt it did not represent the whole country instead it represented only the English-Canadians because of it's close tie with the the flag of Great Britain(top left).

1.1.1. After many, many years of debate an agreement was finally reached. The flag above is the flag that took over the old Red Ensign in 1965 and is still the flag of Canada. The design was inspired by the theme of the Royal Military Flag. Canadians were now all represented as a whole not just British.

1.1.1.1. Did it bring us together?

1.1.1.1.1. I believe so, now all Canadians were represented rather than just the English-Canadians. There was still some debate over the flag but not everyone is going to be on board at all times. The flag was seen as a divider between the French and English by the government and it was, the French hated the flag because they felt no tie with Britain like always. With the new flag they weren't completely satisfied as they kept their fleur-de-lys but it was seen as progress between the two kinds and many others as Canada was beginning to unite like a country

1.1.1.1.2. Although, It could also be seen as an event that tore us apart as many in Canada still had a close tie with Britain.

2. 1980 Referendum

2.1. Quebec wanted to separate from Canada entirely and so came parties promising that Quebec would be independent. In 1976 Parti Quebecois gained power through that promise and in 1980 the nation wide referendum was held to decide whether Quebec would separate from Canada or not.

2.1.1. Ultimately it was a fail as nearly 60% voted against it due to the policies but the Parti Quebecois still saw separation the only resolution. After the referendum poll had gone public the leader/founder of Parti Quebecois said "If I have understood you correctly, your saying, 'until the next time'". Implying that they would not give up.

2.1.1.1. What happened?

2.1.1.1.1. The referendum completely tore apart Canada, specifically Quebec. Any understandings between the French and rest of Canada had completely vanished as the rest of Canada saw this as sign of wanting to leave. The worst part of this was that the most negatively impacted province was Quebec as families and friends started to diverge and violence did come into play.

3. By : Ahsan Khan

4. The FLQ/October Crisis

4.1. The October crisis began on the 5th of October, 1970 with the kidnapping of James Cross, British diplomat. The kidnappers were members of the FLQ(Front de Libération du Québec). The party vowed to make Quebec independent and that they would use any means necessary to do so. James Cross was lucky and was set free on December 3rd, nearly two months after he was kidnapped. He had lost weight, become quite and changed in many ways to his family. James Cross has not said too much about what happened during the near two months he was kidnapped.

4.1.1. As if the kidnapping of a British diplomat wasn't enough on October 10th same year Minister of Immigration and Minister of Labour, Pierre Laporte was kidnapped while playing with his nephew in the front yard. Although, he was not as lucky as James Cross and was killed y the FLQ and discovered in the trunk of an abandoned car on October 17th, 10 days after the initial kidnapping.

4.1.1.1. How our nation was torn?

4.1.1.1.1. Well, Canada at that time still had a close tie with Britain and many in the country felt that they were closely aligned with Great Britain. Hearing that a group of French the "nemesis" of the English speaking at the time had kidnapped the diplomat which fueled their anger and hatred. It led to suspicion amongst groups of people, friends no longer friends, and unnecessary violence against the French Canadian. Secondly, Pierre Laporte was killed and left in a trunk to rot, which left the impression is some other Canadians that the French were ruthless and many were afraid of the French and wanted them punished. Overall, the October crisis led to unhealthier relationships between the French and English which did come to haunt them again and again.

5. Pierre Elliot Trudeau

5.1. Pierre Elliott Trudeau born in 1919 and died in 2000. He served as the 15th Prime Minister of Canada. He was seen as a new kind of Prime Minister as he was outgoing, hung out with the rich and famous and dated celebrities. His time as Prime Minister became known as "Trudeau-mania". He is also the father of our current Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.

5.1.1. Pierre Elliott Trudeau did several things which brought the nation together. Firstly, the Official Languages Act in 1969 which guaranteed that federal government services would be provided in English and French which made French and English the official languages of Canada. P.E Trudeau saw that languages really divided the two and he saw the growing discontent between the two so he introduced this act to lighten things up. His goal with this was to try and unite Quebec with the rest of Canada.

5.1.1.1. The White Paper. Also in 1969 he tried to make good with the Indigenous people of Canada. Although, the White Paper could have used more "revising" there was no ill intent in the heart of Pierre Trudeau. He realized how the Indigenous had faced discrimination because of their culture and history and he truly wanted to help but the White Paper turned out to be a mistake as it was interpreted as "assimilate all Indigenous culture" which saw huge opposition but P.E Trudeau cannot be held responsible fro trying and it was due to the white paper the First Nations were able get equal rights.

5.1.1.1.1. So...?