Anyone who studies Canada will learn that it is quite different from the US.  The two countries were colonized in different ways, have different systems of government, and take divergent approaches to issues like big business and health care.

The province of Quebec differs not only from the US, but also from the other parts of Canada.  While the rest of Canada was colonized by the English and Irish, Quebec was colonized by people from the regions of Normandie and Picardie in France.  While the rest of Canada is officially bilingual, French has a special status in Quebec. 

The feelings of "difference" are so strong among the Québécois (French for "people of Quebec") that the province has twice voted on separating from the rest of the country.  Neither the vote of 1980 nor that of 1995 found that most Québécois want to leave Canada, but the 1995 vote came within one half of one percent of passing.

From the 1700s until the 1950s, many French-speaking Canadians felt like second-class citizens due to difficult relations with Canada's English-speaking majority.  But in the 1950s, the economie of Quebec expanded, levels of education rose, birth rates dropped, and so the standard of living improved greatly for the average Québécois.  "La belle province", as Quebec is known to people who live there, is now a dynamic, prosperous and urbane French-speaking society.

The Québécois consider themselves neither French nor entirely Canadian, though they acknowledge both these parts of their heritage.  One can find French foods in the supermarkets of the province, and Quebec license plates carry the slogan "Je me souviens", ("I remember"), referring to the region's French heritage.  And the Québécois have much in common with English Canada, such as a love for hockey and a high priority on social equality. 

But much of what goes on in Quebec is unique.  The movies and shows produced by the province’s thriving film & TV industries are more popular with the Québécois than those from English Canada, France or the US.  Quebec French has a different sound and a somewhat different vocabulary from French spoken in Europe.  Fine restaurants are as likely to feature hearty northern cooking as they are to offer French haute cuisine.  The Québécois live life to a rhythm all their own.

Purdue can take you to la belle province to see these things for yourself.  Click here to read about our summer or fall program at Université Laval in Quebec City, or click here to read about Purdue's truly unique Quebec experience for incoming freshmen.

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