ABSTRACT
Confederation raised more questions about Canadian identity than it answered, because the new entity had been defined largely in opposition to something, namely, the United States. Thus, it became easy /or alternative histories to arise about the meaning of Confederation. Canada's major political fault line became Quebec versus what might be called the Rest of Canada (ROC), referring to the other provinces and territories. For those in Quebec, Confederation represented a pact between English and French as nations. Major changes in the rules of the g'ame, therefore, should require the consent of Quebec not just as a province, but also rather as the stalldardbearer of the French f;lct within Canada. By contrast, those in the ROC tended to see Conft'deration in terms of provincial equality. Quebec existed,
The idea of Quehec hecoming a separate state in order to solve its problems with the ROC gained legitimacy within mainstream opinion in the Irancophone province by the 1970s. In 197G the Parti Qu{~becois, which had as its mission the ultimate separation or Quebec Irom the ROC, canlt' to power and passed a series of policies intended to promote the French language and culture. ''''hether in power or not, the Parti Quebl~cois remains a major force in provincial politics and continues to promote the concept of sovereignty.
