Quebec: Difference between revisions
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{{about|the province|the city bearing the same name|Quebec City}}
'''
While mostly surrounded by English-speaking lands, Quebec is one of the few parts of
While nearly all of the 8 million inhabitants live in southern Quebec, on the plains along the St Lawrence River, the majority of the province consists of sub-arctic forests, where most of the inhabitants belong to the [[Indigenous cultures of North America|First Nations]] or Inuit.
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==Other destinations==
[[File:QC - Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre (seitlich).jpg|thumb|right|Basilica of Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre]]
* {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Anticosti]]|wikidata=Q575033}} – sparsely-populated world heritage-listed island
* {{marker|name=[[Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré]]|wikidata=Q141927}} - large, elaborate church east of Quebec City, near Montmorency Falls and the pastoral [[Île d'Orléans]]▼
* {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[
▲* {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré]]|wikidata=Q141927}} - large, elaborate church east of Quebec City, near Montmorency Falls and the pastoral [[Île d'Orléans]]
* {{marker|type=vicinity|name=[[Sept-Îles]]|wikidata=Q141699}} - departure point for the railway to [[Labrador City]] and the ferry to [[Anticosti]]
==Understand==
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Quebec is Canada’s second most populous province, only behind Ontario. It has 8 million inhabitants, including 6.4 million (approx. 80%) whose mother tongue is French.
French is the mother tongue of 82% of Quebecers (''Québécois''), and English is the mother tongue of 10% of the population. The remaining 8% is divided among "Allophones" who speak some 30 languages such as
The majority of the population lives in
===Politics===
Quebec has a longstanding social democratic tradition since the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s; until 2018, power was shared between the federalist (i.e. wishing to stay in Canada) and centrist Liberal Party and the separatist and centre-left Parti Quebecois.
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Today, politics are dominated by the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), which while having supported many economically left or interventionist policies, is said by experts to be centre-right. While not separatist, the CAQ is nationalist and wants Quebec to have more autonomy within Canada.
Other major parties include the Liberal Party (recognized for
===Climate===
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* Winter (November to end of March): Quebec’s extremely low temperatures and abundance of snowfall makes skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, snowmobiling and dogsledding possible. In late November, Quebec’s vast outdoors turns into a snow-covered white dreamland. March and April mark the maple syrup festivities in the sugar shacks, as the maple trees awaken from the winter cold and prepare for the forthcoming springtime.
* Spring (April and May): While April may still be relatively cold at times and another large snowfall can occur, April feels like winter is at, long last, over. As May approaches, nature awakens, trees start to bloom and the air warms, welcoming everybody to a magnificent, colourful outdoor scenery.
===Tourist information ===
* [https://www.bonjourquebec.com/en-ca Bonjour Quebec] Tourism website
==Talk==
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===By train===
{{Seealso|Rail travel in Canada|}}
* {{listing
| name=Amtrak | alt= | url=https://www.amtrak.com/home | email=
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* Within [[Ottawa]]-[[Gatineau]] interprovincial travel is possible by local bus. Multiple STO (Outaouais) buses stop in Ottawa-Lowertown, follow Wellington Street past Parliament Hill then take the Pont du Portage back into Hull. [https://www.octranspo.com/images/files/routes/085map.gif OCTranspo 85] stops at Terrasses de la Chaudière in Hull. Additional buses run during peak hours.
From [[New Brunswick]], [[Nova Scotia]], and [[Prince Edward Island]]
* {{go
| name=Maritime Bus | alt= | url=https://www.maritimebus.com/en/ | email=info@maritimebus.com
| address= | lat= | long= | directions=
| phone= | tollfree=+1-800-575-1807
| hours= | price=
| wikipedia=Maritime Bus | wikidata=Q6765789
| lastedit=2022-04-24
| content=Operates an intercity bus service between destinations in [[Nova Scotia]], [[New Brunswick]], and [[Prince Edward Island]]. <!-- A route enters [[Quebec]], but is suspended as of June 2022.-->.
}} It operates services to the following destinations served by [https://www.orleansexpress.com/en/ Orléans Express]:
** [[Rivière-du-Loup]] (not available as Maritime Bus has suspended service due to Covid-19).
** Pointe-à-la-Croix, QC / [[Campbellton]], NB (3 km taxi ride between these communities)
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From the west in [[Ottawa]], Highway 417 (in Ontario) / Autoroute 40 (in Quebec) travels to Montreal, and is a part of the [[Trans-Canada Highway]].
From [[Northern Ontario]] and points westward, the [[Trans-Canada Highway]] very closely follows the Ontario-Quebec border through [[Pembroke (Ontario)|Pembroke]] and [[Ottawa]] on its way to Montréal. At various points, one can cross the Ottawa River by bridge or ferry; most of these crossings connect to Québec Route 148 (and Autoroute 50 from Hull-Gatineau eastward) to follow the river on the other side. One can also enter far to the north from Ontario Highway 66 (near [[Cochrane (Ontario)|Cochrane]]), which becomes Route 117 near the town of [[Rouyn-Noranda|Rouyn]]. Another point at the western edge of the province, [[Abitibi-Témiscamingue]], is reachable in a couple of hours from [[North Bay (Ontario)|North Bay]], Ontario by road.
From the east, Route 2 ([[Trans-Canada Highway]]) in New Brunswick runs from [[Moncton]] and [[Fredericton]] and becomes Autoroute 85 / Route 185 in Quebec where it continues towards [[Rivière-du-Loup]]; from there, one can turn either east toward the tip of the [[Gaspé Peninsula]] or west toward [[Quebec City]]. New Brunswick Route 11 also enters Quebec near [[Campbellton]], feeding into Route 132.
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Trains run infrequently (compared to Europe). There are no high-speed trains in Quebec. Buses are usually cheaper, with more daily connections.
*{{listing
*{{listing|name=VIA Rail Canada|alt=|url=https://www.viarail.ca/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=|tollfree=+1-888-842-7245|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-04-30|content=Operates trains routes across [[Canada]].}} '''O'''ffers train service along the St. Lawrence River, up the Saguenay and across the Gaspé Peninsula to New Brunswick. VIA Rail Canada is Québec's only intercity passenger train carrier.▼
| name=VIA Rail Canada | alt= | url=https://www.viarail.ca/ | email=
| address= | lat= | long= | directions=
| phone= | tollfree=+1-888-842-7245
| hours= | price=
| wikipedia=Via Rail | wikidata=Q876720
| lastedit=2022-04-30
| content=Operates trains routes across [[Canada]].
▲
*'''[https://exo.quebec EXO]''' (formerly AMT) runs Montreal's suburban commuter trains.
* {{listing
| name=Tshiuetin Rail Transportation
| address= | lat= | long= | directions=
| phone=+1 418 962-5530 | tollfree=+1 866-962-0988
| hours= | price=
| wikipedia=Tshiuetin Rail Transportation | wikidata=Q114149569
| lastedit=2017-02-02
| content=10-12 hr of spectacular scenery from [[Sept-Îles]] to [[Schefferville]], an otherwise-inaccessible mining community in northern Québec. This line is owned by three First Nations (Aboriginal) groups. This line does not connect to the rest of the North American rail system.
}}
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The main way to travel between cities is by bus. The bus network is very well developed, particularly for connections between Quebec City-Montreal, Ottawa-Montreal and Toronto-Montreal. Buying tickets and making seat reservations is a good idea, particularly for Friday evening or holiday travel, but same-day ticket purchase is also possible.
{{go
{{go|name=Orléans Express|alt=|url=https://www.orleansexpress.com/en/|email=|address=|lat=|long=|directions=|phone=+1-450-640-1477|tollfree=+1-833-449-6444|hours=|price=|lastedit=2022-04-22|content=Service between [[Montreal]] and [[Quebec City]] with connecting service between Quebec City and [[Rimouski]] via [[Rivière-du-Loup]]. Onward service available to [[Gaspé]].}}▼
| name=Orléans Express | alt= | url=https://www.orleansexpress.com/en/ | email=
| address= | lat= | long= | directions=
| phone=+1-450-640-1477 | tollfree=+1-833-449-6444
| hours= | price=
| wikipedia=Orléans Express | wikidata=Q3356500
| lastedit=2022-04-22
▲
}}
Within cities, public transit tends to be good by North American standards, though showing the signs of insufficient public funding.
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===By boat===
Numerous cruises
West of Montreal, a ferry crossing connects Hudson to Oka across the Ottawa (Outaouais) River.
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* Quebecers are fiercely protective of their culture of French-style secularism (''laïcité''), and you are expected to confine your religion to your private life. It is considered very impolite to discuss religion with people you do not know well.
===
* The issue of '''sovereignty''' is an ''extremely'' complicated and emotional issue, on which Québécois are almost evenly divided. Quebec francophone media often gives equal coverage to both sides. Even those who aren't ''souverainistes'' speak of Quebec as a nation with national parks, national assembly and national capital which can be confusing as both levels of government use terms like ''parc national'' or ''région de la capitale nationale'' with different meaning. To further complicate matters, there are innocuous local translations for the word "national(e)" that do not contemplate a sovereign nation-state, such as the Canadian Parliament's acknowledgment of a Québécois nation. In fact the word can also be used in a more general sense simply to refer to people who share the same history, culture and language.
* Although Quebec is part of Canada, you'll see few maple leaf flags outside Montreal, and the Quebec media outlets don't emphasize connections with the ''ROC'' ("Rest of Canada"). Some Quebecers consider the display of the Canadian flag to be an inflammatory symbol of Anglo dominance. Phrases like "here in Canada" or "as a Canadian" may make your conversational partner ill at ease.
* '''Quebec is not France'''. Calling Quebecers "French fries", or jokes with French stereotypes (impoliteness, poor hygiene, eating frogs' legs, and especially "surrendering") will bring puzzled stares, or at best show that you have no idea which continent you're on. It is as illogical as applying Mexican stereotypes to Spaniards just because of the historical and linguistic ties. Comparing Québécois culture and language unfavourably to France's is best avoided. Although Quebec and France have some similarities, the Québécois are a distinct culture quite separate from the country that "abandoned" them three centuries ago.
==Connect==
Most hotels and hostels offer Internet access and many have on-site computers for guests to use. Montreal has a free
Quebec's main telephone area codes are +1-418 (Quebec City and east), +1-819 (western Québec, Outaouais, Trois-Rivières, Eastern Townships), +1-514 (Montreal Island) and +1-450 (Laval and the southwestern corner of the province). Additional area codes have been overlaid onto all of these regions, breaking seven-digit dialling throughout the province.
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