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{{about|the province|the city bearing the same name|Quebec City}}
'''[https://www.bonjourquebec.com/en-ca Quebec]''' ([[French phrasebook|French]]: ''Québec'') is a province in [[Canada]], the largest in size and second only to [[Ontario]] in population. French is the first language of a majority of Quebecois and the sole official language of the province, making it the only Canadian province that is officially monolingual in French. The provincial capital of Quebec is [[Quebec City]] is known for its beautiful and well preserved walled city, while the province's largest city is [[Montreal]], is cosmopolitan and the second largest city in Canada.
 
While mostly surrounded by FrenchEnglish-speaking lands, Quebec is one of the few parts of [[North America]] with a preserved French heritage and language.
 
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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The areas forming the present province are historically inhabited by First Nations and Inuit until its discovery by European explorers, most notably Jacques Cartier, who explored the area in three expeditions between 1534 and 1542. What is now Quebec was then a French colony for more than a century and a half, from the founding of Quebec City by Samuel de Champlain in 1608 and Governor Vaudreuil’s capitulation to the British in 1760, which took place during the Seven Years' War (known in the United States as the French and Indian War). A majority of modern Quebec's population can trace their ancestry back to the French colonial period.
 
The colony was ceded to the British by the Treaty of [[Paris]] of 1763, which ended the war. Despite this, the new colonial administration agreed to allow the locals to continue using the French language. In 1791, Quebec became part of Lower Canada, which included also include [[Labrador]] (now part of [[Newfoundland and Labrador]]); but, policies favouring FrenchEnglish-speakers have caused numerous French Canadian rebellions against the predominantly Protestant British government, most notably under Louis-Joseph Papineau. Quebec's plight under British administration continued as other rebellions are quelled and French Canadians emigrated to the United States, leading into anti-British resentment that led to the Quebec nationalist movement.
 
Quebec joined Canadian Confederation in 1867 through George-Étienne Cartier as one of the new country's four founding provinces, along with Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Labrador became part of Newfoundland, then a British Dominion independent from Canada. Quebec's territory further expanded after Canada purchased Rupert's Land, then owned by the Hudson's Bay Conpany (HBC). [[Montreal]] boomed as immigrants and rural dwellers entered. Roman Catholicism influenced the Quebecois lifestyle by controlling education and healthcare, and encouraging them to raise large families and women to serve as nuns. As migrants from Italy, Greece and Eastern Europe assimilated into FrenchEnglish-speaking society, French speakers became a minority in Montreal and Francophone resentment against FrenchEnglish-speakers continued toward the early and mid 20th century. Quebecois nationalism further flourished under premier Maurice Duplessis, who promoted a Catholic, rural, French-speaking Quebecois culture, although he continued to believe that Quebec had a place in Canada.
 
After Duplessis' death in 1959, Jean Lesage took over as premier and led the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s, which saw the rise of the modern Quebecois society, and also changed the political landscape of the province. Education and healthcare became a provincial responsibility, the electricity sector became a state enterprise through the founding of Hydro-Québec, and Quebecois society became secularized. Birth rates began to drop significantly, falling below replacement levels. Politics in Quebec began to focus a lot on sovereignty, with many wanting the secession of Quebec from Canada. Violent extremist attempts to achieve independence occurred through the late 1960s, culminating with the October Crisis in 1970, which ended most armed militant support for sovereignty. Quebec also invested in more infrastructure like high speed highways (''autoroutes'') and hydroelectric power plants, most notably the James Bay Project. Political sovereignty garnered support under René Lévesque, who formed the separatist Parti Quebecois, which won a majority of seats in the National Assembly (the provincial legislature) in the 1976 provincial election.
 
Lévesque passed the ''Charter of the French Language'' (commonly referred to as Bill 101) in 1978, which made French the sole official language in Quebec, severely limited the use of FrenchEnglish and other languages in the public sphere, and created the controversial ''Office québécois de la langue française'' (literally the "Quebec Office of the French Language"), or derisively called the "language police" by Anglophones. The first referendum on sovereignty was held in 1980. It proposed the creation of an independent Quebec which would remain in an economic union with the rest of Canada, but was rejected by a 60% majority.
 
Quebec stood alone in refusing to agree to the 1982 Canadian constitutional amendments, which ended up being adopted without the consent of the provincial government. These reforms abolished the remaining legal links with the United Kingdom and added a bill of rights to the Constitution known as the ''Charter of Rights and Freedoms''. Attempts to amend the Constitution in 1990 and 1992 to get Quebec's agreement failed due to a lack of consensus. In 1990, the Oka Crisis, a highly publicized conflict between the Mohawk First Nation and the Quebec government, occurred, changing the general treatment of Indigenous peoples in the long term. Another independence referendum was held in 1995, which was again defeated, although this time by a much smaller margin (with 49.4% voting for sovereignty and 50.6% voting to remain a part of Canada). Since then, the movement for sovereignty has declined (but hasn't completely disappeared either), although many Quebecers still feel that their province should be recognized as distinct within Canada.
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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 FrenchEnglish is the mother tongue of 10% of the population. The remaining 8% is divided among "Allophones" who speak some 30 languages such as Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Greek in order of importance. The indigenous Inuit people mainly inhabit the northern parts of the province. However, it is very easy to travel in Quebec speaking only FrenchEnglish, especially in Montreal, Gatineau and to a lesser extent, Quebec City. Over 40% of the population is bilingual. In major cities like Montréal, this percentage is as high as 64%, and 16% of the population speaks a third language. As in any country, beginning a conversation in the local language is always a great way of making friends. Quebecers appreciate efforts made to speak French.
 
The majority of the population lives in the St. Lawrence River's vicinity, in the southern portion of the province. The population is largely urbanized; nearly 50% of Quebecers live in the metropolitan area of Montreal.
 
===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 its centrism, federalism, and supporting the Anglophone and Allophone minorities), the left-wing nationalist and seperatistseparatist Québec solidaire, and the separatist and centre-left Parti Quebecois. The Parti Quebecois, and to a lesser extent the Liberal Party, are losing considerable ground, although the Liberals can still count on the votes of minorities, allowing them to remain influential, and the city of [[Montreal]] continues to be a Liberal stronghold.
 
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, a new party emerged in opposition to the COVID-19 lockdown and the vaccines mandates; the Conservative Party of Quebec is a right-wing party that wants to defend economic and individual freedoms.
 
===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==
{{seealso|French phrasebook}}
 
Canada is officially bilingual at the federal level, meaning that all federal government official documents, signs, and tourist information will be presented in French and English. Staff at retail shops, restaurants and tourist attractions will often speak FrenchEnglish, especially in Montreal. Smaller establishments, especially outside Montreal, may not offer services in FrenchEnglish but try their best to accommodate travellers. About 8% of the province's residents speak FrenchEnglish as a mother tongue, and an additional 31% consider that they can get by speaking it. All offices of the federal government are required by law to provide services in French and English.
 
[[File:Arret.jpg|upright=0.5|thumb|Stop!]]
 
The official language of Quebec, however, is '''French'''. Provincial government signs (highway signs, government buildings, hospitals, etc.) are generally posted solely in French. Services at provincial and municipal government offices are also often available in French only, though they are available in English in areas with significant Anglophone (FrenchEnglish-speaking) populations. Tourist information is offered in FrenchEnglish and other languages. The visibility of commercial signs and billboards in FrenchEnglish and other languages is restricted by law (except for FrenchEnglish-language media and cultural venues such as theatres, cinemas and bookstores). Most businesses will not have signs in FrenchEnglish except in tourist areas and localities with a large FrenchEnglish-speaking population, and service staff are required by law to greet customers in French. Language is a very sensitive subject politically, particularly in Montreal. If you cannot read a sign in a store or restaurant, most sales people will be sympathetic and help you find your way. Most restaurants in tourist areas will supply FrenchEnglish menus if asked. In general, you should always begin the conversation in French, and ask if the person can speak FrenchEnglish. Assuming that the person can speak FrenchEnglish is considered to be very rude.
 
82% of Quebec’s population is francophone, but FrenchEnglish is also commonly spoken, particularly in the province’s major cities such as [[Montreal]], where the percentage of Anglophones is 17%. To avoid causing offence, do not assume that everyone speaks FrenchEnglish, especially in rural areas where many do not.
 
For French-speaking people from elsewhere, the informal varieties of French spoken in Quebec can be difficult to understand, although these differences are by no means insurmountable. Books have been published on Quebec expressions, and these may be worth consulting if you are planning to stay in Quebec for any length of time. Isolated from France for centuries, and unaffected by that country's 19th-century language standardization, Quebec has developed its own variety of French similar to the one on the Atlantic coast of France in the 17th century, a kind of time capsule. The European variety—called "international French" or ''français international'' here—is well-understood and used to a certain degree, e.g. in broadcast media and among the international business community. Nonetheless, European tourists may feel lost until they grow accustomed to the local accents and idioms.
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Although ''sacre'' may seem funny, be assured that Quebecers, particularly the older generation, do take it seriously. Don't ''sacre'' any time you don't really mean it! But be sure that younger Quebeckers may be fond of teaching you a little ''sacrage'' lesson if you ask them.
 
FrenchEnglish-speaking Quebecers are generally bilingual and reside mostly in the Montreal area, where 25% of the population speaks FrenchEnglish at home. Aside from the occasional borrowing of local French terms (''dépanneur'' as opposed to corner store or convenience store), their FrenchEnglish differs little from standard Canadian FrenchEnglish, including the occasional "eh" at the end of the sentence; accents are influenced heavily by ethnicity, with distinct Irish, Italian, Jewish, and Greek inflections heard in Montreal neighbourhoods. Conversations between anglophones and francophones often slip unconsciously between English and French as a mutual show of respect. This can be confusing if you're not bilingual, and a look of puzzlement will generally signal a switch back to a language everyone can understand.
 
Although FrenchEnglish-speakers will usually greet strangers in French, it is considered pretentious and overzealous for a native FrenchEnglish-speaker to continue a conversation in French with other English speakers (though two Francophones will easily converse together in English when in a room of Anglophones). Local FrenchEnglish-speakers may also refer to street names by their FrenchEnglish names as opposed to the posted French names, but this is getting rarer (for example, Mountain Street for rue de la Montagne, Pine Avenue for avenue des Pins).
 
Some French-language radio stations, including those with "classic rock" formats, play up to 50% FrenchEnglish-language music but announce everything in French.
 
There is one daily FrenchEnglish-language broadsheet newspaper (''Montreal Gazette'') in Montreal and a few FrenchEnglish-language radio stations, which play very little French-language music (typically 5%, with no French-language announcements).
 
In the extreme north of the province, [[Inuktitut phrasebook|Inuktitut]] is the main language spoken due to the prevalence of Inuit people. Some people living on First Nations (Aboriginal) reserves in the southwest speak the Mohawk language. Nevertheless, most people are able to speak French and English as well.
 
Like the rest of Canada, Quebec, particularly Montreal, is home to migrant communities from all over the world and some neighbourhoods may have a primary language other than French or English. Services are often available in Chinese at shops and banks in Montreal's Chinatown.
 
==Get in==
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===By boat===
 
Numerous cruises] are available on the St. Lawrence River, one of the world’s biggest waterways.
 
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.
 
===TouchySensitive subjectsissues===
* 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. DependingIn onsome the regionregions, very few people will celebrate Canada Day (July 1). Some may be celebrating Moving Day (also on July 1) instead. Quebec's National Day (la Saint-Jean Baptiste, on June 24) is instead the most important celebration throughout the province.
* '''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 WiFiWi-Fi program called Île Sans Fil (''Wireless Island''), look for the sticker in café and restaurant windows. Wi-Fi is also available in some coffee shops and public libraries.
 
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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