Update: The Canadian Confederation in 1978

Abstract

The Canadian Confederation passed through 1978 without any dramatic developments or resolution of the challenge posed by the Quebec independence movement. The Quebec political scene was altered by the election of Claude Ryan as the leader of the provincial Liberal party in February 1978. Ryan is a man of subtle intellect and persuasive expression who, as editor of Montreal's daily Le Devoir since 1963, had built up an enormous personal influence both within Quebec and as an interpreter of Quebec's premier, Rene Levesque, he has close ties to Quebec liberal. However, unlike Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Quebec's Premier, Rene Levesque, he has close ties to Quebec Catholicism. In constitutional matters Ryan's views are close to the Canadian mainstream; recently he has given up his support of special status for Quebec and a two-nations formulation for Canada which he espoused in the 1960s. Ryan's election as Quebec Liberal party leader, along with the ongoing decline of the Union Nationale and Creditiste parties in Quebec and the polarization on the independence issue, appears to be moving Quebec politics back towards their characteristic two-party form.