On October 24, 1995, approximately seven thousand Québécois poured into Montreal’s Verdun Arena; five thousand more stood outside in the rain. The occasion was a rally for the non side of the Québec sovereignty referendum to be held six days later.
The moment was critical for the Canadian federalist cause. Though the campaign was initially polling ahead, if only slightly, and with the confidence that history would repeat itself—non had defeated oui in the 1980 referendum with nearly 60 percent of the vote—the prospect of victory had dimmed as the campaign progressed. Then-prime minister Jean Chrétien, whose early optimism had sunk into a barely concealed panic, concluded his speech that night by quoting Jean Lesage, the premier credited with bringing Québec into the twentieth century: “Le Canada c’est mon pays, le Québec c’est ma patrie.” (“Canada is my country, Québec is my homeland.”) The Québécois, at 93 percent participation, voted to stay in Canada by a single percentage point.
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