On October 30, 1995, Quebec had its second referendum in twenty years,
             which asked the question of where Quebec stood in relation to Canada, and
             asked the question of whether or not Quebec should follow a path toward
             independent statehood (Wikipedia, "1995 Quebec referendum"). The
             referendum brought with it scores of discontent and politic discussions
             among all members of all classes. This paper will examine the reasons for
             the referendum, both past and present, and will examine its effects on the
             various populations within Canada, specifically within Quebec.
             To understand the reasons behind the referendum, we must first
             understand what the referendum was attempting to accomplish. The question
             placed on the ballot was as follows:
             "Do you agree that Quebec should become sovereign after having made
             a formal offer to Canada for a new economic and political partnership
             within the scope of the bill respecting the future of Quebec and of
             the agreement signed on June 12, 1995, Yes or No'" (Trent, 2b, par
             The question was announced in September, only two months before the
             The question hinged on the June 12th agreement, signed by Jacques
             Parizeau of the Parti Québécois, Lucien Bouchard, then leader of the Bloc
             Québécois and Mario Dumont of the Action démocratique du Québec. These
             parties represented the three major factions of the Sovereigntists, or
             nationalists (CRIC, "Essentials"). In the agreement, all interested
             parties that were sovereignists proposed ideas for which the referendum
             The general idea for these sovereignists was to make Quebec a
             sovereign nation. According to the sovereignists, most of Quebec wanted to
             break away from the political, economic, and social ideals of the resst of
             Canada. The agreement proposed the idea that a sovereignty would allow the
             people of Quebec to handle ...