Le gouvernement du Québec, les relations internationales et
l'environnement économique international (1973-1994)
The objective of this thesis is to lay the foundations of a new narrative of the Quebec government's international relations, one distinct from the traditional account that emerged from the work of political scientists who have described the international activities of Quebec as essentially the product of its unique historical path. By contrast, this thesis aims to show that the history of Quebec's international relations must be understood as being embedded in the larger histories of Canada and North America, and especially in the histories of capitalism and neoliberalism. Since the beginning of its existence as a modern political entity, the Quebec government has nourished links with foreign governments, the intensity of which were determined by the transformations affecting the entire international capitalist order. Towards the end of the 1867-1973 period, the international policy of the Quebec government was institutionalized, both politically and juridically, through the formulation of the Gérin-Lajoie doctrine, which drew upon Canadian constitutional particularities as the basis of Quebec international policy. In the period framed by the 1972-73 and 1981-82 economic crises, Quebec's international relations focused increasingly on economic issues, notably the search for foreign investment and the projection of a positive brand image abroad. Then, in the period extending from the 1981-82 crisis to the conclusion of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, Quebec's international activity was transformed by the neoliberal shift affecting all of the world's capitalist governments. Thus, Quebec's diplomatic apparatus came to be perceived as a tool for the promotion of Quebec business exports and the adaptation to the rise of economic interdependence and free trade, and decreasingly, as a network of political and cultural diplomatic ties. To demonstrate this, this thesis is based upon two main bodies of primary sources: first, government publications such as the annual reports issued by the different ministries that have been associated with Quebec's and Canada's international relations throughout the period, notably the white papers that they published; and secondly, publications produced by the business community, mainly Les Affaires magazine, an excellent barometer of the dominant mentality of the Quebec and French-Canadian business class.
Canada ALÉ Quebec Canada International relations Free trade Neoliberalism Capitalism FTAA