Electoral slogan or cultural policy? The cultural sovereignty championed by Premier Robert Bourassa sparked important political, social and cultural debates during the Liberal government’s two terms of office from 1970 to 1976. This debate puts the spotlight on actors: two ministers from the Bourassa government - Jean-Paul L’Allier to Communications and Denis Hardy to Cultural Affairs – some members of the opposition in Quebec, Minister Gerard Pelletier at the federal level and a group from civil society, the Tribunal de la culture, chaired by the anthropologist Marcel Rioux. In connection with this debate, there is a broadening of the very notion of culture which is no longer limited to arts, letters and heritage. The quest for a cultural policy for Quebec is thus closely linked to the assertion of a communications policy, which raises constitutional obstacles with the federal government.