From independentist to autonomist: An evolution of Quebec nationalism
The decline in support for Quebec independence has been well documented, as has the erosion of the issue of independence that has been structuring the Quebec party system for over fifty years. This realignment also reflects a reconfiguration of nationalist discourse in Quebec, particularly since the CAQ came to power in 2018. In this vein, the objective of this article is to understand this recent evolution of Quebec nationalism. Methodologically, we conducted an analysis of the presence of nationalism as well as an analysis of the CAQ’s discourse in the francophone media since 2012. We also analyzed the 2018 election platforms. First, we find that the decline on the issue of independence does not translate into a decline in the presence of Quebec nationalism in the public space. Rather, we are witnessing a transformation of the latter, now dominated by its autonomist component, which we define in five axes. In conclusion, we propose that, based on the work of Lecours (2020), contemporary Quebec nationalism is not static but rather, for the moment at least, dynamic.