ON OCTOBER 30, 1995, THE PEOPLE OF THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC, CANADA, voted in a province-wide referendum. Its purpose was to determine the political destiny of Quebec vis-à-vis the rest of Canada. A “yes” vote would have meant that Quebec would become an independent sovereign state. As it happened, 50.6% of those voting chose to remain with Canada, only 1.2% more than those voting for independence — a difference of less than 50,000 votes out of an eligible 4.8 million . Yet the sovereignty referendum, the second in Quebec’s history, was only one example of the political tensions that have existed between Quebec and the rest of Canada for decades. Another vote in the “neverendum” process is likely.
Who are these passionate people, the Québécois (Quebecers) whose leaders clamour for a sovereign state—who demand to be maîtres chez nous (“masters in our own house”) free of Canadian control? What is their ethnic or racial origin and their place in world history? To answer that their ancestors “came from France” is not sufficient. This work will reveal the origins of the francophone (native French-speaking) people known as the Québécois. Evidence will be adduced from secular and Biblical history that points to a surprising ancestry for these people. Speculation will also be offered as to their future, in light of their origins and history. First, however, a brief review is necessary, especially for non-Canadians reading this work, of their more accessible past.