''Breaking Point'' (French: ''Point de rupture'') is a Canadian documentary film, released in 2005. Aired on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

in English and on

Radio-Canada Radio-Canada may refer to: * CBC/Radio-Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation *Ici Radio-Canada Télé, the CBC's main French-language television network *Ici Radio-Canada Première Ici Radio-Canada Première (formerly Première Chaîne) i ...

in French and released to mark the tenth anniversary of the 1995 Quebec sovereignty referendum, the film explored the dynamics of the referendum campaign through interviews with and news clips of several of the major players on both sides of the debate. The two-part film aired on SRC in September 2005, and on CBC in October. It has also been released on DVD.

Synopsis

The two-part documentary focuses on the battle between the Federalist camp led by

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a retired Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. He served as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, leader of t ...

representing the "No-side" vote regarding

Quebec Sovereignty The Quebec sovereignty movement (French: ''mouvement souverainiste du Québec'', ) is a political movement advocating for Quebec's independence from Canada. Proponents argue that Quebecers form a distinct nation with a unique culture, language, ...

as they go against the "Yes-side", led by

Lucien Bouchard Lucien Bouchard (; born December 22, 1938) is a Canadian lawyer, diplomat and retired politician. A minister for two years in the 24th Canadian Ministry, Mulroney cabinet, Bouchard then founded and led the Bloc Québécois and became Leader ...

and

Jacques Parizeau Jacques Parizeau (; August 9, 1930June 1, 2015) was a Canadian politician and economist who served as the 26th premier of Quebec from September 26, 1994, to January 29, 1996. Early life and career Parizeau was born in Montreal, Quebec, the s ...

promoting a sovereignty society separate from Canada.

Film Content

Part-one of the CBC Documentary ''Breaking Point'' goes behind the scenes of the 1995 Quebec Referendum. The documentary outlines the Quebec sovereigntist campaign after they were defeated by the Federalist in the 1980 referendum. Part-one highlights the successes and struggles of the Quebec Sovereignty movement as

, former Premier of Quebec who led the

1980 Quebec Referendum The 1980 Quebec independence referendum was the first referendum in Quebec on the place of Quebec within Canada and whether Quebec should pursue a path toward sovereignty. The referendum was called by Quebec's Parti Québécois (PQ) government ...

, had been forced to hand the initially struggling 'Yes camp' to the more-popular

, member of the

Bloc Quebecois Bloc may refer to: Government and politics * Political bloc, a coalition of political parties * Trade bloc, a type of intergovernmental agreement * Voting bloc, a group of voters voting together * Black bloc, a tactic used by protesters who wear ...

. In this, the documentary shows the struggles of Quebec trying to obtain outside support from other countries such as; United States and France. Support inside their province becomes a challenge as groups such as; James Bay Cree and French-Canadians are skeptic regarding what the future would look like in the absence of Canada. Part-two focuses on the head-to-head battle between Jean Chretien and

as both leaders campaign to their supporter's weeks before the 1995 referendum vote. In Part two, the United States showed their support for Chretien's Federalist campaign and the James Bay Cree hold a referendum deciding whether they want to separate from Canada alongside Quebec. Ultimately, Jean Chretien and

are left to give their final speeches before fate is determined on October 30, 1995, as the population of Quebec vote to decide whether they should separate, or remain a part of Canada.

The "No-side"

Known as the Federalist camp voting "No" to Quebec Sovereignty in the 1995 referendum led by Jean Chretien and the Quebec Liberal Party.

The "Yes-side"

Consisted of the individuals of the Quebec population in favor of separating from Canada. This campaign was led by Jacques Parizeau and Lucien Bouchard promoting the "Yes-side" campaign.

James Bay Cree Referendum

The James Bay Cree held a referendum to decide if their territory should remain a part of Canada should Québec vote to separate in its own forthcoming referendum. This three-day referendum was a result of the First Nations of James Bay Cree "who are requesting the same recognition" like Quebec for a distinct society during the Quebec referendum years. They do this because they are worried about what the future holds if Quebec separates from Canada. CBC Documentary ''Breaking Point'' highlights that the "Cree is determined to have their own referendum and they intend to be the masters of their own future". The referendum is based on one question, "Do you consent the government of Quebec separates the James Bay Cree and create traditional territory from Canada in the event of a yes vote in the Quebec referendum?" This situation put Canada in a difficult position because they now have to vote on Quebec and James Bay Cree. Once the votes were polled, 77% of the eligible members of the Cree ended up voting and the majority vote was to stay with Canada.

1995 Quebec Referendum

Following the

, the

1995 Quebec referendum The 1995 Quebec referendum was the second referendum to ask voters in the predominantly French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec whether Quebec should proclaim sovereignty and become an independent country, with the condition precedent of ...

was the second time that Canadian citizen residents of Quebec would vote whether the province of Quebec would declare national sovereignty and become an independent country or continue to be a cooperative partner as a province within Canadian borders.

References

External links

*

Breaking Point (2005) Pt.1

Breaking Point (2005) Pt. 2 {{Jean Chrétien CBC Television original films 2005 television films 2005 films Documentary films about Quebec politics Federalism in Canada Quebec sovereignty movement 1995 in Canada Jean Chrétien French-language Canadian films Canadian documentary television films 2000s English-language films 2000s Canadian films Films about independence movements Works about prime ministers of Canada English-language documentary films