Luc Turgeon

The Politics of Representative Bureaucracy in Multilingual States: A Comparison of Belgium, Canada and Switzerland

The role of the public service in managing territorial diversity has too often been overlooked in the literature on multilingual states. In the article, we explore the issue of bureaucratic representation of the federal public administration of Belgium, Canada and Switzerland, three economically advanced federal states in which language has become over time the dominant cultural marker and dividing line. We argue that variations observed in mechanisms of bureaucratic representation can be explained by differences in the configuration of two variables: discourse about the contours of the political community and how it has been channelled through the policy-making process of each country.

L'immigration : Une menace pour la culture québécoise? Portrait et analyses des perceptions régionales

For the past decade, debates over the issue of immigration have been a central feature of political life in Quebec. They have underscored the cultural insecurity of Quebecers and the sense that, for many Quebec citizens, immigration is a threat to Quebec culture. These debates have also left the impression that there are regional disparities in the way immigration is perceived. But what is the actual situation? Is cultural insecurity really stronger outside the main urban centers? Are there really significant regional variations in perceptions about immigration, and if so, what accounts for them? This article addresses these questions with the help of a public opinion survey conducted with close to 30 000 Francophone Quebecers during the spring of 2011. Our findings show that there are indeed important regional variations but that, contrary to common assumptions, Francophones living outside major urban centers are not the ones most inclined to perceive immigration as a threat to Quebec culture. In fact, Francophones living in the immediate periphery of the city of Montreal are more likely to view immigration negatively, suggesting a kind of “halo” effect. Our findings also indicate that regional differences are strongest among the younger generations.

Managing Diversity in Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Canada: Québec's Constitutional Development in Light of the Scottish Experience

We argue that an in-depth analysis of the mechanisms adopted for the management of diversity in eighteenth and nineteenth century Canada can contribute to a better understanding of its constitutional odyssey in the twentieth century, particularly in light of the Scottish experience with the Treaty of Union. The article focuses on two essential moments in the recognition of Québecs distinctiveness: the Québec Act of 1774 and the BNA Act of 1867. Québecs constitutional odyssey is seen through the transformation from an ethnically to a territorially based conception of its identity. Comparative politics, in contrast to political theory, has yet to develop a vocabulary that can provide valuable explanations concerning the historical recognition and institutionalisation of diversity as well as a means for comprehending and articulating the subsequent political repercussions of such forms of recognition.