All of these national sites are part of a process, called national commemoration. This is pushed forward by the belief that there was emotional and educational power that could come from these historic sites. And, these powers could possibly help create a sense of national culture. But, it seems that realistically these sites really project a national culture to tourists and visitors to the area in which the site is, because many Canadians, or even Quebecers will never visit these sites. Not only will they likely never visit these sites, they may not even have any knowledge of their existence. But, the idea of commemorating these sites in hope of recognizing things that created the country that we live in today is a realistic way of attempting to create a National Culture. And, even if a National Culture is not created through these sites it may at least evoke a sense of pride within those who may visit the sites.
Selecting sites of national significance within Quebec is a difficult endeavour. There is no denying how many events in Canada's formative history took place inside of Quebec's borders but on whose terms are those events to be recounted? The enscription on a plaque can be an incredibly contentious issue if the wording is perceived to be even slightly incorrect by any group's criteria. It is also problematic that an enscription is permanent and will be perceived in different lights based on the prevailing feelings of any one particular time period. Lastly, you don't make plaques and memorials to people who are looked at unanimously with disdain; you make them to heroes. Thus there is a certain amount of glorifying inherent in any of these which is basically unavoidable and can skew the historical truth in the pursuit of fostering a national unity.
It is interesting to look at the selection process by the Canadian Department of Heritage for choosing national historic sites. According to the website, "the subject under consideration will have had a nationally significant impact on Canadian history." This really begs the question, who in Quebec has been nationally significant in terms of their impact on Canada? The obvious choices are those who worked to unify the province with the rest of Canada and thus being of positive "national significance." But those who sought independence for Quebec, both in the distant and near past, are of equal importance. Are they equally represented as "nationally significant" people by the department of Heritage? No. And this.....is a problem.

Lachine National Historic Site
The Lachine Canal is located in Montreal; it was opened to shipping in 1825. It was the canal network, which lined the heart of the country with the Atlantic Ocean. Thousands of ships used this route before it was closed in 1970 due to the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Since it’s closing in 1970 the area has been used by millions of cycling and walking by. This is a site, which has strong ties to the past and helped to make not only Quebec but also, the country what it is today.
Artillery park
Artillery Park has played an important role in defending Quebec since the 17th Century. It overlooks the plateau went of the city and the St. Charles river, both areas that could have been vulnerable to attack. It was recognized as a historic site in 1959.

Point-au-Pere LighthousePointe-au-Pere lighthouse played an important role in the navigation of the St. Lawrence River. The lighthouse which still stands today was built in 1909, and it is the third lighthouse to be built on this site, and the second largest lighthouse in Canada. The lighthouse is affiliated with the Musee de la Mer which exemplifies the maritime past of Quebec.

The Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier National Historic Site of Canada in Montreal is in place to "commemorate the life and accomplishments of one of the Fathers of Confederation." But these two adjoining homes do not deal with the how contentious a figure Cartier is in French Canada. While he is legitimated by many because of his encouragement of commerical progress and English-French raprochement, others disagree. Many in Quebec see him as "an opponent of the more genuine and purer strain of French-Canadian nationalism emanating from the rebellion period and passing from Papineau to the Parti Rouge down to the separatists of our own day." Despite being a national memorial in Canada, this second story is not told.




Other Interesting Historic Sites:
Battle of Chateauguay
Sir Wilfred Laurier National Historic Site
Fortifications of Quebec National Historic Site
Levis Forts National Historic Site

Quebec

Whose History are museums really telling? With plaque’s of text including about 80 words give or take twenty, how can they be telling the full story? In situations where there are 100s or 1000s of words it is still difficult to tell the full story, and even then there is still the issue of great biases. So, can a plaque in front of a display at a museum truly be telling the full story? Or are museums doomed to be misleading the uninformed populace even further?
But, in Quebec sometimes the main issues are not just what the signage is saying, but what language the signage is in. In 2003 at the Quebec Museum of Folk Culture in Trois- Riviers, there was a signage controversy on an exhibit about the progression of the family dinner. While the advertisement featured a nipple dripping with milk, this was not the controversial issue, but instead the fact that the poster said "all dressed". The term “all dressed” refers to a pizza with everything on it, and it is a term that is heavily used by both Francophones and Anglophones. It seems as though the Quebecois suffer from a Victorian-like prudishness, but instead of the issue being nudity, it is the English language.
Ian McKay discusses the issues of Tartanism in his article, “ Tartanism Triumphant: The Construction of Scottishness in Nova Scotia, 1933-1954” and part of the issue is the fact that the Premier of Nova Scotia, Angus MacDonald attempted to create a Nova Scotian Folk Culture through their “inherent Scottishness,” To this day the provinces most important emblems are their flag, their coat of arms, and their tartan. This folk museum, which opened its doors in 2001, is attempting to create a “folk culture” for Quebec. By displaying various pieces of household items, textiles, and folk art the museum is attempting to determine what Quebec folk culture is, but in reality these items are likely no more native to Quebec as Tartanism is to Nova Scotia.

2007 was Ottawa’s 150th anniversary of being chosen as Canada’s capital. To honour this occasion a panel was posted on Sparks Street in Ottawa to commemorate Lord Durham and his recommendation to grant responsible government to the British North American colonies. However, French Language lobby group Imperatif Français were angry that the panel forgot to mention that Lord Durham was in favour of assimilating French Canadians. The new panel mentions this as well as his recommendations for responsible government and the unity of Upper and Lower Canada. The controversy around Lord Durham as a figure has also led panel now portraying a historic painting of Canada instead of a painting of Lord Durham himself.

Canadian Museum of Civilization
To have a Canadian Museum of civilization is a tricky thing. Naming it as such leads the museum to be vulnerable from criticisms of innacurate representation of Canadian civilization. Despite New France being exhibet and French Canadians having some representation, Quebec does not get a proportionate share of recognition for its' part in Canadian civilization. The reason for this is that the museum has evolved from a place where cultures can be preserved to a tourist attraction where the IMAX and exhibits on foreign civilizations are bigger attractions.

Other Quebec Centric Museums of Interest:
Centre d'histoire de Montreal.: reveals the many faces of its history and heritage.
Cinematheque Quebecoise: Montreal's museum of the moving image.
Montreal Holocaust Memorial Museum: first world class Holocaust museum in the country.
Naval Museum of Quebec: where they tell Naval History in a new light, different from everywhere else.

Quebec Literature

Quebecois has a rich literary tradition begining before its inception and lasting to this day. Much of the writing in novels has to do with English-French relations as it evolves from the conquest to the separatist movements of the late 20th century. Fictional works have been an outlet for nationalism or become such for national movements looking for symbols on which to pin their platforms. Here's several examples of what were talking about and one that is a bit different.

Phillippe Aubert de Gaspé’s Les Anciens Canadiens was published in 1863 and is heavily influenced by traditional Quebec folk songs and stories. Two young men, one of whom, Jules d’Haberville, is a Canadian, and the other, Archibald Cameron of Lochiel, a Scotsman, become friends during college life. Separated by the necessity of earning their livelihood, they again come together, but under different flags, during the war in which France and England fought for the last time for the soil of Canada on the Plains of Abraham and the fields of Ste Foy. Their old friendship is broken, then resumed with reserve. The author turns to account all the incidents that he gathers about this main theme in relating the life led by his countrymen at the already distant period of the Conquest. There is a sense of nostalgia of for the simplicity of traditional life which allows for the longevity of interest in the story. Many Quebecers really like this story because they enjoy the idealistic view of traditional Quebec society.

Mordichai Richler is a mid-20th century Quebec writer who is famous for his satire of contemporary society and his portrayal of the Jewish community in Montreal. He is famous for his books The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz and Barney’s Version among other works. Both books are funny with their critiques as well as the general absurdity of everyday life sometimes. He was later critical of Quebec nationalism and separatism in the 70s.

Ringuet’s Thirty Acres is not only written by a Quebecois, but also discusses the intricacies of living in rural Quebec. Thirty Acres was written in 1937 and is the story of Euchariste Moisan’s life and family not only describes the life of a man, but what it was like for all the men just like him living off of the land in rural Quebec. Ringuet discusses the rural mans thoughts on the big cities like Montreal, the rest of Canada, and North America. And, it really gives insight into the rural culture of Quebec and how it helped to shape the culture of the province. It is especially important because there are many men just like Euchariste still living similar lives in rural Quebec. Also, it demonstrates the concerns that agriculturalists that are of French descent had because often, they were far different that those of the English, this is exemplified in the discussion of war in the novel.

Hugh MacLennan’s Two Solitudes (1945) also touches on some of the same issues that Thirty Acres does and expands on them. The book focuses on the separation between English and French Canada and demonstrates that it is hard to be a part of both factions. Like in Thirty Acres conscription is a divisive issue among the two groups, these are examples of issues that are impossible for the two groups to agree on. This is something that speaks to a larger issue of Quebec and Canada being a culture of negatives. Instead of Quebec and Canada being unified they are instead divided by negative issues, Quebec is not really a part of Canada because the rest of the country is not French speaking, or not inclusive, or Quebec does not believe in the First World War. Much like Canada prides itself as being a certain way simply because it is not like Americans.

Quebec also has a rich tradition of newspapers in its history. The Gazette is an English-language paper published daily out of Montreal but with circulation outside of the province as well. Le Devoir is famous as it was founded as a French-language newspaper by Henri Bourassa in 1910. Having resigned from the Liberal party in opposition to Sir Wilrid Laurier’s decision to construct a Canadian navy, Bourassa created the paper. Le Devoir went on to be a leading critic of the government during the war (especially with conscription) and a proponent of Quebec nationalism. La Presse is another French-language paper out of Montreal and circulated in Quebec. It has generally been a federalist paper having endorsed the federalist vision in both the 1980 and 1995 referendums.

Music from Quebec is likely not that well known save for one major artist, Celine Dion. The majority of other major Quebecois singers are believed to be from other areas, perhaps Toronto. Or more often they are believed to be American (though, this may be believed about artists from all over Canada,) Celine Dion is hands down the most recognizable name in Quebec music, and this is likely because she sings in both official languages and has sold a record number of albums in both languages. Celine Dion is an overt part of Quebec culture, because she is instantly recognized as a Canadian musician, whether it is because she is well liked is another issue. But, there are other Quebec musicians that have become quite popular but do not have the same definite Quebec-ness as Celine Dion. Leonard Cohen was born and raised in Montreal, and yet many people do not see him as a Quebecer, but he is someone that the Quebecois would want to claim. He is an acclaimed singer-songwriter, as well as an authour. His music has reached all around the world, and his song Hallelujah has been covered over a dozen times by various artists.Arcade Fire is another band that is from Montreal but they have done something different for Quebec, they have put it on the radar, not just within Canada, but throughout the world. They paved the way for the Montreal Indie scene which seems to have taken over Canadian music in recent times. Though these three artists are significantly different they exemplify three different areas of the Quebec music scene, and contribute to Quebec culture

My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion

Leonard Cohen Hallelujah

The Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)

http://www.myspace.com/arcadefireofficial