In 1889, Honore Mercier gave a speech on St. Jean-Baptiste Day describing a French-Canadian nation within America. This speech embodied the heart and roots of the separatist movement.

Later, in 1961, Marcel Chaput, a leader of the Rassemblement pour I'Independance Nationale (RIN), gave his famous "Why I Am a Separatist" speech. He believed that "history intended that North America have an independent French-speaking country." In the eyes of the RIN separatists, it was Quebec's destiny to become a nation independent from Canada. 

Charles de Gaulle, former President of the French Republic, visited Quebec in 1967. There, he gave an unforgettable yet controversial speech, in which he seemingly supported separatism. He state "Vive le Quebec libre!", supporting a free Quebec. 

The events described all fueled a sense of Quebecois French nationalism, leading to extremist groups such as the military Front  de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ). This nationalist sentiment, part of the movement called the Quiet Revolution, created a cultural nationalism as a sense of identity for the Quebecois. This desire to preserve culture and survive in a country mostly speaking English has caused conflict between French Quebecois separatists and English speaking Canadians wanting to remain part of Canada.

In 1976, the separatist Parti Quebecois rose to prominence under Rene Levesque. They pushed for an independent Quebec, but lost in a 1980 referendum 40% to 60%. 

While there has been no one major event signifying the climax of conflict, the issue has not been properly addressed by national government with a permanent, long term solution. Both French Quebecois nationalists and English speakers have caused unrest in Quebec to this day.