Vanishing Reminders of the 1960s in Quebec

I was born in the late 1950s at the beginning of Quebec "Quiet Revolution". In one generation, the Quebecois got rid of the anachronistic conservative ideology of the Church and UN Government who were relentlessly defending outdated traditional Catholic values. It was the end of a 20-years era called "The Great Darkness" where the UN government was considered regressive and corrupted, and the Church considered abusive of families, especially women. Although Quebec was already a highly industrialized, urban, and outward-looking society in 1960s, the arrival of a new government allowed for major changes in a short period of time. That period saw Quebec francophones' weak education system completely transformed, outside of the Church control. A much better Labour Code was adopted, women obtained the same legal status as men, a pension plan was established, and many more social modernization actions took place. As a result, a new middle class obtained greater control over Quebec's economic resources. The role of francophones in Canada was redefined, their prosperity rapidly increased, and their nationalist consciousness expanded. For the first time since 1759, Quebec francophones were able to work entirely in French and receive education, health services and other services in their language. This period culminated with the 1967 International and Universal Exposition in Montreal, one of the most successful World's Fairs of the 20th Century, and by the obtaining in 1970 of the Olympics in front of Los Angeles and Moscow. The 1960s is the decade of my childhood. This is the decade when five million French-speaking Quebecois like me, gained access to a new and modern society. It was a fantastic era, people were happy and confident, and I felt all the fever and passion of this period. Nowadays, 60 years later, I see buildings and other witnesses of this era being abandoned in many places. These typical reminders of my childhood are vanishing. It makes me feel nostalgic. The 1960s were the most exciting time of Quebec History. I was seeing the future with hope and optimism, like our whole nation.