Quebec Libre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Quebec Libre (a French phrase meaning "Free Quebec", taken from the phrase "Vive le Quebec libre" uttered by French president Charles DeGaulle during a visit to Canada in 1967) is a board game published by Simulations Canada in 1978 that simulates the political breakdown of Canada. The game, Simulations Canada's only non-military board game, failed to find an audience.
The British North America Act 1867 passed by the British government created Canada as a confederation of provinces acting together as an independent country. The act also defined the powers and responsibilities of the federal government, such as foreign policy, armed forces and customs, as well as those of the provincial governments, such as resources and education.
A century later an independence movement grew in Quebec based on the province's linguistic and cultural differences. Although some sought independence through violence, as exemplified by the militant Front de libération du Québec (FLQ), others felt that independence could be achieved through political means. When the Parti Quebecois rose to power in Quebec under René Lévesque in 1976, they promised to bring a referendum to the Quebec voters asking if Quebec should leave the Canadian confederation.[1]
Description
Quebec Libre is a board game of cooperation and conflict for 2–6 players in which players control various areas of Canada, and must negotiate with each other, either openly or privately, for funding, popular support and power, as each player grapples with standard of living, popularity, unemployment, energy, production, taxation, consumption, exports, and development.[2]
During the game, random events can cause uncertainty and upset even careful planning, strategy and forethought.[2]