Distinct society
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Distinct society (in French la société distincte) was a political neologism used in Canada during the Meech Lake Accord debate, in the second half of the 1980s. It refers to the uniqueness of Quebec within Canada.
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Description
Distinct society is, in many ways, a euphemism for nation. The Meech Lake Accord would have recognized the difference of Quebec within Canada, and thus to implicitly recognize its peoplehood.
This choice of word can be explained by the fact that at the time there was not total consensus among Quebecers on using the word nation to designate their society, and that the use of nation in the official papers of the accord would have doomed its approval in the rest of Canada, where the designation of Quebec as a nation was, and still is, even more controversial.
In retrospect, even the euphemism seems to have shocked English Canadians, partly leading to the demise of the accord in the other provinces.
Use
Meech Lake debate
During the Meech Lake Accord debate, distinct society was mainly associated with Robert Bourassa from the Parti libéral du Québec and Brian Mulroney of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. It was used in the official documents of the accord.
Present time
Since the death of the accord in 1990, the use of the expression has faded since it is tied to the failure of the Meech agreement, and because of the present virtual consensus on the use, within Quebec, of the term nation to describe Quebec, its people and its State. Other euphemisms used mainly by federalist nationalists are different or unique society.