Courses

Quebec · Secondary 4

History of Quebec and Canada, Secondary IV

  • 585-404

Quebec’s Secondary 4 social studies course, from The formation of the Canadian federal system (1840-1896) to Societal choices in contemporary Quebec (From 1980 to our times).

Learn thisPractice exam
Units
4
Lessons
17
Skills
56
Provincial exam
50% of the final mark
Official curriculum
education.gouv.qc.ca

Unit by unit

Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.

Unit 1 · 14 skills

The formation of the Canadian federal system (1840-1896)

The Act of Union and Responsible Government

First Nations Policy and Confederation

  • Indian Affairs and the Indian Act

    I can explain, truthfully, the government's Indian policy in this period and its lasting effects.

    1.4

    Learn itPractice testActivities

  • Confederation and the British North America Act

    I can explain how Confederation was made and how the BNA Act structured the new country.

    1.5

    Learn itPractice testActivities

  • Federal-provincial relations and the Metis uprisings

    I can explain the early conflicts within Confederation, including the Metis uprisings.

    1.6

    Learn itPractice testActivities

National Policy, Migration and Society

The First Phase of Industrialization

The official wording · 14 outcomes
1.1
Act of Union
1.2
Colonial economy
1.3
Responsible government
1.4
Indian Affairs
1.5
British North America Act
1.6
Federal-provincial relations
1.7
National Policy
1.8
Migrations
1.9
Role of women
1.10
Presence of the Catholic Church
1.11
Socio-cultural expression
1.12
First phase of industrialization
1.13
Forestry industry
1.14
Farms

Key ideas

  1. Following the Rebellions and the Durham Report, the Act of Union (1840) merged Lower and Upper Canada into a single Province of Canada.

  2. The colonial and later Canadian government took increasing control over First Nations through 'Indian Affairs'.

  3. The economic crisis of 1873 (a long depression) pushed Ottawa to act on the economy.

  4. From the 1850s-90s, factories driven by industrial capitalism transformed the economy.

  5. Its political structure gave each former colony equal seats in one assembly - which, since Lower Canada had the larger population, deliberately under-represented the Canadiens.

Watch out for

  • Thinking the Union treated both halves equally in fairness - equal representation was chosen precisely to disadvantage the more populous Canadiens.
  • Thinking the Indian Act is only a historical relic - it is a living law with continuing effects on First Nations.
  • Thinking the National Policy benefited everyone - Western settlement came at the direct expense of First Nations and Metis.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 2 · 15 skills

Nationalisms and the autonomy of Canada (1896-1945)

Canada's Autonomy and French-Canadian Nationalism

  • Canada's status in the British Empire

    I can explain how Canada moved toward autonomy within the British Empire.

    2.1

    Learn itPractice testActivities

  • Clerico-nationalism

    I can explain clerico-nationalism and its response to economic and social change.

    2.2

    Learn itPractice testActivities

  • Canada's domestic policy and the governance of First Peoples

    I can explain Canada's domestic policy, including its governance of First Nations and Inuit.

    2.3

    Learn itPractice testActivities

The Second Phase of Industrialization

Society, Culture and Labour

The World Wars and the Depression

The official wording · 15 outcomes
2.1
Canada's status in the British Empire
2.2
Clerico-nationalism
2.3
Canada's domestic policy
2.4
Second phase of industrialization
2.5
Urban areas
2.6
Mass culture
2.7
Women's struggles
2.8
Union movement
2.9
Catholic Church
2.10
Education and technical training
2.11
Migration flows
2.12
First World War
2.13
Great Depression
2.14
Challenging capitalism
2.15
Second World War

Key ideas

  1. Imperialism - the belief that Canada should stand with the British Empire - clashed with those wanting greater Canadian independence.

  2. From about 1900, a second phase of industrialization exploited Quebec's natural resources - hydroelectricity, pulp and paper, mining.

  3. New technologies created a mass culture reaching everyone at once.

  4. Immigrants of varied ethnic origins arrived, diversifying the population, especially in the cities.

  5. French-Canadian nationalism (led by figures like Henri Bourassa) resisted automatic support for Britain's imperial wars.

Watch out for

  • Thinking Canada became independent all at once - autonomy grew gradually, confirmed in 1931.
  • Thinking Quebecers owned the new resource economy - it was heavily foreign-owned.
  • Thinking culture stayed purely local - mass media created a shared, modern culture.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 3 · 15 skills

The modernization of Quebec and the Quiet Revolution (1945-1980)

The Postwar World and a Changing Population

The Duplessis Era and the Quiet Revolution

  • The Canadian federation and Quebec

    I can explain the tensions between Quebec and the federation in the postwar decades.

    3.6

    Learn itPractice testActivities

  • Indian residential schools

    I can explain, truthfully and with respect, the history and lasting harm of the residential school system.

    3.7

    Learn itPractice testActivities

Consumer Society and the Duplessis Era

Neo-Nationalism and the Quiet Revolution

Feminism, Culture and Indigenous Self-Determination

The official wording · 15 outcomes
3.1
Power relations in the West
3.2
Urban agglomeration
3.3
Natural growth
3.4
New arrivals
3.5
Regional development
3.6
Canadian federation
3.7
Indian residential schools in Québec
3.8
Consumer society
3.9
Duplessis era
3.10
Neo-nationalism
3.11
Quiet Revolution
3.12
Feminism
3.13
Socio-cultural vitality
3.14
Self-determination of Indigenous nations
3.15
Employer-union relations

Key ideas

  1. After 1945 the world split into the Cold War between the American-led West and the Soviet-led East.

  2. Ottawa built federal social programs (family allowances, pensions, later medicare) that expanded its role - sometimes into provincial areas Quebec guarded.

  3. Postwar prosperity created a consumer society - people buying cars, appliances, televisions and new homes.

  4. A new, secular and territorial nationalism replaced the old survival nationalism - focused on Quebec (not 'French Canada') and its state.

  5. A powerful feminist movement pressed for women's equality across society.

Watch out for

  • Thinking Quebec's change happened in isolation - it drew on a wider Western climate of contestation.
  • Thinking federal-provincial relations were calm - Quebec's demands for autonomy created ongoing tension.
  • Thinking prosperity was evenly shared - not everyone benefited equally.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

Unit 4 · 12 skills

Societal choices in contemporary Quebec (From 1980 to our times)

The State and the Global Economy

Quebec's Political Status and the Referendums

  • Quebec's political status and the sovereignty referendums

    I can explain the constitutional debate over Quebec's political status and the two sovereignty referendums.

    4.4

    Learn itPractice testActivities

Contemporary Society and Identity

Contemporary Challenges

The official wording · 12 outcomes
4.1
Redefinition of the state's role
4.2
Indigenous rights
4.3
Globalization of the economy
4.4
Québec’s political status
4.5
Sociodemographic change
4.6
Gender equality
4.7
Cultural industry
4.8
Language issue
4.9
Environmental concerns
4.10
Devitalization of communities
4.11
International relations
4.12
Information era

Key ideas

  1. After the interventionist Quiet Revolution, debate turned to whether the state had grown too large and costly.

  2. Quebec's political status dominated politics since 1980, with sovereigntists seeking independence and federalists seeking renewed federalism.

  3. Quebec's population is aging as the baby boomers grow older and the birth rate stays low - straining pensions and health care.

  4. The environment became a major public concern, especially with climate change.

  5. Neo-liberal policies pushed to cut spending, deregulate and reduce the state's role, straining the funding of social programs.

Watch out for

  • Thinking the state's role is fixed - it has been actively contested and redefined since 1980.
  • Thinking the constitutional question is closed - it remains unresolved and debated today.
  • Thinking Indigenous disadvantage is only historical - real gaps in living conditions persist today.

Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit

The exam

The mark you need

Your class mark counts for 50% of the final mark, the exam for 50%. Quebec may moderate your class mark before it’s blended.

You need

65% on the exam

With 75% in class, your final mark lands between 37.5% (0 on the exam) and 87.5% (100% on it).

The official curriculum

This page follows Quebec’s own curriculum for History of Quebec and Canada, Secondary IV.

Gouvernement du Quebec - Quebec Education Program, History of Quebec and Canadaeducation.gouv.qc.ca · Read August 8, 2026

Study it in MapleMind

MapleMind teaches History of Quebec and Canada, Secondary IV one skill at a time. Each skill gets a short lesson, practice as you go and a check worth up to three stars. It remembers where you stopped.

Mathematics, Secondary 3 in the MapleMind app on a tablet: its units, Unit 1 open, and the skills done so far with their starsMathematics, Secondary 3 in the MapleMind app on a phone: its units, Unit 1 open, and the skills done so far with their stars
Pictured: Mathematics, Secondary 3, another Quebec course, partway through Unit 1.

Practise it

Course Companion

Your year in one workbook

A fun way to keep History of Quebec and Canada, Secondary IV organized, get to know your child better and see early when they need a hand. Fill it in on a screen, or print it.

Pages
32
Fillable fields
1,817
Price
$4.99
See the Course Companion

Questions about History of Quebec and Canada, Secondary IV

What is History of Quebec and Canada, Secondary IV?

Quebec’s Secondary 4 social studies course: 4 units and 56 skills, from The formation of the Canadian federal system (1840-1896) to Societal choices in contemporary Quebec (From 1980 to our times).

What units are in History of Quebec and Canada, Secondary IV?

1. The formation of the Canadian federal system (1840-1896), 2. Nationalisms and the autonomy of Canada (1896-1945), 3. The modernization of Quebec and the Quiet Revolution (1945-1980) and 4. Societal choices in contemporary Quebec (From 1980 to our times).

Is there a provincial exam for History of Quebec and Canada, Secondary IV?

Yes. The History of Québec and Canada, Secondary IV counts for 50% of the final mark. Next sitting: January 15, 2027.

What comes after History of Quebec and Canada, Secondary IV?

Contemporary World, Secondary 5.

Can MapleMind help with History of Quebec and Canada, Secondary IV?

Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of History of Quebec and Canada, Secondary IV, step by step, with practice and checks, and its tutor answers questions about any of them. It’s free with daily limits, on iPhone, Android and the web.

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