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By Giuseppe Valiante

MONTREAL — Following the Parti Quebecois’ first election victory in November 1976, editorial cartoonist Terry Mosher drew premier-designate Rene Levesque, his right hand stretching out holding a cigarette, saying, “O.K. Everybody Take A Valium!”

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Mosher’s cartoon in the English-language Montreal Gazette reflected the fears of anglophones, many of whom assumed the worst: that Quebec would soon be leaving Canada.

While that scenario never materialized, the PQ victory did lead to the landmark Charter of the French Language, which became law on Aug. 26, 1977.

Commonly known as Bill 101, the charter was widely seen as either a cornerstone piece of legislation that would ensure the survival of the French culture and language, or the cementing of second-class citizen status for hundreds of thousands of people.

And while Bill 101 was a continuation of previous legislation seeking to strengthen the French language, it was also a radical departure from the status quo.