The Asbestos Strike begins in Canada. The strike marks the beginning of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec.
The Quiet Revolution (French: Rvolution tranquille) was a period of intense socio-political and socio-cultural change in the Canadian province of Quebec that started after the election of 1960, characterized by the effective secularization of government, the creation of a state-run welfare state (tat-providence), as well as realignment of politics into federalist and sovereigntist (or separatist) factions and the eventual election of a pro-sovereignty provincial government in the 1976 election. The Quiet Revolution typically refers to the efforts made by the Liberal government of Jean Lesage (elected in 1960) and sometimes Robert Bourassa (elected in 1970 after the Union Nationale's Daniel Johnson in 1966), though given the profound effect of the changes, most provincial governments since the early 1960s have maintained an orientation based on core concepts developed and implemented in that era.
A primary change was an effort by the provincial government to take more direct control over the fields of healthcare and education, which had previously been in the hands of the Roman Catholic Church. It created ministries of Health and Education, expanded the public service, and made massive investments in the public education system and provincial infrastructure. The government further allowed unionization of the civil service. It took measures to increase Qubcois control over the province's economy and nationalized electricity production and distribution and worked to establish the Canada/Qubec Pension Plan. Hydro-Qubec was also created in an attempt to nationalize Qubec's electric companies. French-Canadians in Qubec also adopted the new name 'Qubcois', trying to create a separate identity from both the rest of Canada and France and establish themselves as a reformed province.
The Quiet Revolution was a period of unbridled economic and social development in Qubec and Canada and parallelled similar developments in the West in general. It was a byproduct of Canada's 20-year post-war expansion and Qubec's position as the leading province for more than a century before and after Confederation. It witnessed particular changes to the built environment and social structures of Montreal, Qubec's leading city. The Quiet Revolution also extended beyond Qubec's borders by virtue of its influence on contemporary Canadian politics. During the same era of renewed Quebecois nationalism, French Canadians made great inroads into both the structure and direction of the federal government and national policy.
The Asbestos strike of 1949, based in and around the town of Asbestos, Quebec, Canada, was a four-month labour dispute by asbestos miners. It has traditionally been portrayed as a turning point in Quebec history that helped lead to the Quiet Revolution. It also helped launch the careers of Jean Marchand, Gérard Pelletier, and Pierre Trudeau.