This paper proceeds from the hypothesis that the bilingual and multicultural policy of the Canadian government was: (1) an appeasement policy toward a revitalized Quebec and a containment policy regarding its claim to political power; and (2) a device to legitimize the continued dominance of the ruling English speaking elite at a time when its position was threatened by Quebec's claim to political power on the one hand, and by the economic and cultural vitality of ethnic groups on the other. According to this hypothesis, the government's policy offered ethnic individuals an illusion of cultural freedom, while denying them any real power. It is argued that when different social classes and interest groups in Quebec have successfully organized to achieve their political, economic, and cultural goals, the government's policy of multiculturalism, which has for so long dominated the life of ethnic group members, will no longer be applicable, and that ethnic groups must concern themselves with building a power base from which they can influence the course that Canada will take in the future. (Author/EB)