Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959Rise of Quebec Nationalism - Background

• 1885 – Metis leader Louis Riel was hanged. In French Canada, Riel was a hero protecting French cultural and language rights

• 1896 – National Policy promoted British model for Canada

• 1899 – Boer War – French Canada viewed the war as an act of British imperialism

• 1912 – Manitoba Schools Question – The use of French instruction in schools was restricted to areas with sufficient French-Canadians to warrant French instruction

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959

Rise of Quebec Nationalism - Background

• 1915 – Ontario restricts use of French instruction in schools.

• 1916 – Manitoba eliminates all

French instruction in schools

• 1917 – WWI Conscription Crisis – French Canada vote against conscription, and generally did not support a war of Europeans.

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959

Rise of Quebec Nationalism - Background

1936 – Maurice Duplessis, leader of the Union Nationale, is elected Premier of Quebec. He promises to defend French language, religion and culture. During his time in office, Duplessis maintain close ties with business and the Quebec Roman Catholic Church.

Post-Great Depression - The Depression convinced many Canadians that the economy and social structure needed the support of the Canadian Government

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959

Rise of Quebec Nationalism - Background

1942 – WWII Conscription – Quebec votes 73% No while the rest of Canada votes 60% Yes

Post-WWII – As part of its war effort, the Government of Canada had established programs to control economic activity (e.g., price controls, minimum wage, hours of work). The trend towards centralized control continues in the post-WWII period.

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959

Duplessis, “le Chef”, was a strong anti-Communist, pro-business and supporter of American and English-Canadian involvement in Quebec’s economy, and a strong supporter of church involvement in Quebecers’ lives.

His leadership was often corrupt and cunning.

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959

Duplessis expanded a tax regime that favoured big business. He lowered taxes to entice big business to mine and exploit the natural resources of Quebec.

This arrangement created jobs for the mainly rural-living Quebecers. With jobs, there was less francophone emigration and some degree of local satisfaction.

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959

At the same time, Duplessis ties to the English-led business people create an unrest among the working class Francophone. The workers did not like their effort making the business owner rich while they laboured for poor wages.

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959

To control the people and offset this unrest, Duplessis expanded the role of the Catholic church in areas such as education, social welfare and labour.

This church-state relationship allowed Duplessis to maintain political control of Quebec for many years AND helped shape the social / cultural / religious identity of Quebec

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959

At the start of this period, educational programs were limited in rural Quebec, schooling was not compulsory and Quebec children were lagging behind their Anglophone counterparts.

Duplessis espoused parental choice, but he used patronage in rural areas (e.g., money for textbooks and schools) to secure the rural vote.

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959

The church sometimes separated girls from boys with the girl schools focusing on domestic training.

The church encouraged youth to study religion and classics. Technical and business training was discouraged.

Partly as a result, Quebecers in the 1960s were the most poorly paid workers in Quebec.

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959

The church promoted large families and denounced all forms of birth control but the rhythm method.

Quebec closed all daycares after WWII.

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959

Duplessis exploited the French-Canadian fears of loss of cultural and language to manipulate the will of the people. His propaganda machine positioned Duplessis as the defender of Quebec’s rights against the Government of Canada in which francophones played a minor role.

Duplessis was also the protector from Communism and labour unions. When the Duplessis Bridge collapsed due to poor construction, Duplessis blamed Communists. In 1937, he introduced the Padlock Law outlawing Communism in Quebec. His anti-labour stance resulted in violent labour disputes (e.g., 1949 Asbestos Strike).

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959Padlock Law

The Act Respecting Communistic Propaganda or Padlock Law was introduced in 1937. It had two key aspects: (1) limit the places that communists could congregate and (2) outlaw communist propaganda. In effect, the Law let Duplessis suspend civil liberties in Quebec.

The Padlock Law was not limited to communists.  Jehovah's Witnesses, Unions, Jews and Protestant missionary groups were targeted.

The term Padlock Law was used because police had padlocked the library doors at universities in Quebec is the library had a copy of Karl Marx’s Capital.

The Law was repealed in 1957.

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959

Duplessis established vote ridings that provided an uneven distribution of political seats to urban Quebec. On election day, Duplessis paid for drinks and his workers stuffed ballot boxes.

For every project supported by Provincial resources (e.g., construction of a bridge), Duplessis demanded and got political favours, campaign funds and votes.

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959

Duplessis kept Quebec at arms length from the rest of Canada by refusing to participate with “shared-cost” programs or accept money from social programs initiated by the Government of Canada.

Under Duplessis, Quebec secured the right to “opt out” of Government of Canada programs and still receive an equivalent amount of money from the federal government.

Patronage of friends and political allies was rampant.

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959Asbestos Strike…

In 1949, 5,000 asbestos miners and members of the Canadian Catholic Confederation of Labour staged an illegal strike in Asbestos, Quebec. The strike quickly spread to other mines in Quebec, received vocal and financial support from organized labour throughout Canada, and attracted many social activists including 29-year old Pierre Elliott Trudeau. The strikers also were supported by the Catholic church, and at one point in the strike, the strikers sought sanctuary within a church.

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959

Asbestos Strike…

Duplessis called the strikers “communists” and “saboteurs”. Using the rationale that the strikers were challenging the state’s authority, he ordered 4,000 police and strikebreakers to stop the action. In a bloody confrontation, the police raided the church and, using clubs and tear gas, dragged the strikers out.

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959

The Asbestos Striker demands included:

- 15 cent per hour raise- Two week paid holidays- Paid holiday for

Christmas- A grievance system- Implementation of health

and safety methods to suppress the asbestos dust in the mine (lung disease and infant mortality was 2X the Canadian average)

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959The company used an number of tactics to try and “break” the strikers. The miners’ homes were owned by the company. Rent was increased, or the electricity and water were turned off. The company also owned the local store. Credit for strikers was stopped.

The strike lasted five months and ended with few benefits being gained. At the same time, the strike separate state from church in Quebec and a new era of less repressive politics was born.

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959Although called the Great Darkness, this period also saw Duplessis introduce some important changes in Quebec society.

Under Duplessis, Quebec reaffirmed its right to control provincial taxes, and he established Quebec’s Provincial Income Tax system.

Duplessis introduced social legislation including Canada's most generous minimum wage and home ownership assistance acts.

His government undertook many public works projects including constructing or rebuilding highways, hospitals, and schools. Duplessis also sought to provide hydroelectric power to all parts of Québec.

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959

Summary or Recap

For many historians, Duplessis rule was corrupt. He removed human rights, and he sold Quebec’s natural resources to the highest bidder.

Yet, Duplessis was also a modernizer of society (…except in regards to patronage and affairs of politics…). During his reign, Quebec’s economy grew more strong and stable.

Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959

Question -- How would the actions of Duplessis during the Great Darkness lead to increased nationalism in Quebec?

Clues- Relationship between church and state- Relationship between government and big business / English interests- Role of tradition in shaping Quebec society- Acts of patronage to maintain political power