Quebec – The Great Darkness 1936-1959
Rise 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 FrenchCanadians 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 EnglishCanadian 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 1936-1959
Padlock 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 1936-1959
Asbestos 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 1936-1959
The 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 1936-1959
Although 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