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Maurice Duplessis’ Union nationale was re-elected in 1944 and remained in power until 1960. Committed to protecting the French Catholic character of Québec society, Duplessis defended the province’s autonomy when the federal government intervened in provincial jurisdictions. The Union nationale favoured clericalism in politic and economic liberalism. -
Premiers of Québec:
1944-1959: Maurice Duplessis (Union Nationale)
1959-1960: Paul Sauvé (Union Nationale) Prime Ministers of Canada:
1935-1948: William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal Party of Canada)
1948-1957: Louis St. Laurent (Liberal Party of Canada) Maurice Duplessis’ Union nationale was re-elected in 1944 and remained in power until 1960. Duplessis government pursue conservatism in politic and liberalism in economy this era is called the great darkness. -
In 1945, his government adopted the Act to Promote Rural Electrification By Means of Electricity Cooperatives. Farms that had electricity produced more, which stimulated economic development in the regions.
Duplessis believed that the province should be able
to depend on a prosperous agricultural sector for its development. The electoral districts situated in rural areas represented a large portion of his voters, and Duplessis relied heavily on these areas to ensure his election. -
In 1948, 15 young artists, including painters Paul-Émile Borduas and Jean-Paul Riopelle, published a manifesto entitled Refus global. Their objective was to publicly protest against the social conservatism
of the Duplessis government and the Catholic Church.
They denounced the Church’s control over Québec society and held it responsible for what they considered to be Québec’s cultural lag. -
The Duplessis government was eager to affirm Québec’s identity within Canada. In 1948, it demonstrated this desire by inaugurating the of official flag of Québec (the Fleurdelisé), which is slightly different from today’s flag. -
Workplace health and safety were at the heart of the dispute that paralyzed Thetford Mines and Asbestos for five months. In the 1950s, several other labour disputes erupted, including one in Murdochville, where close to 1000 miners were on strike for seven months
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The 30 years that followed the end of the Second World War were marked by economic prosperity in the Western world. In Québec, wages increased as did purchasing power. In the 1950s, more and more households had a television. -
Duplessis also thought that the province of Québec should collect its own taxes in order
to enjoy greater autonomy. In 1954, it reintroduced the provincial income tax. -
1960-1966: Jean Lesage (Liberal Party of Québec) In June 1960, Quebecers elected the Québec Liberal Party led by Jean Lesage. The party remained in power until 1966. During this period, Québec embarked on a large-scale modernization process. In 1966, the Union nationale returned to power and, turning its back on the Duplessis era, pursued the reforms that had begun in the early 1960s. During this period, attitudes, values and the Québécois identity evolved and changed
significantly. -
In June 1960, Quebecers elected the Québec Liberal Party led by Jean Lesage. Premier Jean Lesage was surrounded by a dynamic team of ministers nicknamed “l’équipe du tonnerre.” Lesage and his team transformed the Québec state. Québec underwent a period of profound change that enjoyed broad support. This period was called the “Quiet Revolution.” -
In 1961, it created the Department of Cultural Affairs, which was mandated, in particular, to promote Québec’s development in the arts.
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In 1962, the Lesage government triggered elections by proposing the complete nationalization of electricity. The Liberals won the election. The Québec state bought out the vast majority of the private electricity companies and merged them with Hydro-Québec. -
In 1963, the Parent Commission published the first volume of its report. The Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Education in the Province of Quebec, commonly referred to as the “Parent Report,” So many measures were proposed that they had to be implemented gradually over several years. Following the recommendations in the Parent Report, the Lesage government created the Department of Education in 1964. Comprehensive high schools were established in 1965. -
In 1964, Marie-Claire Kirkland-Casgrain was
responsible for the adoption of the Act Respecting
the Legal Capacity of Married Women. This act
allowed married women to carry out financial
transactions, sign legal documents, and so on,
without requiring their husband’s consent. -
The first CEGEPs (the French acronym
for general and vocational colleges) opened their doors in 1967. They offered
the possibility of continuing a general education leading to university or pursuing vocational training. In 1968, the Université du Québec network was created. -
Expo 67, the World’s Fair that took place in Montréal from April to October 1967 is a prime example of this openness to the world. It offered Quebecers a chance to discover the culture, know-how and identity of the many countries represented there.
Similarly, the World’s Fair gave foreigners a chance to discover Québec and Canada, particularly by visiting their respective pavilions. -
General Charles de Gaulle, president of the French Republic, was invited to Québec for Expo 67. During a speech, he declared, “Vive le Québec libre!” (Long live a free Québec!), a statement that was perceived as support for Québec’s independence movement. -
In 1969, the Union nationale passed the Act to Promote the French Language in Québec (Bill 63). This act allowed parents to choose the language of instruction for their children, introduced French-as-a-second-language courses in Anglophone schools and sought the integration of immigrants into Francophone schools, without imposing it. It created a great deal of discontent, the legal protection of the French language was the subject of many public debates in the years to come.
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FLQ planted bombs in mailboxes in Anglophone-majority
neighbourhoods and at the Montréal Stock Exchange. On October 5, 1970, the
FLQ kidnapped British diplomat James Richard Cross and, on October 10, Liberal
minister Pierre Laporte. Faced with the severity of these events,
Pierre Elliott Trudeau invoked the War
Measures Act, which allowed the government
to take exceptional measures to bring the
situation under control. -
In 1970, the Bourassa government adopted the Health Insurance Act. This act expanded free health care services, which until then had been
limited to hospitalization. Through medicare, all Quebecers could now access free medical services. -
1970-1976: Robert Bourassa (Liberal Party of Québec) The Liberal Party, led by Robert Bourassa, won the provincial election in 1970. The Bourassa government implemented a number of reforms, but stood out for its commitment to economic development and its ambitious hydroelectric
development plan.
In the second half of the 1970s, the province underwent another period of reforms.
This period was marked by a debate on Québec’s political future, which Quebecers were called on to determine. -
Unveiled in 1971, the
project focused on developing the
hydroelectric potential of Baie-James.
The first phase was launched in 1973,
and completed in 1986. Subsequent
phases were carried out in the
following years. -
In 1974, the city of Québec hosted an international festival celebrating Francophone youth called the Festival international de la jeunesse francophone, or the Superfrancofête. The city welcomed Francophone delegates and artists from around the
world, who brought their cultures and traditions to the Québec stage. -
In 1974, the Bourassa government passed the Official Language Act, known as “Bill 22,” based on the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on the Position of the French Language and Language
Rights in Québec. -
In June 1975, the Bourassa government adopted the Charter of Human Rights and
Freedoms, which recognized that all individuals are equal. -
On November 15, 1976, provincial elections were held in Québec. The election results sent shockwaves throughout Canada. For the first time in the history of Québec, a government whose goal was Québec sovereignty took power. -
In 1977, the Parti Québécois government
adopted the Charter of the French Language, commonly referred to as “Bill 101.” This law went farther than the official Language Act in its protection of the French language. -
In 1979, a second oil
crisis occurred in Iran, a major oil producer. This crisis led
to a new wave of inflation. A new phenomenon of industrial relocation gradually set in, this time toward countries with lower wages. The low cost of labour in these countries attracted businesses and led to job losses in Québec. The rise in unemployment slowed economic growth and led to tax losses for the government.