1941: Quebec

The whole-hearted cooperation of Quebec's French Canadian population in the war effort continued to be one of the most striking results of the war on Canadian life. Prior to the war, it will be recalled, Quebec was ruled by a native fascist group headed by ex-Premier Duplessis which was all but in open revolt against the Dominion Government. It was widely predicted that the province would not support the Dominion in the event of a war with Germany. Yet throughout 1941, except for minor difficulties, Quebec demonstrated complete loyalty to the Crown.

Although public opinion in Quebec continued to oppose conscription for overseas service, the province provided more than its share of volunteers. In the great two-month campaign for recruits for the overseas army which ended in mid-July, Quebec contributed well over a seventh of the total number of men recruited throughout the country and exceeded its quota by some 20 per cent. This somewhat unexpected response on the part of Quebec went a long way toward quieting the demand for conscription which had arisen in the other provinces. Quebec also participated fully in the various war loans.

As against this there were some indications earlier in the year of renewed activity by a small but vocal group of French Canadian nationalists. A considerable amount of literature appeared from time to time expressing unqualified approval of the Vichy government of France and stressing separatist aims for the French Canadian minority. Thierry D'Argelieu, General de Gaulle's official representative in Canada, was poorly received in Quebec despite the fact that he is a Roman Catholic priest and possesses an excellent war record. Marshal Pétain's action in restoring the ancient rights held by the Roman Catholic clergy has made a deep impression on Catholic Quebec and provided a severe handicap to the de Gaullists.

Late in July a well-organized group of some 300 oppositionists seized the huge $150,000,000 plant of the Aluminum Company of Canada at Arvida, Quebec. There had been no labor dispute, and the men had made no demands; it was purely a political move. Although troops quickly regained control of the plant, it is estimated that four weeks' production was lost.

Apart from this one incident, however, there were no instances of organized sabotage, and there can be no question of the loyalty of the overwhelming majority of the population — Catholic and Protestant alike. Cardinal Villeneuve, the Catholic leader, has repeatedly stressed the need for unity. In the political field, credit must be given chiefly to Ernest Lapoint, Minister of Justice in Mackenzie King's War Cabinet, who died on Nov. 26, 1941, for bringing the province into line. It was Lapoint who engineered the electoral campaign which unseated Duplessis in 1940 and placed the Liberal Adelard Godbout in power. Lapoint also is given a large share of the credit for the success of the recruiting drives in Quebec.

Perhaps the outstanding political development of the year was the sponsorship by Premier Godbout of a comprehensive program of educational reform. The program calls for compulsory and free instruction of all children, coordination of the primary and secondary schools, establishment of a system of vocational guidance, and the elimination of Greek in the secondary schools in favor of technical or other useful subjects. It is hoped that this program will do much toward reducing illiteracy in the province and toward increasing the standard of living through the training of more skilled workers.