VOL.47,No.6
HEAD OFFICE:MONTREAL,JUNE 1966
The Province
of Quebec
MANYARTISTSAND POETShavetriedto pictureand
describe
theProvince
of Quebec,butit hasa charm
thatis beyondtheexpression
of paintandwords.
Quebecis madeup of a thousand
smallthingsand
sentiments.
It hasbeendifferent
fromotherprovinces
throughout
Canada’s
history,
andit willcontinue
to
bedifferent
because
it isonlyatthebeginning
ofits
thrusttowardeconomic
maturity
whereassomeother
provinces
arealready
faradvanced.
Quebecis todayan expectantprovince,
looking
forwardto satisfaction
of its ambitions.
The old
agrarian
society
has beenbrokenawayfrom;menand
womenwhosefatherscouldscarcelybearto travel
beyond
thesoundof theirvillage
church
bellsarenow
working
in thetownsandcities.
Fromtheinsularity
of onlytwoscore
yearsagotileprovince
has opened
itsdoorsto theworldthrough
inviting
allnations
to
takepartin tileWorldFairin 1967.Urbanization
andtileriseof a vastindustrial
complex
havesetin
motion
an irreversible
process.
Thisis the largestprovince
in Canada,594,860
squaremiles,morethandoublethe sizeof Texas,
equalto thecombined
areaof France,
Spainandall
Germany.
ItslastCensuspopulation
was 5,259,211,
whichwas29 percentof Canada’s
total.
Thecharacteristic
vegetation
of thegreater
partof
Quebecis forest.Occupied
agricultural
landtotals
22,185squaremiles,whileforestcovers378,125
squaremiles.The highest
mountain
is MountJacques
Cartier,
4,160feet.
Therearefourlakes
over400square
miles.Quebechasa longseafrontage
on HudsonBay,
HudsonStrait,UngavaBay and the Gulf of St.
Lawrence.
Becausetheprovince
extends
formorethantwelve
hundredmilesfromsouthto north,the climateis
extremely
varied.At FortChimo,on UngavaBay,the
seasonbetweenfrostsis about52 days;whileat
Sherbrooke,
in theEastern
Townships,
it lastsabout
130days.
Railways
androadsarepushing
theirfingers
northwardas newsourcesof minerals
arediscovered
and
newareasof forestopenedup.Peopleto develop
the
resources
and to processthe products
of minesand
forests
areincreasing
in number.
It is estimated
that
thepopulation
willhavegrownto 6,380,000
by 1971.
The St. Lawrence River
An explorer
of 1663wrotein hisdiarythatthereis
no othercountryin theworldso wellsupplied
with
water.
At]led’Orl6ans
theearlier
explorers
hadfound
"thewaterbeginsto be fresh"--they
wereentering
themainstream
of the greatSt.Lawrence
River,the
maingeographical
featureof Quebec.Alongit and
itsshoresthe lifeof Quebechas beengoingon for
morethanfourhundredyears.
Theprincipal
agricultural
areaoftileprovince
lies
in therivervalleyandin theadjacent
Eastern
Townships,extending
fromtheriverto theUnitedStates
boundary.
Thesouthshoreis dottedwitha stringof
smalltownsandvillages
datingfromtiledaysof the
firstcolony.Trading
postsforwidelyspreadfarms
havebecomecitiesandtowns.
Quebec
City,theoldest
national
capital
northof the
Rio Grande,was foundedin 1608 when Champlain
brought
tilefirstcolonists
fromFrance.
Knights
of theswordandcrossmadeit theirheadquarters
whentheysetoutto conquer
thisvastland
forkingandchurch.
Furtraders
centred
theirbusiness
here.Herewerefoughtmanybattles,
notably
theone
whichsaw tiledeathof the opposing
generals,
now
commemorated
on the heightsby one obeliskbearing
thisinscription:
"Valorgavethema commondeath,
historya commonfame, and posteritya common
monument."
Today,the cityis an administrative,
educational
andreligious
centre.
Some eightymilesupstreamis Trois-Rivi6res,
foundedin 1634,an important
tradingcentrefrom
whichsetout the La V~rendryes
who werethe first
explorers
to reachthesiteof Winnipeg
andtheBlack
Hillsof Wyoming.
It is oneof thehalfdozenlargest
portsin Canada,
tilechiefnewsprint-producing
centre
in theworld,witha population
of 55,000.
The Islandof Montreal,
164 milesaboveQuebec,
to its own
wasvisited
by Jacques
Cartier,
theBreton
seacaptain, old France,and turnedincreasingly
resources
anddevelopment.
Thepeopleretained
their
in 1535.Thefirstsettlers
disembarked
in May1642,
tradition
of lawandcharity,
andtheydidnotforget
numbering among them two courageous women,
thattheywerethe descendants
of one of the most
JeanneManceand Mme.de la Peltrie,the firstof
cultured
countries
theworldhaseverknown,butthe
whomestablished
a hospital.
At theendof the1660’s
clearairandthewidespaces
of thislandgavethema
thepopulation
hadreached600.
dynamic
force
that
made
them
distinctive.
The geographical
situationof Montrealat the
There
have
been
ups
and
downs
politically,
firstas
junction
of the St. Lawrence,
Ottawaand Richelieu
thedebrisof war wasclearedawayand thenas the
rivers
gaveitsignificance
ina timewhenalltraffic
was
foundations
of economic
andsocial
lifewerelaid.The
by water.
Todayit is themaineconomic
centre,
witha
colonystruggled
alongunderprovisional
government,
population
of 2,000,000
in the metropolitan
area,
legislative
unionof Upperand
representing
tenpercentof theCanadian
population. popularassemblies,
LowerCanada,responsible
government,
and finally
But Montrealis noteworthyfor more than its
reached
a
meeting
of
minds
in
a
conference
in Quebec
economic
activity.
It is thelargest
French-speaking
City
in
1864
at
which
final
resolutions
recommending
cityin the worldexceptParis.It is,of allNorth
unionweredrafted
andadopted.
American
cities,
thecityof debate
inwhichdifferently a federal
The federalsystemof government
demanded
a comtrained
mindsexpress
themselves
without
inhibition
promise
between
twosetsof political
forces:
centralion allmatters
of interest
socially,
politically
and
zationof powerand provincial
autonomy.
The Canaeconomically.
dianplan,inviewof itsspecial
circumstances,
differed
Astotheriveritself,
itlosesnoneofitsimportance fromtheUnited
States
federal
plan.Whereas
thelatter
at Montreal,
whereit hasalready
floweda thousand leftresidual
powersto thestates,
theCanadian
plan
milesfromtheheadof thelakesandhasa thousand allotted
specific
areas
of
power
to
the
provinces
and
milesto rollalongbefore
reaching
theAtlantic
Ocean.
gaveresidual
powersto thecentralgovernment.
As
Inthisjourney
theriver
falls
580feet.
A small
canal
an outcome,
federalpowerin Canadahas decreased,
wasbuiltat Lachine
in 1700to eliminate
theportage whilein theUnitedStatesit hasbecomeverygreat.
aroundtherapids,
andby 1850vessels
up to 140feet
Thespecial
minority
position
of Quebecwasrecoglongandninefeetin draught
couldmakethepassage nizedby writing
intothe British
NorthAmerica
Act
fromMontreal
to LakeErie.Today,theSt.Lawrence certain
irreducible
obligations
to theFrench-speaking
Seaway,openedin the springof 1959,providesa
province.
Itretained
itscivil
law,itsreligious
liberty,
channel
27 feetin depthfromtheAtlantic
Oceanto
equality
of itslanguage
in theParliament
of Canada,
Duluth,Minnesota,
at the headof the GreatLakes.
in theLegislature
ofQuebec,
andin thecourts
of the
The upperSt. Lawrenceand the lakesare opento
Dominion
andQuebecprovince,
andjurisdiction
over
eighty
percentof theworld’s
salt-water
fleets.
its owneducation
system.
Thisarrangement
was not,
The impactof this seawayon Quebecportshas
inthemindsof theFrench
Canadians,
simply
a federal
beengreat.In 1964therewere21 portsin Canada
union,
buta pactor treatyguaranteeing
to eachgroup
handling
morethantwomilliontonsof foreignand
therightto itsownfaith,
language,
lawsandcustoms.
coastwise
cargo.Of these,eightwerein theProvince
Underthecircumstances
prevailing
sincetherevolt
of Quebec,
handling
44 percentof thetotaltonnage. of theAmerican
colonies,
continued
partnership
with
English-speaking
Canadais the only guaranteea
FrenchCanadianhas of beingableto maintainhis
Explorationand development
cultural
identity.
"Butby thesametoken,"saidan
Allof thisdevelopment
beganwhenCartier
sailed
article
in theManchester
Guardian,
"English-speaking
up thegreatriverin searchof thePacific.
He was
CanadaneedstheFrench,
or it,too,outnumbered
and
followedby Champlain,who, whetherhe fought,
undistinguished
by a separatelanguage,
mightbe
explored,
or colonized
-- andhe didallthreewell-submerged
by theSouthern
giant."
didso as a crusader.
Champlain
wasthetruefather
of
Canada.
Naturalresources
TherewereperiodswhenbothFranceand Britain
doubted
thevalueof thisnewland.It wasarguedin
It is partoftheQuebec
legend
thatitspeople
disthe EnglishParliament
thatCanadawas not worth
played
fromthefirstspectacular
anddominant
genius
her upkeep,and Voltairegavea sumptuous
banquet
for agricultural
pioneering.
The farmerwhoowneda
at hishomein Paristo celebrate
the take-over
by
smallfarmandworkedit withtheaidof hisfamily,
wastheincarnation
of thesimple,
honest,
independent,
Britain
of thetroublesome
dependency.
healthy,happyhumanbeing.The ambitionof the
WhenCanadawas cededin 1763,Francewashedits
Quebecfarmerwasto see his sonson reaching
manhandsof the "few arpentsof snow".Most of the
hood
established
with
their
families
on
farms
clustered
military,
the aristocracy
andthe bureaucrats
went
abouthis own.
back to France,leavingthe Canadianpeopleto
develop
a personality
of theirown.AftertheFrench
The time came,however,when the hardworking
Revolution,
Quebechad lessand lesssympathy
with
farmerneededcashcropsto buy the appliances
and
comfortsof lifewhichbecameavailable
with the
development
of industry.
Theself-sufficiency
forced
upon him by lack of transportation
and markets
becameunnecessary
in an ageof railways
androads.
Thesealsoluredhissonsto thetinsel
andglamour
of townsandcities.
In 1941theruralpopulation
of
Quebec
was36.7percent;in 1961it hadfallen
to 24.8
percent.Theagricultural
labourforcewas12.5per
centin 1956;in 1965it wasonly6 percent.
To maintain
agriculture
as a goingconcernin the
socialand economic
structure
of theprovince,
the
governmentis working toward improvementof
production
and marketing
throughthe provision
of
farmcredit,
assistance
to farmers
in organizing
the
collective
commercialization
of theirproducts,
the
improvement
of education,
andthe encouragement
of
agricultural
research.
Subsidies
areprovided
tosettlers
and farmersin handicappedruralareasfor the
construction
of buildings,
theacquiring
of stock,
land
clearing
anddevelopment,
andthe transportation
of
produceto market.
TheGasp6Peninsula
is the homeof thecommercial
fishermenof Quebec.The governmentoperatesa
network
of sixtycoldstorage
plants
forthefreezing
andpreservation
of fish,witha dailyfreezing
capacity
of 500tonsanda storage
capacity
of25 million
pounds.
In addition,
the government
ownsand maintains
123
stations
in smallfishing
portswherefishiskeptunder
properconditions
whileawaiting
transportation,
and
it operates
anartificial
drying
plantwitha capacity
of threemillion
pounds
of fishannually.
1887 the city of Quebecwas beingsuppliedwith
hydro-electric
power,by the end of 1900the power
stationsin Quebecprovincewere developing
half
Canada’stotal,and since1926this provincehas
remained
constantly
in thelead.
Quebecpossesses
nearlya thirdof thehydraulic
resources
of Canada.Installed
turbinecapacity
is
about47 per centof the country’s
total.Today’s
interest
of powerengineers
is centred
uponthehuge
Manicouagan-Outardes
hydro complexnow under
construction.
It willharnesstworiversto provide
aboutsixmillion
kw.of hydrocapacity.
Industry
Quebec
wasbornin thecountry,
butit is movingto
thecity.Until1914agriculture
provided
65 percent
of theprovincial
product,
forestry
25 percent,and
manufacturing
lessthanfivepercent;in 1965there
weremore than12,000industries,
employingsome
475,000
persons,
accounting
formorethanseventy
per
centof thegrossvalueof Quebec’s
totalproduction.
Discoveryof enormousmineralwealthand the
development
of hydro-electric
energycontributed
to
thefactthatbetween1939and 1950theincrease
in
industrial
activity
in Quebecwas tentimesgreater
thanin thewholeof theprevious
century.
New capitalhas beenbroughtin, new industries
havebeen attracted,
secondaryindustryhas been
expanded.Justbeforethe SecondWorldWar total
production
amounted
to only$1,500million;
in 1965
the totalvalueof production
of goodsin Quebec
Quebechasextremely
valuable
timberresources,
the
amounted
to $14,013million.
biggestin Canada.Forestcovers242millionacres,
Themostimportant
of theprocessing
industries
in
of which141millionareproductive
and 86 million
termsof grossdollarvaluearepulpandpaper,nonacresarebeingdeveloped.
ferrous
metals,
petroleum
andmeat-packing.
Thepulp
Minerals
havea highplace
in theroster
ofresources, and paperindustry
is Quebec’s
majormanufacturing
although
intensive
prospecting
didnotstartuntilthe
industry.
Shipments
haverepresented
morethaneight
mid-19th
century.
As lateas 1900thevalueof mineral per centof totalCanadianshipments.
Abundance
of
production
wasonly$1,670,000;
in 1965it was$705
powerhasledto theestablishment
of a greataluminum
million,
equalto 19 percentof theCanadian
total.
plantat Arvida,basedon bauxiteimportedby ship
up theRiverSaguenay.
Thebiggest
deposits
’ofasbestos
in theworldarein
Quebec,
andoutputrunsat about$120million
a year.
The gold-copper
mine at Norandaopenedin 1911.
Developing
the economy
Mostsensational,
however,
wasthediscovery
in 1937
To attainthedesired
highlevelof livingrequires
of massive
deposits
of ironandtitanium
in Northern
prompt
and
vigorous
attention
to building
andsusQuebec.Estimates
run allthe way from400million
taining
the
economy.
tonsof ironoreto 20,000million
tons.Thedeposits
werebroughtintoproduction
in 1954following
the
A few yearsago Quebecpassedfrom the era of
building
of a 360-mile
railway
fromtheSt.Lawrence manifestosinto one of blueprints.An Economic
River
atSeptilesto Schefferville.
AdvisoryCouncilwas set up to preparea six-year
planof regional
development
to extendfrom1965to
Waterpowerhasbeenimportant
in Quebecsincethe
1970,makingthemostcomplete
useof material
and
earliest
days.ThefirstplantinNorthAmerica
to use
humanresources.
wateras a source
of powerwasa millbuiltin 1691at
PetitPr6,nearQuebec,andin 1861therewere344
In 1966thegovernment
announced
itsintention
to
millsusingwateras a sourceof power.A new era
divide
theprovince
intotenregions
and25sub-regions.
dawnedfollowing
the discovery
of electro-magnetic Thesenewdistricts
willcreate
polesof growtharound
whichregional
economic
development
willbe centred.
inductionand the development
of the dynamo.By
Man-powerin the provincehas increasedfrom
1,591,000
in 1955to 2,019,000
in 1965,andaverage
weeklywageshaverisenfrom$58.62to $88.71.
It isevident
fromallthisthatthefundamental
fact
aboutQuebectodayis thatit is in transition.
The
SecondWorldWar broughtthe fullimpactof the
industrial
revolution
to a regionwhichhad long
escapedthatprofoundly
disturbing
socialprocess.
Sincethenan ardentrealism
hasgrownin theminds
of youngpeoplealongtheSt.Lawrence
River.As the
Mayorof Montrealtold a CanadianClub meeting:
"The youngergenerationwants to prove by new
departures
and successthatbeingFrenchdoesnot
consist
onlyin a collection
of movingtraditions
and
touching
folklore
songs,
butthatit maybe translated
intoa sequenceof undertakings
and of rewarding
successes,
adapted
to twentieth
century
mentality
in
thefield
ofideasandthatofworks."
Culture
Thefactthattherearetwocultural
groups
in Canada
is an element
of distinction.
Thepresence
of French
culturegivesCanadaindividuality.
It helpsto set
Canadaapartfromtheall-pervasive
American
civilization.
No one shouldthinkof Frenchand Englishas
foreign
languages,
butas Canadian
languages.
FrenchCanadian
culture
is notjustthespokenlanguage;
it
is alsotheover-all
mentality
andthebehaviour
of a
wholegroup."Culture"--or
"intellectual
personality"-is madeup of manythings:
religion,
politics,
education,
tradition,
memories
andaspirations.
The
French-Canadian
culturehas expanded
sharplyso as
to recognize
andacceptindustrialization
as partof
today’scivilization.
The ecumenical
movementhas
animated
the churches
witha breathof brotherhood
and understanding.
Educationhas broadenedthe
horizonandhas madeQuebecpartof the world.
In commonwithotherunder-industrialized
countries,Quebechasmarkedrecentyearsby intensified
action
in support
of thepublicschools
systemandin
thecreation
of specialized
institutions
to meetthe
constantly
changing
needsof society.By the mid1960’sQuebechadsome6,000elementary
andsecondary schoolswithabout1,500,000
pupils;six universities;
15 schoolsof agriculture;
65 technical
schools;
aboutfortyschools
of household
education,
anda numberof schools
forthegraphic
arts,applied
arts,textiles,
papermakingandmechanics.
Theuniversities,
alwayshighlyregarded,
arealso
on the march.TheUniversity
of Montreal
has oneof
Canada’s
largest
computer
centres
anditsInstitute
of
Experimental
Medicineand Surgeryhas achieved
international
repute.McGillUniversity
has become
one of the leading
educational
centres
of aerospace
research,
andits Neurological
Institute
andAllan
Memorial
Institute
of Psychiatry
haveestablished
themselves
as worldleaders
intheirfields.
Authorized
as second
classmailbythePostOffice
Department,
Ottawa,
andforpayment
forpostage
in cash.
4
Artsandcrafts
By theseventeenth
century
anartistic
tradition
was
firmlyplantedon Canadiansoil,and a remarkable
growthandflowering
tookplaceduringthenexttwo
hundred
years.It embraced
painting,
decorative
arts,
silver-work,
architecture,
anda brilliant
schoolof
woodsculpture.
It wasnot a palecopyof whatwas
being done in Europe,but a uniquelyCanadian
artistic
expression,
moulded
byclimate,
thelifeofthe
people,
anda genuine
feeling
forbeauty.
As earlyas 1668Laval,thefirstbishopof Quebec,
established
a school
ofartsandcrafts
at St.Joachim.
Today,the FrenchCanadians
are eminentin music,
literature,
sculpture,
drama,
painting,
andballet,
and
theyareprogressing
underguidance
of theDepartment
of Cultural
Affairs,
established
in 1961.
A comprehensive
r6sum6of thecultivation
of the
artsand craftsis givenin The Artsin Canada,an
illustrated
bookavailable
fromtheQueen’s
Printer,
Ottawa(120pages,$1.50).
Quebecis on the march
Lifein Quebecin thesixties
hasa newroundness,
threedimensions,
instead
of thephotographic
flatness
seenby observers
up untila fewyearsago.Nothing
is
static,
butmoving.
Hereis a placewherethreedistinct
populations,
French-Canadian,
British,
andcontinental
European,
minglein American-type
surroundings.
From theirfarm homes,suburbanbungalowsand
apartment
windowstheylookbackoversix thousand
yearsofcivilization,
fourhundred
ofthemparticipated
in by Canada,a hundredof themmarkedby a united
Canada.
Therehavebeendifferences
of opinion
aboutthis
and that,but evenour greatestclasheshavebeen
ladylike
compared
withthoseof manyothernations.
Now Quebecis movingintothe secondcenturyof
Confederation
withconfidence,
exulting
in theprogress
she has made in coping with changing world
conditions.
Quebec,
likealltherestofCanada,
willbenefit
from
therenewal
of thedemocratic
spirit
evident
in centres
allacross
thecountry.
It is basedon respect
forthe
rightsof thehumanperson,
onthetolerance
necessary
foranydialogue
between
men,andon theconcern
for
the commongood whichpromptedthe provincesto
gettogether
in 1867.
As the QuebecRoyal Commissionof Inquiryon
Education
saidin itsreport:
"Theresponsibility
ofthe
democratic
Stateconsists
in allowing
diversity
while
avoiding
chaos,
inrespecting
allrights
whilepreventing
abuses,
in guaranteeing
freedom
withintheboundaries
of the commongood."
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