René Lévesque
Encyclopedia
René Lévesque was a reporter, a minister of the government of Quebec
, (1960–1966), the founder of the Parti Québécois
political party and the 23rd Premier of Quebec
(November 25, 1976 – October 3, 1985). He was the first Quebec
political leader since Confederation
to attempt, through a referendum, to negotiate political separation for Quebec.
and raised 133 km away in New Carlisle, Quebec
, in the Gaspé peninsula
, by his parents, Diane (née Dionne) and Dominic Lévesque, a lawyer. Lévesque attended the Séminaire de Gaspé and the Saint-Charles-Garnier College in Quebec City
, both of which were run by the Jesuit
s. He studied for a law degree at Université Laval
in Quebec City, but left the university in 1943 without having completed the degree.
during 1941 and 1942, and then at CBV
in Quebec City.
During 1944–1945, he served as a liaison officer and war correspondent for the U.S. Army in Europe. He reported from London
while it was under regular bombardment by the Luftwaffe
, and advanced with the Allied troops as they pushed back the German army through France
and Germany
. Through the war, he made regular journalistic reports on the airwaves and in print. He was with the first unit of Americans to reach Dachau concentration camp, and was profoundly moved by what he witnessed.
In 1947, he married Louise L'Heureux, with whom he would have two sons and a daughter. Lévesque worked as a reporter for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
's French Language section in the international service. He again served as a war correspondent for CBC in the Korean War
in 1952. After that, he was offered a career in journalism in the United States, but decided to stay in Quebec.
From 1956 to 1959, Lévesque became famous in Quebec for hosting a weekly television news program at the Radio-Canada (the French-language counterpart of the CBC) called Point de Mire
.
Lévesque covered international events and major labour struggles between workers and corporations that dogged the Union Nationale government of premier Maurice Duplessis
culminating with a massive strike in 1957 at the Gaspé Copper Mine in Murdochville
. The Murdochville strike was a milestone for organized labour in Quebec as it resulted in changes to the province's labour laws.
While working for the public television network, he became personally involved in the broadcaster's strike
which lasted 68 tumultuous days beginning in late 1958. Lévesque was actually arrested during a demonstration in 1959, along with union leader Jean Marchand
and 24 other demonstrators.
in the 1960 election
as a Liberal Party
member in the riding
of Montreal-Laurier
. In the government of Jean Lesage
, he served as Minister of Hydroelectric Resources and Public Works from 1960 to 1961, and Minister of Natural Resources from 1961 to 1965. While in office, he played an important role in the nationalisation of hydroelectric
companies, greatly expanding Hydro-Québec
, one of the reforms that was part of the Quiet Revolution
.
From 1965 to 1966 he served as Minister of Family and Welfare. The Liberals lost the 1966 election
to the Union Nationale but Lévesque retained his own seat.
Quebec during its convention. He remained as the independent representative of the Montreal-Laurier riding until the 1970 election
. After leaving the Liberal Party, he founded the Mouvement Souveraineté-Association
, which later merged with another sovereigntist party, the Ralliement National
of Gilles Grégoire
, to create the Parti Québécois
in 1968. He remained leader of the Parti Québécois from 1968 until his resignation in 1985.
After failing to win a seat in his riding in the 1970 election
and the 1973 election
, he and his party swept the 1976 election
. Lévesque won his own seat in the riding of Taillon
. His party assumed power with 41.1 per cent of the popular vote and 71 seats out of 110; René Lévesque became Premier of Quebec 10 days later.
The night of Lévesque's acceptance speech included one of his most famous quotations: "I never thought that I could be so proud to be Québécois."
On February 6, 1977, Lévesque's car fatally struck Edgar Trottier, a drunk homeless man who had been lying on the road. Police officers at the scene did not administer the breathalyzer test to Levesque, because they did not suspect that he was impaired. However, Levesque was later fined $25 for failing to wear his glasses while driving a car on the night in question. He immediately paid the fine. The incident gained extra notoriety when it was revealed that the female companion in the vehicle was not his wife, but a secretary named Corinne Côté. Lévesque’s marriage ended in divorce soon thereafter (the couple had already been estranged for some time), and in April 1979, he married Côté.
Lévesque's Act to govern the financing of political parties banned corporate donations and limited individual contributions to political parties to $3,000. This key legislation was meant to prevent wealthy citizens and organizations from having a disproportionate influence on the electoral process. A Referendum Act was passed to allow for a province-wide vote on issues presented in a referendum
.
His Parti Québécois government also passed the Quebec Charter of the French Language (also known as "Bill 101"), whose goal was (and still is) to make French "the normal and everyday language of work, instruction, communication, commerce and business." In its first enactment, it reserved access to English-language public schools to children whose parents had attended English school in Quebec. All other children were required to attend French schools in order to encourage immigrants to integrate themselves into the majority French culture (Lévesque was more moderate on language than some of the PQ, including language minister, Camille Laurin
. He would have resigned as leader rather than eliminate English public schools, as party extremists proposed).
Bill 101 also made it illegal for businesses to put up exterior commercial signs in a language other than French (unless the sign also contained a "larger" French translation) at a time when English dominated as a commercial and business language in Quebec (while more than 80% of the population was of French origin).
On May 20, 1980, the PQ held, as promised before the elections, the 1980 Quebec referendum
on its sovereignty-association plan. The result of the vote was 40% in favour and 60% opposed (with 86% turnout). Lévesque conceded defeat in the referendum, but his concession speech called upon sovereigntists to persevere À la prochaine fois! (until next time).
Lévesque led the PQ to victory in the 1981 election
, increasing the party's majority in the National Assembly of Quebec
and increasing its share of the popular vote from 41.1 to 49 per cent.
A major focus of his second mandate was the patriation of the Canadian constitution. Lévesque was criticized by some in Quebec who said he had been tricked by Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
and the English-Canadian provincial premiers. To this day, no Quebec premier of any political side has endorsed the 1982 constitutional amendment.
The PQ government's response to the recession of the early 1980s angered labour union members, a core part of the constituency of the PQ and the sovereignty movement.
A split within the party over how much emphasis to put on sovereignty
in the next election led to Lévesque's resignation as leader of the Parti Québécois on June 20, 1985, and as premier of Quebec on October 3. Lévesque had argued that the party should not make sovereignty the object of the election, which angered the strongest supporters of sovereignty within the party.
Lévesque, a constant smoker, was in his apartment on November 1, 1987 when he experienced chest pains; he died of a myocardial infarction
that day at a hospital. A brief resurgence of separatist sentiment followed. Over 100,000 viewed his body lying in state in Montreal and Quebec City, over 10,000 went to his funeral in the latter city, and hundreds wept daily at his grave for months.
Lévesque was a recipient of the title Grand Officer of the French
Legion of Honour
. He was posthumously made a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec
in 2008.
His state funeral and funeral procession was reportedly attended by 100,000 Québécois. During the carrying out of his coffin from the church, the crowd spontaneously began to applaud and sing Quebec's unofficial national anthem "Gens du pays
", replacing the first verse with Mon cher René (My dear René), as is the custom when this song is adapted to celebrate one person. Two major boulevards now bear his name, one
in Montreal
and one in Quebec City. In Montreal, Édifice Hydro-Québec and Maison Radio-Canada
are both located on René Lévesque Boulevard, fittingly as Lévesque once worked for Hydro-Québec and the CBC, respectively. On June 22, 2010, Hydro-Québec
and the government of Quebec commemorated Lévesque's role in Quebec's Quiet Revolution
and his tenure as premier by renaming the 1244-megawatt Manic-3 generating station in his honour.
On June 3, 1999, a monument in his honour was unveiled on boulevard René-Lévesque outside the Parliament Building (Quebec) in Quebec City. The statue
is popular with tourists, who snuggle up to it, to have their pictures taken "avec René" (with René), despite repeated attempts by officials to keep people from touching the monument or getting too close to it. The statue had been the source of an improvised, comical and affectionately touching tribute to Lévesque. The fingers of his extended right hand are slightly parted, just enough so that tourists and the faithful could insert a cigarette, giving the statue an unusually realistic appearance.
This practice is less often seen now, however, as the statue was moved to New Carlisle and replaced by a similar, but bigger one. This change resulted from considerable controversy. Some believed that the life-sized statue was not appropriate for conveying his importance in the history of Quebec
. Others noted that a trademark of Lévesque was his relatively small stature.
Lévesque today remains an important figure of the Quebec nationalist movement
, and is considered sovereigntism's spiritual father. After his passing, even people in disagreement with some of those convictions now generally recognise his importance to the history of Quebec. Many in Quebec regard him as the father of the modern Quebec nation
. According to a study made in 2006 by Le Journal de Montréal
and Léger Marketing
, René Lévesque was considered by far, according to Québécois, the best premier to run the province over the last 50 years.
Of the things he left as his legacy, some of the most memorable and still robust are completing the nationalization of hydroelectricity
through Hydro-Québec
, the Quebec Charter of the French Language, the political party financing law, and the Parti Québécois itself. His government was the first in Canada to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the province's Charte des droits de la personne in 1977. He also continued the work of the Lesage
government in improving social services, in which social needs were taken care of by the state, instead of the Catholic Church (as in the Duplessis
era) or the individual. Lévesque is still regarded by many as a symbol of democracy and tolerance.
at their first meeting. He was also a proud Gaspésien (from the Gaspé peninsula), and had hints of the local accent.
Considered a major defender of Québécois, Lévesque was, before the 1960s, more interested by international affairs than Quebec matters
. The popular image of Lévesque was his ever-present cigarette and his small physical stature, as well as by his unique comb over
that earned him the nickname of Ti-Poil, literally, "Lil' Hair", but more accurately translated as "Baldy". Lévesque was a passionate and emotional public speaker. Those close to Lévesque have described him as having difficulty expressing his emotions in private, saying that he was more comfortable in front of a crowd of thousands than with one person.
While many Quebec intellectuals are inspired by the French
philosophy and high culture, Lévesque favoured the United States of America
. While in London during the Second World War, his admiration for Britons grew when he saw as their admirable courage in the face of the German bombardments. He was a faithful reader of the New York Times, and took his vacations in New England
every year. He has also stated that, if there had to be one role model for him, it would be U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Lévesque was disappointed with the cold response by the American economic elite to his first speech in New York City
as Premier of Quebec
, in which he compared Quebec's march towards sovereignty to the American Revolution
. His first speech in France was, however, more successful, leading him to a better appreciation of the French intelligentsia
and of French culture
.
, was aired on the CBC. He was also portrayed in an episode of Kevin Spencer
, a Canadian cartoon show. In it, his ghost attempted a camaraderie with Kevin because of their similarities in political beliefs, as well as the fact that the title character, like René's ghost, claims to smoke "five packs a day".
A song by Les Cowboys Fringants
named Lettre à Lévesque on the album La Grand-Messe was dedicated to him. They have also mentioned the street bearing his name in the song called La Manifestation.
He was the co-subject along with Pierre Trudeau
in the Donald Brittain
-directed documentary mini-series The Champions
.
Government of Quebec
The Government of Quebec refers to the provincial government of the province of Quebec. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
, (1960–1966), the founder of the Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
political party and the 23rd Premier of Quebec
Premier of Quebec
The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
(November 25, 1976 – October 3, 1985). He was the first Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
political leader since Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
to attempt, through a referendum, to negotiate political separation for Quebec.
Early life
The oldest of four children, Lévesque was born in the Hotel Dieu Hospital in Campbellton, New BrunswickCampbellton, New Brunswick
Campbellton is a Canadian city in Restigouche County, New Brunswick.Situated on the south bank of the Restigouche River opposite Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec, Campbellton was officially incorporated in 1889 and achieved city status in 1958.Forestry and tourism are major industries in the regional...
and raised 133 km away in New Carlisle, Quebec
New Carlisle, Quebec
New Carlisle, Quebec is a small town in the Gaspé region of Quebec, best known as the boyhood home of René Lévesque; although he was born at Campbellton, New Brunswick. The population is approximately 1430, half English-speaking and half French-speaking...
, in the Gaspé peninsula
Gaspé Peninsula
The Gaspésie , or Gaspé Peninsula or the Gaspé, is a peninsula along the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, extending into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
, by his parents, Diane (née Dionne) and Dominic Lévesque, a lawyer. Lévesque attended the Séminaire de Gaspé and the Saint-Charles-Garnier College in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, both of which were run by the Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
s. He studied for a law degree at Université Laval
Université Laval
Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...
in Quebec City, but left the university in 1943 without having completed the degree.
War correspondent
He worked as an announcer and news writer at the radio station CHNC in New Carlisle, as a substitute announcer for CHRCCHRC (AM)
CHRC is a French language Canadian radio station located in Quebec City, Quebec. Known as Québec 800, the station has a news/talk/sports format....
during 1941 and 1942, and then at CBV
CBV-FM
CBV-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts the programming of Radio-Canada's Première Chaîne network in Quebec City. The station broadcasts at 106.3 FM from Mount Bélair....
in Quebec City.
During 1944–1945, he served as a liaison officer and war correspondent for the U.S. Army in Europe. He reported from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
while it was under regular bombardment by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
, and advanced with the Allied troops as they pushed back the German army through France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Through the war, he made regular journalistic reports on the airwaves and in print. He was with the first unit of Americans to reach Dachau concentration camp, and was profoundly moved by what he witnessed.
In 1947, he married Louise L'Heureux, with whom he would have two sons and a daughter. Lévesque worked as a reporter for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
's French Language section in the international service. He again served as a war correspondent for CBC in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in 1952. After that, he was offered a career in journalism in the United States, but decided to stay in Quebec.
Public figure
Point de mire
Point de mire was a popular Quebec information show on Radio-Canada that aired from 1956 to 1959. The television show is famous for being hosted by a future cabinet minister and Premier of Quebec, René Lévesque....
.
Lévesque covered international events and major labour struggles between workers and corporations that dogged the Union Nationale government of premier Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis served as the 16th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from 1936 to 1939 and 1944 to 1959. A founder and leader of the highly conservative Union Nationale party, he rose to power after exposing the misconduct and patronage of Liberal Premier Louis-Alexandre...
culminating with a massive strike in 1957 at the Gaspé Copper Mine in Murdochville
Murdochville, Quebec
Murdochville is a small mining community located in Quebec, Canada. Its population is 812.The mining operation in the town was comparatively large, starting with mining the raw ore and finishing with an end product of pure copper anode. In the 1970s, the mining operation in Murdochville was large...
. The Murdochville strike was a milestone for organized labour in Quebec as it resulted in changes to the province's labour laws.
While working for the public television network, he became personally involved in the broadcaster's strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
which lasted 68 tumultuous days beginning in late 1958. Lévesque was actually arrested during a demonstration in 1959, along with union leader Jean Marchand
Jean Marchand
Jean Marchand, PC, CC was a well known French Canadian public figure, trade unionist and politician in Quebec, Canada....
and 24 other demonstrators.
Involvement in politics
In 1960, Lévesque entered politics and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of QuebecLegislative Assembly of Quebec
The Legislative Assembly of Quebec was the name of the lower house of Quebec's legislature until 1968, when it was renamed the National Assembly of Quebec. At the same time, the upper house of the legislature, the Legislative Council, was abolished...
in the 1960 election
Quebec general election, 1960
The Quebec general election of 1960 was held on June 22, 1960 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, Canada. It was one of the most significant elections in Quebec history, rivalled perhaps only by the 1976 general election...
as a Liberal Party
Parti libéral du Québec
The Quebec Liberal Party is a centre-right political party in Quebec. It has been independent of the federal Liberal Party of Canada since 1955....
member in the riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Montreal-Laurier
Laurier (provincial electoral district)
Laurier was a provincial electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada. Located in the Montreal region, it formed in 1966 from parts of Montreal-Laurier. In 1994, it became part of the new riding of Laurier-Dorion following a merger with the defunct riding of Dorion...
. In the government of Jean Lesage
Jean Lesage
Jean Lesage, PC, CC, CD was a lawyer and politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 19th Premier of Quebec from 22 June 1960, to 16 August 1966...
, he served as Minister of Hydroelectric Resources and Public Works from 1960 to 1961, and Minister of Natural Resources from 1961 to 1965. While in office, he played an important role in the nationalisation of hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
companies, greatly expanding Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. Based in Montreal, the company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec....
, one of the reforms that was part of the Quiet Revolution
Quiet Revolution
The Quiet Revolution was the 1960s period of intense change in Quebec, Canada, characterized by the rapid and effective secularization of society, the creation of a welfare state and a re-alignment of politics into federalist and separatist factions...
.
From 1965 to 1966 he served as Minister of Family and Welfare. The Liberals lost the 1966 election
Quebec general election, 1966
The Quebec general election of 1966 was held on June 5, 1966, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The Union Nationale , led by Daniel Johnson, Sr, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Lesage....
to the Union Nationale but Lévesque retained his own seat.
Parti Québécois leader
On October 14, 1967, Lévesque left the Liberal Party after its members refused to discuss the idea of a sovereignSovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
Quebec during its convention. He remained as the independent representative of the Montreal-Laurier riding until the 1970 election
Quebec general election, 1970
The Quebec general election of 1970 was held on April 29, 1970 to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The former Legislative Assembly had been renamed the "National Assembly" in 1968...
. After leaving the Liberal Party, he founded the Mouvement Souveraineté-Association
Mouvement Souveraineté-Association
The Mouvement Souveraineté-Association was formed on November 19, 1967 by René Lévesque to promote the concept of sovereignty-association between Quebec and the rest of Canada....
, which later merged with another sovereigntist party, the Ralliement National
Ralliement national
Ralliement national was a political party that advocated the political independence of Quebec from Canada in the 1960s.It was led by former créditiste Gilles Grégoire...
of Gilles Grégoire
Gilles Grégoire
Gilles Grégoire was a co-founder of the Parti Québécois.Born in Quebec City, the son of Joseph-Ernest Grégoire, he was elected in 1962 to the House of Commons with the Ralliement des créditistes...
, to create the Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
in 1968. He remained leader of the Parti Québécois from 1968 until his resignation in 1985.
After failing to win a seat in his riding in the 1970 election
Quebec general election, 1970
The Quebec general election of 1970 was held on April 29, 1970 to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The former Legislative Assembly had been renamed the "National Assembly" in 1968...
and the 1973 election
Quebec general election, 1973
The Quebec general election of 1973 was held on October 29, 1973 to elect members to National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Robert Bourassa, won re-election, defeating the Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, and the Union Nationale .The Liberals won a...
, he and his party swept the 1976 election
Quebec general election, 1976
The Quebec general election of 1976 was held on November 15, 1976 to elect members to National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. It was one of the most significant elections in Quebec history, rivalled only by the 1960 general election, and caused major repercussions in the rest of Canada...
. Lévesque won his own seat in the riding of Taillon
Taillon
Taillon is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The district is located in Longueuil and in the 1995 Quebec referendum it voted 61% for Quebec to separate...
. His party assumed power with 41.1 per cent of the popular vote and 71 seats out of 110; René Lévesque became Premier of Quebec 10 days later.
The night of Lévesque's acceptance speech included one of his most famous quotations: "I never thought that I could be so proud to be Québécois."
Lévesque's Act to govern the financing of political parties banned corporate donations and limited individual contributions to political parties to $3,000. This key legislation was meant to prevent wealthy citizens and organizations from having a disproportionate influence on the electoral process. A Referendum Act was passed to allow for a province-wide vote on issues presented in a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
.
His Parti Québécois government also passed the Quebec Charter of the French Language (also known as "Bill 101"), whose goal was (and still is) to make French "the normal and everyday language of work, instruction, communication, commerce and business." In its first enactment, it reserved access to English-language public schools to children whose parents had attended English school in Quebec. All other children were required to attend French schools in order to encourage immigrants to integrate themselves into the majority French culture (Lévesque was more moderate on language than some of the PQ, including language minister, Camille Laurin
Camille Laurin
Camille Laurin was a psychiatrist and Parti Québécois politician in the province of Quebec, Canada. MNA member for the riding of Bourget, he is considered the father of Quebec's language law known informally as "Bill 101".-Biography:Born in Charlemagne, Quebec, Laurin obtained a degree in...
. He would have resigned as leader rather than eliminate English public schools, as party extremists proposed).
Bill 101 also made it illegal for businesses to put up exterior commercial signs in a language other than French (unless the sign also contained a "larger" French translation) at a time when English dominated as a commercial and business language in Quebec (while more than 80% of the population was of French origin).
On May 20, 1980, the PQ held, as promised before the elections, the 1980 Quebec referendum
1980 Quebec referendum
The 1980 Quebec referendum was the first referendum in Quebec on the place of Quebec within Canada and whether Quebec should pursue a path toward sovereignty. The referendum was called by Quebec's Parti Québécois government, which strongly favoured secession from Canada...
on its sovereignty-association plan. The result of the vote was 40% in favour and 60% opposed (with 86% turnout). Lévesque conceded defeat in the referendum, but his concession speech called upon sovereigntists to persevere À la prochaine fois! (until next time).
Lévesque led the PQ to victory in the 1981 election
Quebec general election, 1981
The Quebec general election of 1981 was held on April 13, 1981, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Claude Ryan.The PQ won re-election despite...
, increasing the party's majority in the National Assembly of Quebec
National Assembly of Quebec
The National Assembly of Quebec is the legislative body of the Province of Quebec. The Lieutenant Governor and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other British-style parliamentary systems.The National Assembly was formerly the...
and increasing its share of the popular vote from 41.1 to 49 per cent.
A major focus of his second mandate was the patriation of the Canadian constitution. Lévesque was criticized by some in Quebec who said he had been tricked by Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
and the English-Canadian provincial premiers. To this day, no Quebec premier of any political side has endorsed the 1982 constitutional amendment.
The PQ government's response to the recession of the early 1980s angered labour union members, a core part of the constituency of the PQ and the sovereignty movement.
A split within the party over how much emphasis to put on sovereignty
Beau risque
In Quebec politics, le beau risque is a political catch phrase describing the "risk" the Parti Québécois took in asking Quebecers to support Progressive Conservative Brian Mulroney and accept the Constitution Act, 1982...
in the next election led to Lévesque's resignation as leader of the Parti Québécois on June 20, 1985, and as premier of Quebec on October 3. Lévesque had argued that the party should not make sovereignty the object of the election, which angered the strongest supporters of sovereignty within the party.
Lévesque, a constant smoker, was in his apartment on November 1, 1987 when he experienced chest pains; he died of a myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
that day at a hospital. A brief resurgence of separatist sentiment followed. Over 100,000 viewed his body lying in state in Montreal and Quebec City, over 10,000 went to his funeral in the latter city, and hundreds wept daily at his grave for months.
Lévesque was a recipient of the title Grand Officer of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Legion of Honour
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
. He was posthumously made a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec
National Order of Quebec
The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as l'Ordre national du Québec, and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec...
in 2008.
Legacy
Despite a perceived weakening of his sovereigntist resolve in the last years of his government, he reaffirmed his belief to friends and, notably, to a crowd of Université Laval students months before his passing, of the necessity of independence.His state funeral and funeral procession was reportedly attended by 100,000 Québécois. During the carrying out of his coffin from the church, the crowd spontaneously began to applaud and sing Quebec's unofficial national anthem "Gens du pays
Gens du pays
"Gens du pays" has been called the unofficial national anthem of Quebec. Written by poet, songwriter, and avowed Quebec nationalist Gilles Vigneault , it was first performed by Vigneault on June 24, 1975 during a concert on Montreal's Mount Royal at that year's Fête nationale du Québec ceremony...
", replacing the first verse with Mon cher René (My dear René), as is the custom when this song is adapted to celebrate one person. Two major boulevards now bear his name, one
René Lévesque Boulevard
René Lévesque Boulevard is one of the main streets in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.It is a main east-west thoroughfare passing through the downtown core in the borough of Ville-Marie. The street begins on the west at Atwater Avenue and continues until it merges with Notre Dame Street East just east...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and one in Quebec City. In Montreal, Édifice Hydro-Québec and Maison Radio-Canada
Maison Radio-Canada
Maison Radio-Canada is a skyscraper in Montreal, constructed in 1973 as a home for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's operations in Montreal....
are both located on René Lévesque Boulevard, fittingly as Lévesque once worked for Hydro-Québec and the CBC, respectively. On June 22, 2010, Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. Based in Montreal, the company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec....
and the government of Quebec commemorated Lévesque's role in Quebec's Quiet Revolution
Quiet Revolution
The Quiet Revolution was the 1960s period of intense change in Quebec, Canada, characterized by the rapid and effective secularization of society, the creation of a welfare state and a re-alignment of politics into federalist and separatist factions...
and his tenure as premier by renaming the 1244-megawatt Manic-3 generating station in his honour.
On June 3, 1999, a monument in his honour was unveiled on boulevard René-Lévesque outside the Parliament Building (Quebec) in Quebec City. The statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
is popular with tourists, who snuggle up to it, to have their pictures taken "avec René" (with René), despite repeated attempts by officials to keep people from touching the monument or getting too close to it. The statue had been the source of an improvised, comical and affectionately touching tribute to Lévesque. The fingers of his extended right hand are slightly parted, just enough so that tourists and the faithful could insert a cigarette, giving the statue an unusually realistic appearance.
This practice is less often seen now, however, as the statue was moved to New Carlisle and replaced by a similar, but bigger one. This change resulted from considerable controversy. Some believed that the life-sized statue was not appropriate for conveying his importance in the history of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. Others noted that a trademark of Lévesque was his relatively small stature.
Lévesque today remains an important figure of the Quebec nationalist movement
Quebec nationalism
Quebec nationalism is a nationalist movement in the Canadian province of Quebec .-1534–1774:Canada was first a french colony. Jacques Cartier claimed it for France in 1534, and permanent French settlement began in 1608. It was part of New France, which constituted all French colonies in North America...
, and is considered sovereigntism's spiritual father. After his passing, even people in disagreement with some of those convictions now generally recognise his importance to the history of Quebec. Many in Quebec regard him as the father of the modern Quebec nation
Father of the Nation
Father of the Nation is an honorific title given to a man considered the driving force behind the establishment of their country, state or nation...
. According to a study made in 2006 by Le Journal de Montréal
Le Journal de Montréal
Le Journal de Montréal is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and is the largest-circulation French-language newspaper in North America. Established by Pierre Péladeau in 1964, it is owned by the Sun Media division of Quebecor Media. It is also Canada's largest tabloid...
and Léger Marketing
Léger Marketing
Leger Marketing is the largest solely Canadian owned polling and market research firm in Canada with 650 employees, including 103 professionals. Leger Marketing provides access to Canadian and American markets...
, René Lévesque was considered by far, according to Québécois, the best premier to run the province over the last 50 years.
Of the things he left as his legacy, some of the most memorable and still robust are completing the nationalization of hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
through Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. Based in Montreal, the company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec....
, the Quebec Charter of the French Language, the political party financing law, and the Parti Québécois itself. His government was the first in Canada to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the province's Charte des droits de la personne in 1977. He also continued the work of the Lesage
Jean Lesage
Jean Lesage, PC, CC, CD was a lawyer and politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 19th Premier of Quebec from 22 June 1960, to 16 August 1966...
government in improving social services, in which social needs were taken care of by the state, instead of the Catholic Church (as in the Duplessis
Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis served as the 16th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from 1936 to 1939 and 1944 to 1959. A founder and leader of the highly conservative Union Nationale party, he rose to power after exposing the misconduct and patronage of Liberal Premier Louis-Alexandre...
era) or the individual. Lévesque is still regarded by many as a symbol of democracy and tolerance.
Personality
He was a man capable of great tact and charm, but who could also be abrupt and choleric when defending beliefs, ideals, or morals essential to him, or when lack of respect was perceived, for example, when he was famously snubbed by François MitterrandFrançois Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
at their first meeting. He was also a proud Gaspésien (from the Gaspé peninsula), and had hints of the local accent.
Considered a major defender of Québécois, Lévesque was, before the 1960s, more interested by international affairs than Quebec matters
Politics of Quebec
The politics of Quebec are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces, namely a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The capital of the province is Quebec City, where the Lieutenant Governor, Premier, the legislature, and cabinet reside.The...
. The popular image of Lévesque was his ever-present cigarette and his small physical stature, as well as by his unique comb over
Comb over
A comb over or combover is a hairstyle worn by bald or balding men in which the hair on one side of the head is grown long and then combed over the bald area to minimize the display of baldness. A variation of the comb over where baldness is concealed by long hair combed in three separate...
that earned him the nickname of Ti-Poil, literally, "Lil' Hair", but more accurately translated as "Baldy". Lévesque was a passionate and emotional public speaker. Those close to Lévesque have described him as having difficulty expressing his emotions in private, saying that he was more comfortable in front of a crowd of thousands than with one person.
While many Quebec intellectuals are inspired by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
philosophy and high culture, Lévesque favoured the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. While in London during the Second World War, his admiration for Britons grew when he saw as their admirable courage in the face of the German bombardments. He was a faithful reader of the New York Times, and took his vacations in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
every year. He has also stated that, if there had to be one role model for him, it would be U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Lévesque was disappointed with the cold response by the American economic elite to his first speech in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as Premier of Quebec
Premier of Quebec
The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
, in which he compared Quebec's march towards sovereignty to the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. His first speech in France was, however, more successful, leading him to a better appreciation of the French intelligentsia
Intelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...
and of French culture
Culture of France
The culture of France and of the French people has been shaped by geography, by profound historical events, and by foreign and internal forces and groups. France, and in particular Paris, has played an important role as a center of high culture and of decorative arts since the seventeenth...
.
Lévesque in media
Lévesque was notably portrayed in the television series René Lévesque. In 2006, an additional television miniseries, René LévesqueRené Lévesque (TV miniseries)
René Lévesque was a Canadian television miniseries that aired on CBC Television in 2006. It stars Emmanuel Bilodeau as former-Quebec premier René Lévesque.-Plot and production:...
, was aired on the CBC. He was also portrayed in an episode of Kevin Spencer
Kevin Spencer (TV series)
Kevin Spencer is an animated television series developed by Greg Lawrence, aired in Canada on The Comedy Network and aimed at adult audiences. It takes its name from the main character...
, a Canadian cartoon show. In it, his ghost attempted a camaraderie with Kevin because of their similarities in political beliefs, as well as the fact that the title character, like René's ghost, claims to smoke "five packs a day".
A song by Les Cowboys Fringants
Les Cowboys Fringants
Les Cowboys Fringants are a popular band and cult phenomenon from Quebec, who perform Québécois néo-trad music , the band also draws on Country music. They have gained an international underground following, especially in France, French-speaking Belgium and Switzerland...
named Lettre à Lévesque on the album La Grand-Messe was dedicated to him. They have also mentioned the street bearing his name in the song called La Manifestation.
He was the co-subject along with Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
in the Donald Brittain
Donald Brittain
Donald Brittain, O.C. was a film director and producer with the National Film Board of Canada.Fields of Sacrifice is considered Brittain's first major film as director....
-directed documentary mini-series The Champions
The Champions (documentary miniseries)
The Champions is a three-part Canadian documentary mini-series on lives of Canadian political titans and adversaries Pierre Elliott Trudeau and René Lévesque....
.
See also
- Politics of QuebecPolitics of QuebecThe politics of Quebec are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces, namely a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The capital of the province is Quebec City, where the Lieutenant Governor, Premier, the legislature, and cabinet reside.The...
- List of Quebec premiers
- Quiet RevolutionQuiet RevolutionThe Quiet Revolution was the 1960s period of intense change in Quebec, Canada, characterized by the rapid and effective secularization of society, the creation of a welfare state and a re-alignment of politics into federalist and separatist factions...
- List of Quebec general elections
- List of Gaspésiens
- History of QuebecHistory of QuebecQuebec has played a special role in Canadian history; it is the site where French settlers founded the colony of Canada in the 17th and 18th centuries.-Paleoindian Era :...
- Quebec nationalismQuebec nationalismQuebec nationalism is a nationalist movement in the Canadian province of Quebec .-1534–1774:Canada was first a french colony. Jacques Cartier claimed it for France in 1534, and permanent French settlement began in 1608. It was part of New France, which constituted all French colonies in North America...
- Quebec sovereignty movementQuebec sovereignty movementThe Quebec sovereignty movement refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada...
- SeparatismSeparatismSeparatism is the advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. While it often refers to full political secession, separatist groups may seek nothing more than greater autonomy...
- PatriationPatriationPatriation is a non-legal term used in Canada to describe a process of constitutional change also known as "homecoming" of the constitution. Up until 1982, Canada was governed by a constitution that was a British law and could be changed only by an Act of the British Parliament...
- Politician nicknaming in Quebec
Further reading
- Paulin, Marguerite (2004). René Lévesque: Charismatic Leader, XYZ Publishing, 176 pages ISBN 1894852133 (translated by Jonathan Kaplansky)
- Fennario, David (2003). The Death of René Lévesque, Talonbooks, March 10, 72 pages ISBN 0889224803
- Fraser, Graham (2002). PQ: René Lévesque and the Parti Québécois in Power, Montreal, McGill-Queen's University Press; 2nd edition, 434 pages ISBN 0773523103
- Fournier, Claude (1995). René Lévesque: Portrait of a Man Alone, McClelland & Stewart, April 15, 272 pages ISBN 0771032161
- Lévesque, René (1986). René Lévesque Memoirs, McClelland & Stewart (translated by Philip Stratford)
- Fraser, Graham (1984). PQ: René Lévesque and the Parti Québécois in Power, Montreal, Libre Expression
- Lévesque, René (1979). My Québec, Methuen, 191 pages, ISBN 0458939803
- Provencher, Jean and Ellis, David (1977). René Lévesque: Portrait of a Québécois, Paperjacks, ISBN 0770100201
- Lévesque, René (1977). Quotations from René Lévesque, Éditions Héritage, 105 pages ISBN 0777339420
- Dupont, Pierre (1977). How Levesque Won, Lorimer, 136 pages ISBN 0888621302 (translated by Sheila Fischman)
- Lévesque, René (1968). An Option for Quebec, McClelland and Stewart, 128 pages
- Desbarats, Peter (1976). Rene: a Canadian in search of a country, McClelland and Stewart, 223 pages ISBN 0771026919
- "René Lévesque's Separatist Fight", in the CBC Archives Web site
- Lévesque, René. "For an Independent Quebec", in Foreign AffairsForeign AffairsForeign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
, July, 1976) http://www.foreignaffairs.org/19760701faessay10196/rene-levesque/%20for-an-independent-quebec.html
Elections as party leader
- He lost the 1970 electionQuebec general election, 1970The Quebec general election of 1970 was held on April 29, 1970 to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The former Legislative Assembly had been renamed the "National Assembly" in 1968...
and 1973 electionQuebec general election, 1973The Quebec general election of 1973 was held on October 29, 1973 to elect members to National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Robert Bourassa, won re-election, defeating the Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, and the Union Nationale .The Liberals won a...
, and won the 1976 electionQuebec general election, 1976The Quebec general election of 1976 was held on November 15, 1976 to elect members to National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. It was one of the most significant elections in Quebec history, rivalled only by the 1960 general election, and caused major repercussions in the rest of Canada...
and 1981 electionQuebec general election, 1981The Quebec general election of 1981 was held on April 13, 1981, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Claude Ryan.The PQ won re-election despite...
, and resigned in 1985.
External links
- National Assembly biography (in French)
- Radio-Canada dossier on the constitution saga (in French)
- CBC Digital Archives: René Lévesque's Separatist Fight