Maurice Duplessis. Marguerite Paulin

       E-mail: [email protected]

       In memory of my father, my dear mother, my nephew Alexis,

      and, of course, to Victor-Lévy Beaulieu.

      “We were a people hungry for

      legitimacy. We accepted power

      as long as it meant absolute Power,

      regardless of outcome.

      Our drive for power was constant.”

      Paul Chamberland, De la damnation à la liberté

      “It’s difficult to define how we must keep the faith.

      History only provides us with

      certain signs, certain arguments.

      But an argument is not truth per se,

      only a way of looking at things.

      History has no purpose other than to defend a cause.

      The important thing is to know what cause

      we are defending.”

      Pierre Perrault, Un pays sans bon sens

      Contents

Preface

1 This Young Man Will Go Far

2 “Time and Patience…”

3 A Strategic Resolve

       4 The Art of Politics

       5 A Foretaste of Power

       6 Defeated… Now What?

       7 I’ve Lost My Star

       8 Power and Nothing But Power

       9 Down With Unanimity

       10 The End of an Era

       Chronology of Maurice Duplessis (1890–1959)

       Sources Consulted

       Index

Preface

      The name Maurice Duplessis will always spark debate. To some, he is Quebec’s greatest premier. To others, he will always be a tyrant, a fascist.

      This biographical narrative does not set out either to judge or to exonerate him. Others before me have taken sides. Others after me will take sides. But not everything has been said about Duplessis.

      In order to write this book, I needed to research his life. I followed his traces – the traces of a man who figured so prominently in Quebec’s political history. My research revealed the dark recesses of his personality before the man gradually evolved into the politician he became.

      Since I had no wish to write either an apologia or a pamphlet, I tried to observe strict impartiality. My sole objective was to revive the story of the politician who was the longest-governing premier in Quebec’s history.

      Here is the book, which I give you to read – in all simplicity.

      Who was Maurice Duplessis? The answer can be summed up in the words of French author/philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre: “A man is made up of all men, is equal to all of them just as they are equal to him.”

      – Marguerite Paulin

1

       This Young Man Will Go Far

      When asked what name he would choose for his child, Nérée Duplessis answered:

      “Maurice, if it’s a boy. Do you know why? To honour the people in the riding of Saint-Maurice, because that’s where I was first elected to the Quebec legislature in 1886 – and I hope to represent them for as long as I can.”

      On April 20, 1890, two months before his re-election to the Legislative Assembly, ¹ Conservative politician Nérée Duplessis hands out cigars to his friends. His wife, Berthe Genest, has just given birth to a strapping baby boy. The family’s first son cries in his crib. He is hungry, and he is thirsty. Bursting with pride, a jubilant Nérée mingles with his guests. The family lineage is assured.

      Berthe Genest, mother of Maurice Duplessis

      Nérée Duplessis, father of Maurice Duplessis around 1895.

      Maurice Duplessis, around 1908, a young law student at the Université Laval of Montreal.

      “Look! My son is already an orator. Just listen to him! He insists on being heard. He’s already showing character. A real Duplessis.”

      Berthe swaddles her infant.

      She thinks of her neighbours who have just lost a newborn. The health of an infant is so fragile. The remedies against contagious diseases are not very effective. The christening must take place soon as possible. If something should happen to the little boy, at least he will not end up in Limbo.

      The city of Trois-Rivières is Bishop Laflèche’s kingdom, especially when he preaches fire and brimstone from the pulpit: the sky is bleu¹, hell is rouge². Formerly a missionary in the Canadian West, the prelate with the flashy reputation has returned to Quebec to preach ultramontanism, a movement that advocates the supremacy of Church over State. His most fervent political mouthpiece is Nérée Duplessis who, in the spirit of reciprocity, benefits from Bishop Laflèche’s influence over his parishioners. He is reelected virtually without opposition in his home riding.

      The two make quite the pair.

      So it is only natural that Bishop Laflèche should bless the son of the honourable member for Saint-Maurice. When his godmother holds the wriggling newborn above the baptismal font, the prelate, lost in prayer, administers the sacrament: Vade retro, Satana. Then, with a solemn gesture, he makes the sign of the cross on the baby’s forehead. “I baptize thee, Joseph Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”

      Nérée and Berthe feel at peace. Their child is now a son of the Catholic religion.

      Nothing can cloud their happiness.

      In Trois-Rivières, the Duplessis family enjoys the prestige of being comfortably off. Son of the Conservative member, Maurice lacks for nothing. In winter, he cavorts on the skating rink. He plays hockey sporting a brand-new sweater and skates. In summer, he runs to the baseball field in knickerbockers, with the proper leather glove on his hand. On Sundays, the whole family occupies the front pew in their parish church.

      The years pass in peaceful serenity, but a dark shadow hovers in the background. There are days when Nérée is haunted by the unthinkable. Could he one day lose the election?