1934: Paul Gouin & Other Quebec Curios
Up-and-coming politician Paul Gouin would also follow in the footsteps of his family. The grandson of Honoré Mercier and the son of Lomer Gouin, the young Paul Gouin would [read on]
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1927: The Rise of Duplessis & Other Quebec Curios
One could say that Maurice Duplessis had politics in his blood. Named after the electoral district of Saint-Maurice, the young Duplessis had his father to look up to as an [read on]
1918: Lionel Groulx & Other Quebec Curios
Lionel Groulx’s political and social thought came from his work and his upbringing. An historian and a priest, as well as a writer, Groulx grew up in the shadow of Henri [read on]
1910: The First Bourassa & Other Quebec Curios
Henri Bourassa’s lineage bears some mention: the Bourassa household was able to trace their ancestry back on both sides all the way back to the first settlers in New [read on]
1900: Desjardins & Other Quebec Curios
Many people stop by their local Caisse Desjardin to do their banking, but did you know that there was a man behind the name? Alphonse Desjardins (not to be confused with [read on]
1899: The Boer War & Other Quebec Curios
Also known as the South African War, the cause of the Second Boer War’s beginnings depends on who you ask and when. For the British and the English-speaking Canadians of [read on]
1884: La Presse & Other Quebec Curios
Founded in 1884 by William-Edmond Blumhart, La Presse’s ideology at the beginnings of its publication was to be an independent newspaper. Independence, however, was [read on]
1880: Residential Schools & Other Quebec Curios
The story of residential schools is first and foremost a tragic one. Initially considered by both the Canadian government and leaders of the Plains Nations as something that [read on]
1878: Honoré Beaugrand & Other Quebec Curios
Not only the terminus of East End’s green line, Honoré Beaugrand was a person with quite the interesting life. A lifelong traveller and politician, Beaugrand’s family [read on]
1874: The Montreal Stock Exchange & Other Quebec Curios
The game of speculation and the idea of putting things on risk at the chance of reaping great rewards have been central to the financiers of yesterday and today. The [read on]
1869: The Montreal Star & Other Quebec Curios
A chance partnership at The Montreal Gazette of two men sparked the idea of a satirical magazine that eventually paved the way for the popular anglophone newspapers that [read on]
1868: D’Arcy McGee & Other Quebec Curios
How did an Irishman become one of the Fathers of Confederation? The story begins, oddly enough, with a young man living in the United States. Thomas D’Arcy McGee originally [read on]
1864-67: The Dominion of Canada & Other Quebec Curios
Discussions for a confederation started in Charlottetown, when the Maritime colonies proposed their own union. After a series of governments swinging back and forth, the [read on]
1864: A Great Coalition & Other Quebec Curios
Problems existed almost from the very beginning of the Province of Canada’s new system of government. It seemed to achieve not only the semblance of a democratic system but [read on]
1858: Louis Riel & Other Quebec Curios
In 1858, a young man arrived in Montréal, unknown to many but a select few who had seen his potential as a scholar back in Manitoba. This man, Louis Riel, was supposed to [read on]
1850-60: The Underground Railroad & Other Quebec Curios
The concept of the Underground Railroad had existed since the late eighteenth century but it was only until the 1830s when its name, part of a code for interested peoples to [read on]
1849: The Decline and Fall of Women’s Rights & Other Quebec Curios
Quebec was the last province in a post-Confederation Canada that granted women a right to vote, in 1940 to be exact, but the story of how that happened is another story for [read on]
1849: The Rebellion Losses Bill & Other Quebec Curios
The effects of the 1837-8 Rebellions when the Canada East and Canada West were still Upper and Lower Canada respectively ran deep, and in some regards, it seemed that some of [read on]
1848: Responsible Government & Other Quebec Curios
Part of the reason why La Fontaine and his team were successful in obtaining responsible government in 1848 was due to the arrival of Lord Elgin the previous year. La [read on]
1848: Louis-Hippolyte La Fontaine & Other Quebec Curios
Papineau’s return to Canada East and subsequent runs for politics did not go unnoticed and while his influence was no longer that of his glory days during the 1830s, he [read on]