Social and Economic Changes in Canada and Quebec: post WWII (1945-1960)
Canada and Quebec experienced a period of economic growth after WWII like never before. New industries, based on appliances (fridge, stove, washing machines etc), automobiles, petrochemical (oil based) products, became very important to the Quebec and Canadian economies. Growth was based on growing immigration, individual savings, and the 'baby boom' - a huge number of babies being born after the war.
Canada, like much of the western world, became more and more of a consumer society. This new way of life included a new culture that people learned through TV, movies, radio, magazines and popular music. Much of this came from the United States or France, although Canadians did create some of its own content.
Canada, like much of the western world, became more and more of a consumer society. This new way of life included a new culture that people learned through TV, movies, radio, magazines and popular music. Much of this came from the United States or France, although Canadians did create some of its own content.
Maurice Duplessis
This new 'consumer' culture challenged traditional Catholic culture and values in Quebec. However, the premier of Quebec from 1945 - 1959, Maurice Duplessis, and his part the Union nationale actively worked against these modernizing forces.
Duplessis fought to maintain and even strengthen traditional values like keeping women in the home, respecting authority (father at home; government in public), and the importance of the Catholic religion in Quebec. The Duplessis government funded the church so that it could continue its domination in areas like education, health care, and charity. The continued importance of the Catholic Church in Quebec also explains why fewer people got divorced in Quebec than in the rest of Canada. |
Duplessis' Economic and Social Policy
Duplessis worked to modernize the Quebec economy, especially in rural areas. He did this through agricultural modernization techniques and rural electrification (bringing electric power to farms). He also encouraged foreign investment by keeping taxes very low and financing the infrastructures (roads, bridges, railways etc) that industries needed.
Socially, Duplessis worked to maintain a traditional culture that promoted hard work and Catholic beliefs. He offered very little support for unionized workers and, instead, supported employers during labour disputes. |
Duplessis adopted the fleur de lys flag for Quebec in 1948
|
He was also against the centralization of federal power. He absolutely refused federal interference in an provincial areas of power, such as education, even though this approach greatly hurt funding levels for universities and schools. He even went so far as to collect income tax from Quebec citizens, something no other province had done.
Opposition to Duplessis
Duplessis made a number of enemies because of his approach to governing. These opponents can be broken into three categories:
Unions
Duplessis was anti-union because he saw unions as being communist. Unions actively worked against his goals and managed to victories, such as the 40 hour week, weekends, etc. |
Artists
Artists in Quebec had difficult conditions to work in and very little funding. They opposed traditional values and worked to bring Quebec into a more global community, producing manifestos such as the Refus Global (1948) |
Political Parties
The Liberal Party of Quebec rejected Duplessis' traditional vision and were generally supported by federalist writers, such as those of Cité libre. |