Maurice Duplessis was Premier from 1936 to 1939 and again from 1944 until his death in 1959. A lawyer by profession, Duplessis had close ties to the Catholic Church and sympathized with the traditional values it promoted, notably the back-to-the-land movement and the importance of large families. During this time, traditionalism and nationalism became popular in society. Some historians call this period the “Great Darkness” for various reasons, particularly the widespread involvement of the Catholic Church in all aspects of society and culture.
As a devout Catholic, Duplessis gave the Church significant power in several sectors, including education and health care. The Church was a contributing factor in convincing the public to follow its government. For example, during an election campaign, the clergy came up with the slogan “Le ciel est bleu, l’enfer est rouge” (Heaven is blue, hell is red). Blue referred to the colour of Maurice Duplessis’ party, the Union Nationale, and red referred to the colour of Adélard Godbout’s party, the Liberal Party of Quebec.
The end of World War II brought several waves of Jewish and Protestant immigration to Canada. In response to the influx of non-Catholic immigrants, many Francophone Catholics felt their religion was threatened and reacted by dedicating their lives to the Church. The number of Catholic priests and members of religious orders grew rapidly, increasing the clergy’s influence in more areas. In addition to being involved in various social sectors, the Catholic Church also had cultural influence with the support of the government. It would sometimes censor certain books and films that conveyed messages or values that went against the Church’s values.
This censorship movement also led to the Padlock Act in 1937. Communism opposed the liberal ideals promoted by Duplessis. He therefore restricted access to certain areas that he thought might lead to a rise in communist movements in Quebec. The Padlock Act allowed the government to shut down establishments for one year, such as bars or trade unions suspected of being used to propagate or disseminate communist propaganda. The Padlock Act gave Duplessis the right to shut down the activities of his opponents and people who did not share his values, such as the offices of associations and media groups.
With the baby boom came the need for more social and healthcare services. Hospitals and schools were struggling to keep up with the number of births. The increase in church memberships helped to meet demand, but as funding was running out, the State allocated money to the Church to help it run its various institutions. However, in most cases, the amount of money allocated was insufficient and many schools only had a single classroom or poor heating.
Duplessis had very strong ties to the Catholic clergy and gave them significant power, especially in the areas of education and health care. At that time, most schools were Catholic or Protestant and classes were taught by nuns and priests.
As demand increased in the sectors run by the Church, its influence in politics and society grew. By educating and caring for the Québécois, the Church kept its stronghold over the public. The Church’s omnipresence in social and political affairs is called “clericalism”.
In Canada, some powers belong to the federal government, while others are given to the provinces. Duplessis placed great importance on provincial autonomy, which meant that he wanted Quebec to have as much power as possible. To maintain provincial autonomy, he refused federal aid for university funding in 1951. His speeches often revealed his fear that the Canadian government would try to take over powers traditionally belonging to the provinces.
On January 21, 1948, the Duplessis government adopted a national Quebec flag called the Fleurdelisé. The white cross represents the people’s Catholic faith and the fleur-de-lys represents the relationship between Quebec and France since Jacques Cartier was the first to introduce the fleur-de-lys to America. Once it was adopted, it replaced the British Union Jack that had previously flown over the Quebec Parliament.
Duplessis introduced provincial taxes in 1954 to enable Quebec to be more autonomous. Provincial taxes for corporations had existed since 1932, but during World War II, the provincial government gave this responsibility to the federal government. Quebec took back control of corporate taxes in 1947 in exchange for lower federal taxes.
In 1954, the Provincial Tax Act enabled the Quebec government to deduct taxes from personal income. Maurice Duplessis believed that these taxes would help the province manage its expenses better. As a result, Quebec residents began filing two tax returns each year.
To defend provincial autonomy, he promoted the French language, French-Canadian traditions, Catholicism and Quebec’s unique characteristics within Canada. Duplessis also proposed the Délégation générale du Québec en France, which gave Quebec the chance to represent itself in France independently of the federal government. In 1961, two years after Duplessis’ death, the Délégation générale du Québec à Paris opened its doors under Jean Lesage.