At the beginning of the 20th century, the conscription crisis and the economic crisis reinforced the sense of identity among French Canadians. The population was heavily influenced by the Catholic Church since much of the culture was based on religion. Because of this influence, this movement is called clerico-nationalism.
Clerico-nationalism was an ideology supported by the Catholic clergy that focused on preserving and protecting French-Canadian culture in Canada. This type of nationalism emphasized a return to traditional Catholic values.
According to clerico-nationalism, Quebec’s identity is closely tied to the Catholic Church.
The Church wanted French Canadians to remain faithful to their traditional rural ways of life, French language and Catholic faith. Clerico-nationalism also stressed the importance of having many children to ensure the survival and growth of French Canada.
Priest, professor, historian and writer: Lionel Groulx was the greatest defender of clerico-nationalism.
In 1917, Lionel Groulx founded L’Action française, a monthly magazine that supported clerico-nationalist values. This magazine promoted and shared ideas in defence of a French Canada. It stirred public debate about the future and survival of Catholic society.
L’Action française was a monthly magazine promoting clerico-nationalism.
As urbanization and industrialization brought their share of social problems to the cities, the Church adopted a doctrine aimed at improving workers’ living conditions. Accordingly, the École sociale populaire, an organization that included religious and secular members, issued the Social Restoration Program. This document aimed to redefine capitalism to make it more viable for workers.
The program’s ideas were geared towards better wealth distribution between workers and employers. It also proposed strengthening the link between cities and regions to help them grow together through the purchase of local goods. Finally, this program placed great importance on Quebec’s provincial autonomy.
With the rise of québécois nationalism and the importance of Catholicism, the publications by the École sociale populaire discussed the weak points of capitalism and proposed solutions to improve the application of the ideology. One of the objectives of the organization was to critique the communist ideas that were gaining ground in some European countries. Instead, the organization supported Québécois nationalism and the place of the Church in society.
