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Présentation

Christian Blais

Yvan Lamonde (1944-2025)

Gilles Gallichan

Marie Pournin de La Faye et les femmes de Montréal en Nouvelle-France

Dominique Deslandres
The life of Marie Pournin de La Faye (1622–1699), who covers the whole 17th century, illustrates ambiguities that shaped the destinies of the numerous women who founded Montreal. Among these ambiguities that add nuance to our knowledge of the female population of Montreal between 1642 and 1699, two stand out: the first concerns the change of women’s status and conditions in colonial society; the second concerns what could be called a certain religious laxity among people who were nevertheless known for their ardent Roman Catholic devotion.

Le 1er Salon de peinture et de sculpture du Club Saint-Denis de Montréal, en 1911. Un désir de valoriser l’art des Canadiens français

Jacques Des Rochers
This article focuses on the presentation of the first Salon de Peinture et de Sculpture (Painting and Sculpture Exhibition) held at the Club Saint-Denis in the spring of 1911. We examine the context that prompted this French-speaking Montreal institution to promote the exhibition of works by artists from its community, namely French- Canadian artists, who were apparently underrepresented in the public arena at the time. We detail the organization, inauguration, and critical reception of the event, and we trace the reasons why it was held only once. Was it the project of a single man, its initiator, Adolphe Victor Roy, president of the club from 1909 to 1912, who died at the front in 1915? Could the opening of the new Art Gallery building (now the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts) on Sherbrooke Street in 1912 also have been a factor? It was the Club’s donation of its collection to the MMFA a hundred years later, in 2011, that brought to light this first salon, where its first acquisitions were made. The Club at that time had more works by French- Canadian artists than the Art Gallery! Two of these works were added to the museum’s collection for their aesthetic value and as a testament to this event.

Pascal-Joseph Verbist (1829-1879). Premier curé de Sainte-Pétronille (île d’Orléans)

Gilles Gallichan
Having committed serious mistakes in his early years, Joseph-Pascal Verbist, a young Belgian priest, brilliant and a good preacher, embarked on a career as an active colonizing missionary and arrived in Quebec in 1871. He was warmly welcomed by religious and political authorities in both Quebec and Ottawa. Appointed an immigration agent by the Quebec government in 1872, he published pamphlets and articles in newspapers in Quebec, France and Belgium. He attracted several families and promoted new areas of colonization. In 1872, Archbishop Taschereau appointed him the first parish priest of the new parish of Sainte-Pétronille, on Île d’Orléans. There, he organized lucrative charity bazaars and completed construction of the church. However, he soon became a source of scandal. He opened an import shop in Quebec City, run by a “niece,” who was in fact his life partner. Ordered to regularize his situation, Father Verbist refused and left the country in February 1874, leaving numerous debts. He is said to have mysteriously drowned in 1879.

La société démocratique de participation selon Gérald Fortin

Simon Langlois
In the 1960s and 1970s, sociologist Gérald Fortin (1928-1991), professor and influential intellectual of his generation, defined the model of a democratic participatory society, an important and inspiring utopia now almost forgotten. The model was based on the rationality of experts in service of the state and the necessary participation of citizens ensured by social activity. Fortin emphasized that the state should address French Canadians’ economic disadvantage, as long as citizens helped set development goals. He himself foresaw the limits of participatory society and the conflicts between the reasons of technocrats eager to act and the delays involved in consulting citizens. Despite the limitations of the proposed model and the criticism he received during several attempts to implement it, Fortin remained faithful to the ideal of the democratic participatory society he had developed, which inspired a certain institutionalization of participation in several sectors of activity, albeit far removed from the initial model.

Denis Vaugeois, un ministre des Affaires culturelles sous le radar, 1978-1981

Fernand Harvey
Denis Vaugeois was appointed Minister of Cultural Affairs under René Lévesque’s Parti Québécois government, at a time when Quebec was in the midst of a cultural boom. Immediately upon taking office, he tackled urgent issues as well as controversial ones or those that had been dragging on since the early 1970s. All aspects of his professional background— he was a historian, educator, cultural entrepreneur in the publishing industry, and civil servant—guided his political actions. In just three years, he made a major contribution to the implementation of his government’s cultural policies. He was responsible for the book policy, the creation of the Société de développement des industries culturelles, the “Vaugeois Plan” for the development of public libraries, the reorganization of the National Archives, the promotion of heritage, the decision to create the Musée de la civilisation, the establishment of the OSE-Arts program, and the revival of the Opéra de Montréal. During the second term of the Lévesque government (1981-1985), although he was no longer a minister, he carried out essential work for parliamentary reform, which is still authoritative.

Cartographier la traversée de l’Atlantique et du Saint-Laurent au xviie siècle

Jean-François Palomino
The article seeks to shed light on the French state’s involvement in developing cartographic and hydrographic practices aimed at securing the maritime route between France and Canada from 1630 to 1730. Unlike the Dutch model, geographical knowledge at the time remained fragmented and poorly centralized. In 1685-1686, an initiative reflected a new scientific effort, notably through the use of triangulation. At the same time, the establishment of a hydrographer’s post in Quebec signaled growing—though inconsistent—state interest. While new knowledge emerged, it circulated poorly among maritime practitioners, and shipwrecks continued to multiply along the ever-dangerous St. Lawrence River.

Les lois de 1836 : la dernière communion des Patriotes et des Bureaucrates (Deuxième partie)

Christian Blais
During the parliamentary session of 1835-1836, the patriotic majority in the House of Assembly and the bureaucratic majority in the Legislative Council passed 59 laws. Analysis of these legislative texts reveals the various aspects of colonial state administration, the economy and civil society on which there was consensus. By comparison, a study of the 44 bills that died on the order paper highlights the differences between Lower Canadian parliamentarians. As for the debates recorded in the parliamentary columns of Lower Canada’s newspapers, they reveal the intentions of the legislators. It’s easy to see that the ideas and convictions of Lower Canadian politicians can’t always be divided into two opposing camps. From the radical Patriots, through the moderates, to the ultraconservative English-speaking bureaucrats, there is a vast palette of political color.

Les Autochtones et la question du « sang » (Deuxième partie)

Denys Delâge
The second in a series of three articles, this article continues the exploration of Indigenous identity and the origin of the law stipulating that Indigenous people are defined by blood, while all Canadians are legally defined by their land. The first article dealt with the French regime; this one focuses on the British regime. It examines the reports of the Darling Commission (1828), the Bagot Commission (1845), and the Pennefather Commission (1858), all three of which aimed to advise the British government on the best way to ensure the "progress" and "civilization" of the Indigenous inhabitants of Canadian territory.

Chronique de la Société des Dix

Louise Pothier

Index général

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