René Lévesque: Quebec’s Sovereignty Champion
René Lévesque (August 24, 1922 – November 1, 1987) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 23rd premier of Quebec from 1976 to 1985. He was the founder of the Parti Québécois and the first Québécois political leader since Confederation to seek, through a referendum, a mandate to negotiate the political independence of Quebec.
Early Life and Education
Lévesque was born in Campbellton, New Brunswick, on August 24, 1922, and was raised in New Carlisle, Quebec, on the Gaspé Peninsula. His parents were Diane (née Dionne) and Dominic Lévesque, a lawyer. He had three younger siblings: André, Fernand, and Alice. His father died when Lévesque was 14 years old.
He attended the Séminaire de Gaspé and the Saint-Charles-Garnier College in Quebec City, both run by the Jesuits. Lévesque studied for a law degree at Université Laval in Quebec City but left the university in 1943 without completing the degree, preferring to pursue writing rather than law practice.
Career and Achievements
Lévesque began his career in broadcasting, working as an announcer and news writer at CHNC in New Carlisle, as a substitute announcer for CHRC during 1941 and 1942, and then at CBV in Quebec City. During 1944–1945, he served as a liaison officer and war correspondent for the U.S. Army in Europe, reporting from London during Luftwaffe bombardment and advancing with Allied troops through France and Germany. He was with the first unit of Americans to reach Dachau concentration camp.
After the war, Lévesque worked as a reporter for the CBC’s French-language section in the international service and served as a war correspondent for the CBC during the Korean War in 1952. From 1956 to 1959, he became famous in Quebec for hosting Point de Mire, a weekly television news program on Radio-Canada. He covered international events and major labour struggles, including the 1957 Murdochville strike at the Gaspé Copper Mine, which resulted in changes to Quebec’s labour laws. During the broadcasters’ strike that lasted 68 days beginning in late 1958, Lévesque was arrested during a demonstration in 1959 alongside union leader Jean Marchand and 24 other demonstrators.
Lévesque entered politics in 1960 as a Liberal Party candidate and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec in the riding of Montréal-Laurier. In the government of Jean Lesage, he served as minister of hydroelectric resources and public works from 1960 to 1961, and minister of natural resources from 1961 to 1965. He played a central role in the nationalization of hydroelectric companies, greatly expanding Hydro-Québec as part of the Quiet Revolution. From 1965 to 1966, he served as minister of family and welfare, working with Eric Kierans on negotiations with the Government of Canada to fund social programs.
After the Liberals lost the 1966 election, Lévesque championed separation from Canada at the upcoming Liberal party conference. When the resolution was defeated, he left the party with his followers and founded the Mouvement Souveraineté-Association (MSA). Unlike more militant nationalist movements, the MSA eschewed direct action and appealed to the broader electorate. The MSA merged with the Ralliement National of Gilles Grégoire in 1968 to create the Parti Québécois (PQ). The PQ gained 25 per cent of the vote in the 1970 election but won only six seats. The 1973 election resulted in a large Liberal victory and major tensions within the PQ, especially after Lévesque failed to gain a seat.
Lévesque and the Parti Québécois won a landslide victory in the 1976 election with 41.1 per cent of the popular vote and 71 seats out of 110. He became premier of Quebec ten days later. His government’s signature achievement was the Quebec Charter of the French Language (Bill 101), which aimed to make French the normal language of work, instruction, communication, commerce, and business. The law reserved access to English-language public schools to children whose parents had attended English school in Quebec, requiring all other children to attend French schools to encourage immigrants to integrate into the majority francophone culture. Bill 101 also made it illegal for businesses to display exterior commercial signs in languages other than French.
On May 20, 1980, the PQ held the 1980 Quebec referendum on sovereignty-association as promised. The result was 40 per cent in favour and 60 per cent opposed, with 86 per cent turnout. Lévesque led the PQ to victory in the 1981 election, increasing the party’s share of the popular vote from 41 to 49 per cent. A major focus of his second mandate was the patriation of the Canadian constitution, though Lévesque was criticized by some in Quebec who believed he had been outmaneuvered by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and English-Canadian provincial premiers.
Notable Events and Milestones
On February 6, 1977, Lévesque accidentally killed Edgar Trottier, a homeless man lying on the road, while driving his car. Police at the scene did not administer a breathalyzer test, and Lévesque was later fined $25 for failing to wear his glasses while driving. The incident gained further attention when it was revealed that his female companion was not his wife but his longtime secretary, Corinne Côté.
Additional Resources
For a comprehensive overview of René Lévesque’s life, career, and political legacy, readers are encouraged to consult Wikipedia and other biographical archives, which contain extensive documentation of his role in Quebec history and Canadian politics.
