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MINISTER DION HIGHLIGHTS THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA'S
IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE QUIET REVOLUTION
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, March 30, 2000 – Speaking today at a symposium
organized by UQAM with the theme "La Révolution tranquille : 40 ans
plus tard...", the Honourable Stéphane Dion, President of the Privy
Council and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, pointed out that the
Government of Canada has been an unsung catalyst of Quebec's Quiet Revolution.
The Minister first noted that the sociologist Max Weber, in his book The Protestant
Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, stated that Protestant societies adapt
better to industrialisation than Catholic societies, because of the higher value
they place on material enrichment and individual initiative.
The Minister went on to say that our Quiet Revolution was a Weberian
revolution: "an adaptation by a Catholic society to a secular world".
And our federal government, which, unlike our provincial government, was not in
the grips of Catholic conservatism, played a key role in that adaptation,"
noted Mr Dion. "And that role was enhanced by the increased importance of
central governments occasioned by the introduction of Keynesian-inspired
policies and the welfare state."
Mr Dion cited one of the artisans of the Quiet Revolution, Mr Jacques
Parizeau who, in an interview broadcast in January 1999, stated that
[translation]: "Before the Quiet Revolution, any young Quebecers who
had developed any economic expertise [...] were working in Ottawa. Ottawa was
where the action was. It was Ottawa that created Canada's social safety net and
the policy of reconstruction following the Second World War. The serious
government was in Ottawa."
That quotation by Mr Parizeau is a good description of two key roles played
by the Government of Canada, the Minister stated. "First of all, it [the
Government of Canada] was a reformer, launching major policies which were then
continued by the provinces, as the Government of Quebec has done with great
enthusiasm and originality. But it was also a refuge, a place of freedom and
learning [...]"
Mr Dion noted that the decentralized nature of our federation "enabled
some provinces [...] to be genuine breeding grounds of innovation, but it was
the Government of Canada that built on those initiatives and extended them on a
national scale."
The Minister pointed out that numerous artisans of the Quiet Revolution,
including Jean Lesage and Georges-Émile Lapalme had first worked on the
federal scene. He also highlighted the Government of Canada's contribution to
Quebec's cultural renewal through its
communication and scientific research policies, and through such institutions as
the CBC, the National Film Board and the Canada Council.
The Minister drew two useful conclusions for today's debates. The first has
to do with nationalism, which he said is inherently neither good nor bad.
"Before the Quiet Revolution, it was often a stumbling block for
Quebec's modernization, but it has since often been a stimulant." But he
stated that it must not become a sort of mental straitjacket, a knee-jerk
reference to a past which must always define us, an obsession for consensus as a
hallmark of loyalty to ourselves.
"The Quiet Revolution did not take place in the name of a 'Quebec model'
or 'traditional demands.' [...] The Quiet Revolution was the work of a
generation of Quebecers who were determined to shake things up, who looked
forward, not backwards. [... It] enabled us further to affirm French language
rights, and gave rise to new forms of Quebec innovation, but in many ways our
customs and institutions have become less distinct from those of other
Canadians."
The second conclusion has to do with federalism. "The federal government
is not a foreign power. It has made a powerful contribution to forming our
society, during the Quiet Revolution and at other times as well." The
Minister ended by stating that despite our different opinions on the respective
roles of our governments or their place in relation to civil society and market
forces, "what is important is that we consider both of these governments as
our own, and that we encourage them to work together above and beyond their
natural competition."
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For information:
André Lamarre
Special Assistant
Phone: (613) 943-1838
Fax: (613) 943-5553
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