This summer, René Lévesque would have been 100 years old. Until August 24th, anniversary date, The duty highlights on all its platforms the memory of the founder of the Parti Québécois, one of the greatest prime ministers in the history of Quebec, with the 100 years series by René Lévesque. Today, Dave Noël collected the memories of our photographer Jacques Nadeau about some of his shots.
1
“I took this photo during a Parti Québécois caucus at Lac Delage. You have in particular Pauline Marois, on the left, and a bodyguard behind Lévesque. We never saw that again, a family caucus where everyone arrived with their gang of children. Jacques Nadeau Le Devoir
2
Quebec, January 18, 1981 | “We were at the Colosseum for its reopening. It’s quite rare to attend a ceremony with axes. The concept was to break the ice. It is clear that Lévesque is a little behind Minister Gilles Lamontagne and Mayor Jean Pelletier. He had given a good blow of the ax. Jacques Nadeau Le Devoir
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May 20, 1980 | “The photo was taken on the evening of the referendum, at the precise moment when Lévesque launched his famous “If I understood you correctly, you are saying: see you next time…”. By saying this sentence, it seems that the emotion has changed completely, people have applauded it. Jacques Nadeau Le Devoir
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Pointe-au-Pic, 1983 | “René Lévesque and Pierre-Marc Johnson got on a sailboat. I have not attempted to illustrate the tensions in the Parti Québécois. At the time, it was not yet clear that Johnson wanted to take the place of Lévesque. Jacques Nadeau Le Devoir
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Montreal, May 12, 1980 | “This photo was taken during a gathering of artists for the Yes camp. Félix Leclerc had left Île d’Orléans to come to Montreal. There were at least 25 artists, the best known in Quebec.” Jacques Nadeau Le Devoir
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“Lévesque, it was said that he smoked a lot. It’s true that he often lit cigarettes — a pack and a half a day, no doubt — but he didn’t smoke them much: they burned between his fingers. Jacques Nadeau Le Devoir
7
“René Lévesque was crossing the Grande-Allée on foot, in the middle of the traffic, when he left the parliament to go to his office in the “bunker”. You never see a Prime Minister do such a thing. That day, Lévesque had passed two guys on a motorcycle and he had stopped to shake hands with them. The guys were thrilled.” Jacques Nadeau Le Devoir
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Quebec, 1984 | “There was a ceremony at the National Assembly to honor the athletes returning from the Los Angeles Olympics. Lévesque was taking a puff in the middle of the room when the diver Sylvie Bernier took his cigarette out of his hands to break it in the name of the Prime Minister’s health! Jacques Nadeau Le Devoir
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May 1980 | “This photo was taken during an activity of the regrouping of Quebec women for Yes. The sovereignist camp had lost many votes during the referendum because of Lise Payette’s declaration on the “Yvettes”. Jacques Nadeau Le Devoir
10
Pointe-au-Pic, May 25, 1977 | “It was during the Pointe-au-Pic economic summit, in Charlevoix. I had brought along a portable darkroom which allowed me to quickly print this photo of Lévesque with Paul Desmarais and Louis Laberge. It was the first time that I found myself on the front page of Le Devoir, and I was very proud of it. Jacques Nadeau Le Devoir
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Quebec, 1981 | “Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau had come to Quebec to try to negotiate with Quebec. You can see in Lévesque’s face that things weren’t going well at all. The two men had totally different ideas. Jacques Nadeau Le Devoir
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May 1980 | “That time, Lévesque had climbed not nearly. I think it was one of the strongest moments of the 1980 referendum. I remember he kept shaking his fist, wanting to say: “You have to fight, you have to fight to win. ”» Jacques Nadeau Le Devoir
13
“René Lévesque was not a morning man, he was not an early riser. In this photo, he was probably going to one of the Parti Québécois caucuses at Lac Delage. If he seems in a bad mood, it’s probably 8:30 in the morning.”
Jacques Nadeau Le Devoir
14
“During the 1980 referendum, there was a period that was quite violent, especially when René Lévesque came to Montreal. Here, there is a guy who wants to give a sign to the Prime Minister. He was shouting, “You won’t break my country.” I think security arrived at the last second to prevent him from hitting Mr. Lévesque.” Jacques Nadeau Le Devoir
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