From 1922 to 1987, here are 11 dates that marked the career of the former premier of Quebec.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
August 24, 1922
PHOTO ARCHIVES PRESS
René Lévesque, child
Birth of René Lévesque in Campbellton, New Brunswick. He spent his early years in New Carlisle, in Chaleur Bay. He studied at the New Carlisle elementary school, at the Collège de Gaspé and at the Collège Saint-Charles-Garnier in Québec before undertaking law studies at Laval University. At the same time, he wrote his first articles in newspapers.
Spring 1944
PHOTO JIM PRINGLE, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Prisoners of the Dachau concentration camp celebrate their liberation by members of the 42e division (Rainbow) of the 7e US army.
After his radio debut in Quebec, René Lévesque joined the war information service of the American army. On April 29, 1944, The right indicates that Lévesque will do an internship in New York before going to London. On April 29, 1945, the Dachau concentration camp, near Munich, was liberated by American soldiers. René Lévesque will claim to be among the first people to have entered it, which researchers will later question.
October 23, 1945
Back home, René Lévesque joined Radio-Canada. He hosts various radio shows. He also writes in newspapers and is notably a film columnist for the newspaper The Clarion of Saint-Hyacinthe at the end of the 1940s. He also evokes his stay in Dachau in one of these chronicles published on 1er August 1947. A collection of his film reviews will be published on 1er November 2022 at Éditions du Boréal.
October 28, 1956
PHOTO PROVIDED BY RADIO-CANADA
René Lévesque on the show focus
Entry into the air of the public affairs program focus of which he is the animator. The journalist is distinguished by his ability to summarize in clear terms hot topics of the news, whether nationally or internationally. The show ended on June 30, 1959. In the meantime, René Lévesque demonstrated alongside Radio-Canada producers during a famous strike (December 29, 1958 to March 7, 1959).
June 22, 1960
PHOTO ROGER ST-JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Swearing in of René Lévesque on July 6, 1960
A member of Jean Lesage’s Thunder Team of the Quebec Liberal Party, René Lévesque was elected to the National Assembly for the first time. Elected in Montréal-Laurier, he was sworn in as Minister of Water Resources and Minister of Public Works. On Radio-Canada, Lévesque declared: “The first thing that must be changed right away is what we saw today, this kind of rotting of electoral practices”, in reference to dubious practices in polling stations.
February 12, 1962
PHOTO ARCHIVE LA PRESSE/BANQ
The one of The Press from February 13, 1962
Minister of Natural Resources, Lévesque wanted to convince Premier Jean Lesage of the benefits of nationalizing electricity companies. On February 12, 1962, in a speech given as part of Electricity Week, he dropped a bombshell: Hydro-Québec must unify the network. This will lead to the early elections of November 14, 1962 under the theme “Masters at home”. Successful bet. The PLQ wins 63 of the 95 seats.
October 14, 1967
PHOTO ARCHIVES PRESS
The Liberal Congress having rejected his option, sovereignty-association, René Lévesque left the premises… and the party.
At the convention of the Liberal Party of Quebec, René Lévesque submits to the members a project of sovereignty with association with the rest of Canada. This proposal is defeated soundly. Lévesque leaves the party, but remains an independent deputy. In November 1967, he founded the Mouvement Souveraineté-Association, which became the Parti Québécois in 1968.
November 15, 1976
After two failed elections in 1970 and 1973, the Parti Québécois came to power on the evening of November 15, 1976. The party won 71 of the 110 seats. On the stage of the Center Paul-Sauvé, it’s euphoria. René Lévesque launches sentences that will go down in history: “I never thought that I could be as proud to be a Quebecer as tonight” and “We are not a small people, we are perhaps something like a great people.
May 20, 1980
First referendum on Quebec’s sovereignty-association project with the rest of Canada. The supporters of Yes suffer an unequivocal defeat while 59.5% of voters reject the proposal. In front of nearly 10,000 disappointed supporters gathered at the Center Paul-Sauvé, René Lévesque declared: “Dear friends, if I understood you correctly, you are saying: ‟See you next time”. »
June 20, 1985
René Lévesque announces his resignation as leader of the Parti Québécois. He thus put an end to long rumors surrounding his political future following a very difficult second term for his government and the departure of influential ministers after having accepted the “beautiful risk” of a renewed Canadian federalism proposed by Brian Mulroney. He remained in office as Premier of Quebec until October 3, 1985, the day Pierre Marc Johnson was sworn in.
1er November 1987
PHOTO ARMAND TROTTIER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Funeral of René Lévesque
Following a heart attack, René Lévesque dies on Sunday 1er November 1987 at the end of the evening. “Quebec, tonight, is in mourning. He has just lost one of his most illustrious sons,” declared Premier Robert Bourassa. Thousands of people attend his funeral. On his tombstone is written this epitaph of Félix Leclerc: “From now on, he is part of the short list of liberators of the people. »
Sources: National Assembly of Quebec, René-Lévesque Foundation, BAnQ, Radio-Canada