This text is part of the special section 100 years of Acfas
The decade of the 1920s was a pivotal moment in the history of science in Quebec. The province then had its own French-Canadian scientists, mostly professors and researchers, but it was not the result of their scientific research that made this decade a turning point for science.
“It was at this time that these scientists realized that they had to organize themselves in order to promote science if they wanted it to take the place they wanted it to occupy in Quebec,” explains Yves Gingras, science historian and professor at UQAM. And that requires the creation of institutions. »
This will first be through the creation of learned societies, such as the Biological Society of Montreal or the Canadian Natural History Society. Added to these was the creation of scientific faculties, such as the Graduate School of Chemistry at Laval University and the Faculty of Science at the University of Montreal. “The creation, in 1923, of the Association canadienne-française pour l’avance des sciences will unite these various establishments, says Yves Gingras, and Acfas will become the main promoter of science in Quebec. »
Young people will not be left out, because the leader of this promotion and consolidation movement is Marie-Victorin who, before starting her career as a botanist, had taught elementary and secondary school. We will therefore witness the creation of many circles of young naturalists. “Marie-Victorin believed that it was necessary to work from both ends,” underlines Yves Gingras, “that is, to give scientists the tools they need, but also to popularize science in order to attract young people to this discipline. »
Other important players
If Marie-Victorin was the figurehead of science at that time—he remained so until his death in 1944—other scientists also contributed to the development of science in Quebec. There is Léo Parizeau, doctor and radiologist. “It was Léo Parizeau who first had the idea of founding Acfas, says Yves Gingras, and throughout his career he was an active spokesperson for the promotion of science in Quebec. Moreover, the first prize awarded by Acfas in 1944 bears his name. »
Édouard Montpetit, lawyer and economist, played a major role in the development of economics in Quebec in the 1920s and supported the consolidation movement. He was also an important scholar. Appointed secretary general of the University of Montreal in 1920, he founded the same year the School of Social, Economic and Political Sciences, of which he assumed the direction.
We must also mention the botanist and ethnobiologist Jacques Rousseau. Although still a young man when Acfas was founded in 1923, he became its secretary general in 1930. Kingpin. It was his talents as an organizer that would lead Acfas to its maturity and to its first congress in 1933.”
The case of Louis-Janvier Dalbis is more controversial. Born in France, in 1920 he became professor of histology and biology at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Montreal and participated in the creation of the Montreal Biological Society. In 1927, he founded the Franco-Canadian Scientific Institute, which aims to be a bridge between Quebec and French scientists.
“It is the creation of the Franco-Canadian Scientific Institute that will cause a dispute between Dalbis and Marie-Victorin, underlines Yves Gingras. Marie-Victorin maintains that the bridge is too one-way, allowing mainly French people to stay in Quebec, and that the institute competes with Acfas. The dispute would be resolved when Dalbis returned to France a few years later.
Marie-Victorin, writer
Today, Marie-Victorin is best known for her work as a botanist, notably the founding of the Montreal Botanical Garden in 1931 and the publication of Laurentian flora, in 1935, but we forget that he was also a leading intellectual and writer. “Intellectually, Marie-Victorin is the antithesis of Lionel Groulx,” says Yves Gingras. For Lionel Groulx, the survival of Quebec must rely on the past. But for Marie-Victorin, it must be based on the future and the latter passes through science. »
Moreover, Marie-Victorin was an ardent nationalist. “In a text written in 1925, entitled “The province of Quebec, country to discover and conquer”, says Yves Gingras, Marie-Victorin makes a vibrant plea in favor of a French-Canadian scientific community. »
But Marie-Victorin is also a science journalist for both young people and adults. This is why he accepts the invitation of Omer Héroux, who then directs the editorial staff of the newspaper The duty, to sign tickets dealing with science, to popularize and promote it, obviously always from a nationalist angle. This collaboration will last until his death.
“In the 1920s, relates Yves Gingras, The duty acts as a spearhead for the promotion of science by opening its pages to it. The newspaper will cover all the Acfas congresses, and this collaboration lasts until today. »
Quebec society
Contrary to what one might think, Quebec society at that time was in no way resistant to this scientific rise, including the Catholic Church. “There was no antiscience movement in Quebec,” says Yves Gingras. Some skirmishes perhaps, especially between the classical colleges and the scientists, the latter wanting more space to be given to science education. »
He gives the example of the first Acfas Congress. “In addition to the scientific congress, Acfas also organized an exhibition of the circles of young naturalists. The number of visitors to this exhibition is estimated at 100,000,” he said. A considerable number for the time and which testifies to the curiosity of French Canadians for science.