Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Le Devoir

Image from Le Devoir

Established in 1910 by Henri Bourassa, it'ss described in the Canadian Encyclopedia as "pan-Canadian nationalist, pro-French Canadian, pro-Catholic, anti-British [and] independent." 

To mark its hundredth anniversary in 2010, the paper chronicled milestones in the life of "an independent newspaper," one that has become a Quebec institution, and a Canadian one as well.

During both world wars, Le Devoir campaigned against conscription, and opposed the political patronage system espoused by long-time Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis.

In the 1980s, Lise Bissonnette gave the paper a sovereigntist orientation. This was an important moment in Canadian history when Quebeckers were preparing to vote in the first referendum on whether Quebec should leave the Canadian federation.

Beneath the banner headline of Le Devoir, the words still appear: Libre de penser may be roughly translated as free to think.

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