Writing Quebec history together

Henri-Gustave
Joly de Lotbinière

A reformer before his time, he supported the separation of the Church and the State in accordance with Liberal ideology; however, he was faced with fierce opposition from the clergy.

Honoré
Mercier

A brilliant speaker and skilled strategist, Honoré Mercier would become Leader of the Liberal Party in 1892 and Premier on January 29, 1887.

Félix-Gabriel
Marchand

Félix-Gabriel Marchand worked toward the common good through his involvement in education and municipal administration while pursuing a career as a notary.

Simon-Napoléon
Parent

Simon-Napoléon Parent first distinguished himself as Mayor of the City of Québec from 1892 to 1906. He was concerned with regional development, particularly with the construction of the Québec city bridge, which began in October 1900.

Lomer
Gouin

If Quebec now possesses great potential for the development of the North, it is in part thanks to Lomer Gouin.

The visionary Gouin Liberal government succeeded in annexing Ungava, a large region north of the 52nd parallel.

Louis-Alexandre
Taschereau

Louis-Alexandre Taschereau served as Premier of Quebec during the Great Depression. Concerned with precarious financial state of a portion of the population during the crisis, he adopted the first Unemployment Act.

Adélard
Godbout

Thanks to his deep convictions and extraordinary persistence, he helped Quebec enter the modern age on several fronts. Godbout granted women the right to vote in 1940, despite strong opposition from conservatives.

Georges-Émile
Lapalme

A renowned intellectual, Georges-Émile Lapalme led the debate that paved the way for the Quiet Revolution. Lapalme is quite rightly considered the father of both the modern Quebec Liberal Party and the Quiet Revolution.

Jean
Lesage

Jean Lesage shaped the modern face of Quebec. He began the undertaking of an ambitious social reform program that would forever be known as the Quiet Revolution.

Robert
Bourassa

With his victory in the 1970 Quebec Liberal Party leadership race, he became Quebec's youngest premier. The Bourassa Liberal government went on to adopt several social measures, such as the establishment of health insurance in 1970 and the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms in 1975.

Claude
Ryan

Gifted with articulate thought and an eloquent way with words, Ryan took action on a plethora of issues such as the labour force, education, work, and family. He founded the Institut canadien d’éducation des adultes (Canadian Adult Education Institute) in 1956 in order to increase access to educational training, which was, until that time, elitist.

Daniel
Johnson

Born in Montréal on December 24, 1944, he is the son of lawyer Daniel Johnson Sr. and Reine Gagné. A lawyer himself, Daniel Johnson holds an MBA from Boston's Harvard Business School and an LL.M. and PhD from University College London.

Jean
Charest

Jean Charest had an extraordinary political journey over the course of which his great determination, resilience, and leadership made possible accomplishments that will continue to benefit future generations.

Jean-Marc
Fournier

An advisor, strategist and skilled parliamentarian, Jean-Marc Fournier is one of the most influential ministers in the Quebec government. He began his political career in 1994 when he was elected for the first time in the riding of Châteauguay.