DUC IN ALTUM

13 Réponses to “Thinking of Claude…”

1. redcollar Says:
   July 4th, 2008 at 6:52

   If you were wondering, this is Canadian currency. The 20$ bill has the image of the Queen Elizabeth II.

   The 50$ bill has William Lyon Mackenzie King, known simply as Mackenzie King to most.

   I did some reading on it, and it seems that King was a liberal appeaser. He met with and was impressed by Adolph Hitler.

   I guess hindsight is always 20/20…

2. Claudia Says:
   July 4th, 2008 at 14:39

   Yes! So was Neville Chamberlain. England slept…and Canada snored. King was elected with the promise of no war for Canada. A few months later there was a conscription. My only brother (who knew much better) had already volunteered in le Régiment de Maisonneuve. He came back 5 years later as a Captain, stayed in the Army, did his law school, became a Colonel. In spite of my mother’s wishes, he never got involved in politics. By then, the Liberal Party wasn’t fascist anymore but was leaning towards socialism. Many Catholics institutions remained fascists. The influence of Rome!!! Now some reading on Maurice Duplessis….He reminds me of Mussolini!!!

3. redcollar Says:
   July 7th, 2008 at 1:41

   Maurice Duplessis. Now there’s an interesting character. Don’t know much about him though.

   He was against television because he saw the educational value of it.

   He was against unions because he saw the potential power of workers uniting.

   My mother never cared for him, so I’ve always thought he wanted to keep women at home, not in the workplace.

   Other than that…

4. Claudia Says:
   July 7th, 2008 at 8:16

   I compared Duplessis to Mussolini because he was a dictator. The Dark Ages of Quebec history. La Grande Noirceur. He almagated his party to the Conservative Party. It became l’Union Nationale. He kept the people ignorant. He closely associated with the Church. Corruption was rampant. He sent thugs to steal elections. I could say more but you can read it all if you Google his name, and Vikipedia. When Jean Lesage arrived, it was a breath of fresh air, a true liberation for the province of Quebec. As my family, I was a strong Liberal in those days, and not ashamed of it. With my mother, as a child, and then young woman, I worked actively in election time. As you probably noticed, la Politique du Québec est très différente de celle d’Ottawa.

5. redcollar Says:
   July 7th, 2008 at 13:26

   Tough comparaison to make. Mussolini sided with Hitler, but then Hitler had to send nazi forces into Italy because the Jewish situation wasn’t going anywhere. Mussolini wasn’t killing Jews like Hitler wanted.

   Duplessis did his own thing outside of that context. A hard man, tough times and it caused a huge backlash and change. He wasn’t killing anyone, but I can understand why you were a liberal at that time.

6. Claude Prévost Gamble Says:
   July 8th, 2008 at 9:53

   It’s not exactly a tough comparaison if you examine the similar form of dictatorship. Duplessis was totally opposed to the war against Hitler, and to the conscription. He encouraged draft dodging providing hiding wood camps in Northern Quebec. The Provincial Police, under his direct order, never looked for them. Many young men entered (temporary!!!) the religious congregations. Hundreds of marriages were arranged!!!! Quebec had no sympathy for England. There were strong ties with Rome. Fascism was rampant.

   If you wish, read about CAMILLIAN HOUDE, the then Mayor of Montreal, who publicly told young men to resist conscription. He was interned in a concentration camp for 4 years. He returned triumphant in 1945 and was re-elected as Mayor for many years.

   During that time, the good-thinking liberals of Quebec were enlisting in our glorious French-Canadian Regiments and did honor to French Canada at Dieppe, Normandy and the Netherlands. My brother was an officer, Agent de Liaison. He fought well when all the cowards were shamefully hiding.

   You associated my name with King. I’m proud to have shaken hands with him, Jean Lesage and Gaspard Fauteux at the age of 18. Like all politicians, they made their mistakes. But they were on the good side and they did well for Canada.

   You can find more informations on Vikipedia: MILITARY HISTORY OF CANADA and CONSCRIPTION CRISIS OF 1944. Also MACKENZIE KING. Strange, imperfect man but he did a lot for our country.

   From now on, I will sign my full name on your blog. I am proud of it. My brother, Paul-Marcel Prévost, Avocat et Colonel du Régiment de Maisonneuve, is a War Hero. My mother, Estelle Smith Prévost, was decorated by the Queen, with MBE, Member of the British Empire for her work in the Red Cross and her political active WW2 efforts. I thank God that I grew up with such honorable people .

7. Claude Prévost Gamble Says:
   July 8th, 2008 at 10:43

   My only, deep regret about that period is the internment of Italian-Canadians and Japanese-Canadians. Many Italians were very good friends. I remember one, Antonio Capobianco, who baby-sat me many times. We were all crying so hard. Rightfully, those people had strong ties with their countries. The Canadian Government wouldn’t not take a chance. Like I said, Mackenzie King was a bit strange. He had a tough of parnoia. He was strongly attached to Roosevelt. After Pearl Harbor, he became incredibly suspicious about the Japanese. Interesting informations with Google on the subject of internment camps in Canada.

8. Claude Prévost Gamble Says:
   July 8th, 2008 at 10:45

   Correction: Mackenzie King had a TOUCH of paranoia.

9. Claudia Says:
   July 8th, 2008 at 19:15

   I guess your blog is not accepting my comments under my full name. Too bad!

10. redcollar Says:
    July 8th, 2008 at 20:27

    Negative. I have been deleting spam, didn’t see the posts waiting for confirmation.

    My bad. Sorry about that.

11. redcollar Says:
    July 8th, 2008 at 20:36

    Claude, that new name should come through loud and clear now. Sorry for the delay.

    My mind has been…elsewhere.

12. Claudia Says:
    July 9th, 2008 at 12:20

    Thanks! My family in Montreal will be pleased with the comments. Sometimes they think I’m a bit of a traitor. I haven’t forgotten the past but times have changed. I’m slowly bringing them to recognize that Mr. Harper is the best Prime Minister we’ve had in a long time. It’s a big step for them. Keep up the good work.

13. redcollar Says:
    July 9th, 2008 at 19:40

    If I associate you with King, I hope you understand how I got there. You shook that man’s hand.

    This happened before I was born. Add to that the fact that I know very little about Canadian history. I’m not proud of that, but it’s true.

    I may have mentioned this before: My family was rural. None of my relatives were subject to conscription because farmers were exempt. To us, conscription was a none-issue.

    I’ve had conversations on Rememberance Day/Veteran’s Day with americans and aussies. I was the only one who didn’t have any vets in my family.

    And that’s my point: To most Quebecers, that might seem perfectly normal. To me, today, I wonder how that could happen. Generations of my family lived freely here in Canada and none of us have served in the armed forces.

    How odd. How priviledged we truely are. How lucky to have such good support from fellow Canadians we’ll never meet…

    Thanks Claude, thank you for mentioning Paul-Marcel Prévost.

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