''Young Trudeau: 1919-1944: Son of Quebec, Father of Canada'' (short title: ''Young Trudeau'') is the intellectual
biography
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...
of the former
Prime Minister of Canada
The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as su ...
,
Pierre Trudeau that deals with his parents, childhood, and education in the province of
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
from his birth in 1919 until November 1944 when he left to study at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
.
Published in 2006 by
Douglas Gibson Books (), the book was written by retired
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...
s
Max and
Monique Nemni, friends and admirers of Pierre Trudeau whom he had convinced to take over as editors of ''
Cité Libre''. Max and Monique Nemni spent most of their working lives in the
province of Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen p ...
. The authors have both had numerous writings published in
academic
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...
publications in both the English and
French languages.
''Young Trudeau'' is based on the large collection of private papers and personal diaries of Pierre Trudeau which he gave the authors in 1995 to write his intellectual biography and which had never before been made public. The book's back cover states that what Trudeau was taught at
College Jean-de-Brebeuf
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...
and the
University of Montreal
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
, was that:
:"
democracy
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...
was bad and that
fascism
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...
-- as represented by
Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
and
Pétain -- was good. Thus, even as a young man of twenty-three, Trudeau was ignoring the
war in Europe and plotting a revolution to take Quebec out of Canada. The picture that emerges is of a
Quebec elite that was raised to be pro-fascist, and where
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
atrocities were dismissed as
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
(Canadian)
propaganda."
The book won the
Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing
The Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing is a Canadian literary award, presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada to the best nonfiction book on Canadian political and social issues. It has been presented annually in Ottawa at the Writer ...
in 2006.
Studies at College Jean-de-Brebeuf
The Quebec government abolished the
Ministry of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
in 1875 to submit to the
ultramontane
Ultramontanism is a clerical political conception within the Catholic Church that places strong emphasis on the prerogatives and powers of the Pope. It contrasts with Gallicanism, the belief that popular civil authority—often represented by th ...
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
which considered education the domain of the family and the Church, not the state. (p. 31) The result was that only private secondary schools gave access to French
colleges and
universities
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
and the Catholic Church controlled the French universities, and ran the
orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or ab ...
s,
hospitals, and shelters for the
aged
Ageing ( BE) or aging ( AE) is the process of becoming older. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi, whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentially biologically immortal. In ...
. (p. 31)
The book recounts the influences of Trudeau's
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
upbringing and education at the
Jesuit owned and run
College Jean-de-Brebeuf
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...
in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
where students were taught that
French-Canadians enjoyed a
moral superiority. (p. 16 – Quote from:). The writings of the revered priest
Lionel Groulx
Lionel Groulx (; 13 January 1878 – 23 May 1967) was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest, historian, and Quebec nationalist.
Biography
Early life and ordination
Lionel Groulx, né Joseph Adolphe Lyonel Groulx, the son of a farmer and lumber ...
also espoused this idea of ethnic superiority. His pedagogical novel, ''L'Appel de la race'' (The Call of Race) taught that "the children of ethnically
mixed marriages suffer from a form of
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wit ...
because they are inhabited by two different souls." A character in Father Groulx's book exclaims: "So it is really true that the mixing of races produces cerebral disorders." (p. 15)
The book shows through Trudeau's own written words that what he was taught was unquestioned obedience to the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. Through priests in local churches and those in charge of the
French language education system, the Church played an unparalleled role in creating
Quebec's French elite. (p. 33) In 2000,
René Latourelle, a priest who taught at College Jean-de Brebeuf, published ''Quel avenir pour le Christianisme?'' in which he said (p. 16/17) that "The church acted as a true dictatorship over consciences."
[ Latourelle, René. Quel avenir pour le Christianisme? p.16/17 (2000) Éditions Guérin .'']
At College Jean-de Brebeuf, "Nationalism and religion together constituted the combined fundamental values that infused all the life of the college." (p. 46)
Antisemitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
was a part of college teachings and the august priest
Lionel Groulx
Lionel Groulx (; 13 January 1878 – 23 May 1967) was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest, historian, and Quebec nationalist.
Biography
Early life and ordination
Lionel Groulx, né Joseph Adolphe Lyonel Groulx, the son of a farmer and lumber ...
espoused his ''l'achat chez nous'' policy that warned
French Canadians not to shop at
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
ish-owned stores. (p. 58). Pierre Trudeau himself fully subscribed to these theories and wrote a vehemently anti-Semitic play titled ''Dupés'' (meaning "We've been had!"). His diary records that the seven-character play was "performed on May 16, 1938 at College Jean-de-Brebeuf before students and parents with great success." (p. 58)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young Trudeau: Son Of Quebec, Father Of Canada, 1919-1944
2006 non-fiction books
Culture of Quebec
Education in Quebec
Books about Pierre Trudeau
Canadian political books