Canada's New 'Bloc Populaire' Reaction's Answer to the Rise of CCF
Canada's New 'Bloc Populaire' Reaction's Answer to the Rise of CCF Special Corretpondence to The New Leader MONTREAL.—Friends of the Commonwealth Federation in the United States know that we have...
...has been saying...
...It does not offer the French people of Quebec any prospect of increasing their prestige or assisting in the production of greater prosperity and a higher culture...
...The campaign among them is being vigorously pressed—and with fine prospects of success...
...This situation offers the C.C.F...
...offers the chance to join with like-minded men and women clear across the continent...
...As the people gain control of resources and industrial administration, the way to positions of power and influence will be more and more open to the French citizens of Quebec...
...The Bloc Populaire ia actually run by a crowd of reactionaries...
...Our movement started in the West and has all the marks of a grass roots democratic movement...
...program...
...At the border of the province of Quebec it ran into the language difficulty and the much greater difficulty of dealing with an ancient and separate culture...
...its great opportunity...
...But recent events have opened their eyes...
...The main points of the leaders who split off from the Bloc Populaire fit in with the program of the C.C.F...
...They must break out of their economic servitude...
...They have not yet discovered that a culture—French or any other oort—can be better built up if the people have a little ease ami security...
...The Bloc Populaire, following Mackenzie King, has no such program...
...They emphasize the fact that these three Quebec leaders have advocated the socialization of monopolies and natural resources—which is an important part of the C.C.F...
...But it is being pointed out that the Commonwealth Federation has much more to offer the progressive people of Quebec than can'possibly be given by any narrow provincial movement...
...French Liberalism gone to seed consists mostly of vague words...
...The weakness of the Bloc Populaire becomes every day more evident...
...They are now ready to listen...
...We have now had dramatic proof that the ideas around which it is built do not represent the aspirations of the rank and file members...
...representatives in Quebec a chance to drive home their points...
...Other distinguished members of this crowd are rich men who think It ia more important for the inhabitants of Quebec to talk French than to eat...
...So long as the greater industries art under monopoly control the French, having less capital, cannot expect to reach dominating positions in their administration...
...Maxime Raymond is no more than a figurehead...
...In Canada, as in the United States, any important reform must be carried out on a national scale...
...They are sincere and disinterested...
...They have been handed down from above...
...The resentments of this Bloc are real enough—such as the attitude toward discrimination against the French by the federal government...
...Their defection will probably break up the movement...
...They fail to realize that French-Canadians—or any other sort of citiaens—can apeak their language better if they have moderately full stomachs...
...But one cannot found a party on such resentment...
...fights with the masses of all the provinces against exploitation...
...Hamel, Chaloux and Gouin gives the C.C.F...
...And they are not slow to make use of this opportunity...
...At first there was opposition from Catholic church leaders and, too, that of old French Liberals...
...The people of all the provinces must find their way forward together...
...Why have these men cut loose from the Bloc...
...In order to increase their Influence, the French-Canadians must get at the source of their relative inferiority...
...Up to recently, French-Canadians have not responded In large numbers...
...Canada's New 'Bloc Populaire' Reaction's Answer to the Rise of CCF Special Corretpondence to The New Leader MONTREAL.—Friends of the Commonwealth Federation in the United States know that we have been able to attract a great following in all the provinces except Quebec...
...A new group, the so-called Bloc Popujaire, led by these Liberals, has gathered all of the malcontents of the old parties under the banner of ultra-nationalism...
...They are in a subordinate position because, relatively, they are poor...
...To the discontented citizens of Quebec the C.C.F...
...In times like these it is possible to gather in followers on such a basin, but it is not possible to hold them...
...The breaking away of Messrs...
...The proof of this is furnished by the independent action of three leaders— Hamel, Chaloux and Gouin...
...It sounds fine but accomplishes nothing...
...What reasons do they give for their action ? What they are saying to the people of Quebec w, in part, precisely what the C.C.F...
...A permanent party must have a program which promises to satisfy the basic aspirations of a section of the electorate...
...The C.C.F...
...M. Lacroix, for example, is the only paper manufacturers in New Brunswick who refuses to support unions...
...The actual rulers of the party are nationalists, ex-separatists, industrialists who by prejudice or interest are opposed to reforms...
...It appeals to nothing higher or deeper than a persecution complex...
...They point out that the troubles of the French population are not due to their language, religion or culture...
Vol. 27 • January 1944 • No. 5
