Le Livre noir du Canada anglais

Last updated
Book jacket of the first volume reprint Livrenoircan1.jpg
Book jacket of the first volume reprint
Normand Lester, author Normand Lester 2012-04-15.jpg
Normand Lester, author

Le Livre noir du Canada Anglais (The Black Book of English Canada) is a series of three polemical books written by the Quebec journalist Normand Lester. Les Intouchables published the first volume in 2001. The essays relate from the author's point of view, while including many historians' citations, the historical fabrications and injustices in Canada, notably those against French-speaking Quebecers, Jewish and aboriginal peoples. Its publication resulted in Société Radio-Canada suspending Lester.

Contents

Description

The books are Lester's response to perceived Quebec bashing in the English Canadian press following the airing of Heritage Minutes , which Lester perceived to be a "watered-down version" of Canadian history, [1] the treatment of the 1995 Quebec referendum, and the federalist advertising campaign that would later develop into the sponsorship scandal. According to Lester, the English Canadian media were quick to pick up on stories that were distorted or untruthful, such as the supposed singing of a Nazi anthem at an early sovereigntist rally (actually a different song with a similar title).

The books' overall aim is to refute many of the claims of federalists, to show that the Quebec sovereignty movement was not inherently fascist and anti-Semitic, and to assert that these prejudices were in plentiful supply in English Canada. Volume one accused former Canadian prime minister R. B. Bennett of funding the fascist Adrien Arcand. The books survey Canadian history and identify what Lester sees as injustices, discriminatory practices and racist and hate speech, and the encouragement of violence and infamous actions by politicians, journalists and Anglo-Canadian intellectuals against French Canadians, Indians, the Japanese and Jews.

The Black Book of English Canada 2 attempts to demonstrate that "the people who throw stones at us live in a glass house". Lester wishes to illustrate the extent to which Protestant English Canadians, throughout Canadian history, have been "intolerant of all the racial, ethnic and cultural minorities that existed in Canada". [1] The Black Book of English Canada 3 covers the perceived treatment of Quebecers in the twentieth century and the Acadians and French Canadians outside Quebec. Lester discusses discrimination in sport and the reaction of English Canada to the referendums in 1980 and 1995. [2]

Volumes

Reviews

The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society awarded Lester the Olivar-Asselin Award for his courage and professionalism. [4]

As far as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation was concerned, Lester's work was incompatible with the interests of the organization and they suspended him. [5] Lise Ravary accused Lester of lacking professional judgment in a critical review of the book. [6] William Johnson wrote of the book in The Globe and Mail, "It's the perfect piece of racist literature, a model on the methodology of inciting hatred." [7] In Folie et société au Québec Historian Philippe Quesnel ended his review saying: "Impatient, arrogant and triumphant, Lester failed on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to properly present the veracity of a dark story. He had invaluable professional experience, a solid body of documentary and rare courage, but like a storm, he shattered everything in his path without the slightest subtlety ..." [8]

CBC suspended Normand Lester. CBC Radio-Canada logo.svg
CBC suspended Normand Lester.

Political reactions

Quebec Premier Bernard Landry praised the book as a "must-read". [7] Graham Fraser, then Commissioner of Official Languages wrote: "Those who see Canada as a series of defeats can reconstruct history according to this vision and that is the attitude of Normand Lester in his trilogy." [9]

English edition

McClelland & Stewart published an English-language edition, The Black Book of English Canada, translated by Ray Conlogue in October 2002. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Le Devoir</i> French-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Canada

Le Devoir is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and throughout Canada. It was founded by journalist and politician Henri Bourassa in 1910.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1995 Quebec referendum</span> Historic vote on the independence of Quebec from Canada

The 1995 Quebec referendum was the second referendum to ask voters in the predominantly French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec whether Quebec should proclaim sovereignty and become an independent country, with the condition precedent of offering a political and economic agreement to Canada.

Articles related to Quebec include:

François Avard is a Canadian writer and scenarist best known as the writer of the Québécois television series Les Bougon.

<i>Oh Canada! Oh Quebec!</i>

Oh Canada! Oh Quebec! Requiem for a Divided Country is a book by Canadian novelist Mordecai Richler. Published in 1992, it parodied the evolution of language policy in Quebec, and spoofed the Canadian province of Quebec's language laws that restrict the use of the English language. The book, a best-seller, grew out of a long article published in a September 1991 issue of The New Yorker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zachary Richard</span> American musician and poet

Ralph Zachary Richard is an American singer-songwriter and poet. His music is a combination of Cajun and Zydeco musical styles.

Anti-Quebec sentiment is a form of prejudice which is expressed toward the government, culture, and/or the francophone people of Quebec. This prejudice must be distinguished from legitimate criticism of Quebec society or the Government of Quebec, though the question of what qualifies as legitimate criticism and mere prejudice is itself controversial. Some critics argue that allegations of Quebec bashing are sometimes used to deflect legitimate criticism of Quebec society, government, or public policies.

André Pratte is a Canadian journalist and former senator who represented the De Salaberry division in Quebec. Before being appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on March 18, 2016, Pratte was a journalist for over 35 years and was editor-in-chief of the Montreal newspaper La Presse. He was a member of the Independent Senators Group.

The Jan Wong controversy refers to a claim made by Jan Wong on September 16, 2006, three days after the shooting at Dawson College in Montreal. Canada's nationally distributed newspaper of record, The Globe and Mail, published a front-page article titled, "Get under the desk," by Jan Wong. In the article, Ms. Wong controversially linked all three Quebec school shootings of the last two decades—1989 École Polytechnique Massacre, 1992 Concordia University Massacre, and 2006 Dawson College Shooting —to the purported alienation brought about by "the decades-long linguistic struggle" within the province. Public outcry and political condemnation soon followed in many venues. In response, a Globe and Mail editorial attempted to minimize the controversy as a "small uproar" over journalistic freedom, but this caused further condemnation. Jan Wong maintained her perspective and wrote extensively about the whole experience in her book Out of the Blue, A Memoir of Workplace Depression, Recovery, Redemption and, Yes, Happiness.

Robin Philpot is a Quebec journalist and 2007 electoral candidate for the Parti Québécois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Cèdres, Quebec</span> Municipality in Quebec, Canada

Les Cèdres is a municipality located north of the Saint Lawrence River in the Montérégie of Quebec, Canada, near Vaudreuil-Dorion. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 7,184. The name means "The Cedars" in French.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Normétal</span> Municipality in Quebec, Canada

Normétal is a municipality in northwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Abitibi-Ouest Regional County Municipality. It had a population of 778 in the 2021 Canadian census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Normand Lester</span> Canadian journalist

Normand Lester is an investigative journalist from Quebec. Though he built his reputation through investigations of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canadian Forces, he is best known for the controversy created in Canada after the publication of his book Le Livre noir du Canada anglais in 2005.

<i>Laura limmortelle</i>

Laura l'immortelle is a novel by Marie-Pier Côté, a Québécois Canadian author. The book was published by Les Éditions des Intouchables on January 17, 2007, when Côté was 12 years old.

Quebecers or Quebeckers are people associated with Quebec. The term is most often used in reference to descendants of the French settlers in Quebec and people of any ethnicity who live in the province.

The Prix du Cercle du livre de France is a literary prize created by the Quebec publishing house Le Cercle du livre de France with the aim of promoting Quebec authors. From 1977 to 1985, the prize was offered by Esso Canada and was renamed Prix littéraire Esso du Cercle du livre de France.

Corinne De Vailly is a French-born Canadian writer living in Quebec.

The Rose Family is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Félix Rose and released in 2020. The film centres on the filmmaker's status as the son of Paul Rose, a onetime leader of the Front de libération du Québec who was convicted of kidnapping and murder in the death of Pierre Laporte, and his efforts to come to terms with his complicated familial legacy.

The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Quebec is an ongoing provincial effort to distribute and administer vaccines against COVID-19.

References

  1. 1 2 Dutrisac, Robert (November 16, 2002). "Le Livre noir du Canada anglais, tome 2 - Normand Lester règle ses comptes". Le Devoir . Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  2. ↑ Le livre noir du canada anglais tome 3. gallimardmontreal.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Normand Lester : Chronique d'un départ annoncé". Voir . Archived from the original on September 15, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Normand Lester". irq.quebec. Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Le Livre noir du Canada anglais: Radio-Canada suspend Normand Lester". Vigile Quebec. Archived from the original on May 5, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  6. ↑ Ravary, Lise (April 15, 2013). "Le livre noir de Normand Lester". Le Journal de Montréal . Retrieved March 1, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. 1 2 Jphnson, William (November 29, 2001). "Quebec is mad and it's all your fault". The Globe and Mail . Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  8. ↑ Quesnel, Philippe. "Lester, Normand, Le livre noir du Canada anglais" (PDF). erudit.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Le français en Amérique, d'hier à demain". clo-ocol.qc. 22 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2020-10-25. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  10. ↑ Glogovac, Marina (8 January 2004). "The Black Book of English Canada". Quill & Quire . Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.