Claude Ryan

The Duplessis years, labour unrest, the wide-ranging policies of Jean Lesage, the B&B Commission, the emergence of the Parti Québécois, the FLQ and the October Crisis of 1970 marked a period of intense change for Le Devoir.

Founded in 1910 by Henri Bourassa, the Montréal newspaper Le Devoir has long been characterized by its spirit of independence. This documentary explores the newspaper's influence and its coverage of local, national and international issues, including the controversial question of wartime conscription.

From coast to coast, from St. John's, Newfoundland to Vancouver, British Columbia, Jacques Godbout films a documentary chronicle of the political turnaround that was to follow the Meech Lake Accord. Following the Meech referendum, Quebec and Canada found themselves at an impasse after a long and ultimately fruitless negotiation, various social and political actors spoke out. Their comments, linked to film clips on the lives of important Canadian politicians (Sir Georges-Étienne Cartier, John A. Macdonald, Louis-Joseph Papineau...), draw parallels between the speeches of yesterday and those of the post-Meech era.

This film covers the transitional political period between the election of the Parti Québécois on November 15, 1976, and the Canadian federal election that brought Joe Clark to power. Featuring some of our most colourful politicians, historians, journalists, artists and citizens, this film highlights in parallel the convictions of each on the national political question, on the eve of the first Quebec referendum. Montage of newsreels shot between the election of the Parti Québécois on November 15, 1976, and the federal election of 1979.

A documentary which revisits the Quebec referendum of May 20, 1980, looking at both the Non/No and Oui/Yes sides.