THE PRESCRIPTION
NOVEMBER 16, 1976
Quebec Premier Daniel Johnson died in office in 1968. His Union Nationale party lost the 1970 election to the Liberals under new leader Robert Bourassa, who thus became the youngest premier in Quebec history. Bourassa touted himself as a competent administrator and promised to kick-start the economy by tapping into Quebec’s extensive hydroelectric resources. The press started calling him “Bob le Job.”
Also in 1968, René Lévesque and Gilles Grégoire merged two nationalist political entities to create the Parti Québécois (PQ). Within 20 years, Grégoire’s career had degenerated into scandal and disgrace. Lévesque, on the other hand, was elevated to quasi-sainthood for many Quebecers, separatist and federalist.
The labour movement became the backbone of the fledgling Parti Québecois, with unions constantly threatening disruptions and strikes at Bourassa’s construction projects. Even though the Liberals won a record-breaking 102 seats to the PQ’s six in 1973, the popularity of the new party continued to grow. Lévesque, also known as tipoil (baldy), was making the PQ’s presence felt.
In a gesture to growing nationalism, Bourassa introduced Bill 22 in 1974, making French the sole official language of Quebec. The legislation turned Pierre Trudeau, the great promoter of bilingualism, into a Bourassa adversary. On a visit to Quebec City, Trudeau made his lack of respect for the premier clear, calling him a “mangeur de hotdogs.” When Bourassa did not respond publicly, some voters began to see him as weak.
The evening of Nov. 15, 1976, was as electric a night as I have experienced in Montreal. Although polling had pointed to a probable PQ victory, no one — not even Lévesque — could quite believe the results.
Shortly after the polls closed, I wandered into The Gazette’s editorial offices. Earlier in the day I had drawn stand-up caricatures of Lévesque and Bourassa, but with no idea of what I might have them say. Watching the faces of the editorial writers as they digested the results, I thought, “Everyone here looks like they could use a Valium.” Back at the drawing board, I adapted the line to create what would become my best-known cartoon. It conveyed a message that seemed to comfort Gazette readers, that the sun would continue to rise and set. While it’s true many people left Montreal then and in subsequent years, many more stayed and took their political Valium. We became better Montrealers for it.
On Saturday, Terry Mosher’s new book was published. Titled From Trudeau to Trudeau: Fifty Years of Aislin Cartoons, it has an introduction by Bob Rae. Also, Montreal’s McCord Museum will present an Aislin retrospective April 7 to Aug. 13.