Maurice Duplessis

Sourced

• Less than fifteen cents to the province and more than twenty-five cents to Ottawa, this is far from being excessive!
  • Bill 43, Québec Legislative Assembly, January 14, 1954

• This is about an admitted attempt, encouraged from outside, to challenge and break the State's authority. That is intolerable. Whoever deviates from this policy that I have established, privately or publicly, will be expelled from the Union Nationale.
  • Response to the 1949 asbestos miner's strike on CBC radio.

Unsourced

• The province’s [Québec's] strength lies in the depth of its religious feeling... It must be the citadel of Christian civilization in Canada and even the entire North American continent.

• Let us remain attached to the land... In the country, there are stability, common sense and strong religious convictions.

• Hundreds of millions in capital has been invested to develop our resources. Let me repeat: American capital, English capital, French capital: Welcome!

• Heaven is blue, hell is red.
• Refers to the party colours of the Unione Nationale and the Liberals.

• The bishops eat out of my hand.

• Education is like alcohol; some people can't take it.

• You know, elections are not won with prayers.

• As long as I can keep the Jesuits scrapping with the Dominicans, I can get on with the business of the province.

• Two weeks ago, I pointed out that the Provincial Government had the firm intention to take the most rigorous and efficient measures possible to get rid of those who under the names of Jehovah's Witnesses, distribute circulars which in my opinion, are not only injurious for Quebec and its population, but which are of a very libellous and seditious character. The propaganda of the Jehovah's Witnesses cannot be tolerated and there are more than 400 of them now before the courts in Montreal, Quebec, Trois-Rivières and other centers.

• I kiss his [the priest's] ring and he kisses my a***.

Quotations about Maurice Duplessis

• The period leaves no one indifferent. And that was our goal. We present the facts. It's up to the public to decide.
  • Stephane Filion, a co-ordinator of a celebration in his hometown of the 40th anniversary of Duplessis' death.

• The saying goes that after the death of every great man there's a long period of ingratitude. I find Maurice Duplessis's period is lasting pretty long.
  • Bureau-Dufresne, surviving relative of Duplessis.

• Over the last 40 years, talking about Duplessis has become like talking about the devil himself.
  • Jean-Marc Beaudoin, columnist at the Trois-Rivières daily Le Nouvelliste, in 1999.

• If I never read a business page, my admiration for him would be complete.
  • Robert Fulford, commenting on Conrad Black's biography of Duplessis.

• Before Duplessis died, we’d all go to church and make our sign [of the cross], and a year later we didn’t go to Mass any more. So we looked for another set of values, one that was all-enveloping, like the Church.
  • Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe