Rotary in Quebec -- a difficult start
Louise de Pokomandy
Rotary Canada -- July 2009
Due to historical and cultural factors, the creation of Rotary clubs in Quebec was slow and difficult.
Until 1960, the Roman Catholic Church was very influential in Quebec and discouraged nonreligious organizations. It feared that its influence would be diminished and didn’t want its parishioners to be distracted from the Catholic faith.
The few clubs that were founded were mainly in large cities, established by Anglophone citizens who were often Protestant.
The Rotary clubs of Montreal (1913) and Quebec (1919) fall into this category. The vast majority of members were English speakers, and the majority of their business was conducted in this language. Existing members were recruiting from their business networks and didn’t favor the creation of new clubs, preferring to be part of a privileged and prestigious small group of Rotarians. One of the prerequisites to become a new member was a command of the English language. Therefore, Rotary was perceived as an Anglophone organization.
The language issue was sometimes a barrier for membership development. Even in our District 7790, until the implementation of simultaneous translation around 1990, Rotarians speaking solely French didn’t feel at ease. All regulations, procedures, documents, and certificates were only available in English.
The nationalist trend among the Québécois, even for those who are not in favor of Quebec's independence, makes them resistant to everything related to the English language. In some clubs, singing the Canadian national anthem during the meeting, boycotted by Québécois separatists, created problems for recruiting new members.
Despite all these difficulties, District 7790 has experienced two exceptional periods for the expansion of Rotary, thanks to the hard work and devotion of two Rotarians.
The first period was between 1940 and 1950, when Arthur Lagueux, a member of the Quebec club, past governor of District 7790, and 1950-51 RI president, created new clubs and recruited new members.
The second took place around 1990 and was initiated by Jacques Châteauvert, a member of the Quebec club and 1992-93 governor of District 7790.
The reasons there are fewer clubs in Quebec, with few members compared with the rest of Canada, seem to find their origin in Quebec's distinctive history and culture. There was also a clear lack of visibility and leadership from the first clubs, which were not inclined to create new ones. It is remarkable that regardless of all these obstacles, the hard work and dedication of two Rotarians at different times have led to the creation of numerous clubs and strong membership development.