“And as principles and ideas are incarnate in men and manifest themselves by events, we will take on the men and the events hand to hand and judge them in light of our principles. Le Devoir will support honest folk and denounce rascals.” (Translation) ~Henri Bourassa, Le Devoir, first edition, January 10, 1910.

I am sure that this excerpt will make current-day readers smile. Although the serious tone of the opening may surprise us, we probably can’t help but appreciate the choice of the word “rascals.” It is very refreshing.

This January 10, Le Devoir celebrates its 100th anniversary. Crossing the century mark and always staying the course in spite of turbulent times is something many other independent dailies would envy. Here is an overview of this long journey.

Fervently and fully confident in his mission, Henri Bourassa founded the newspaper Le Devoir, whose motto “Fais ce que dois” (Do as you must), knew how to rally nationalist readership. “To ensure the triumph of ideas over desires and public good over party spirit there is only one way - to awaken in people, particularly in the ruling classes, the feeling of public duty in all its forms: religious duty, national duty, civic duty.” (Translation) The above appeared in this first edition on January 10, 1910. Journalists with rebellious pens would protest the major trends of the times, among them the establishment of the Canadian Navy, the law on conscription, acknowledgement of the French language, the role of the Church, and financial and political scandals. Shaken by the death of his wife, Joséphine Papineau, and by financial losses at the paper, Bourassa retired in spite of himself in 1932. Still, he made certain that the newspaper could maintain its autonomy and continue to reflect its original objectives, the mainstays of its foundation. Thus, two trusts were formed. The first, made up of three members, controlled the 2051 voting shares of Imprimerie populaire (IPL), owner of the paper, that is, the majority of votes plus one. This trust jointly with the IPL’s board named the director who issued a block of shares for the duration of his mandate. The other trust would serve somewhat as a barrier against certain legal procedures that the editor might undertake. To counter these initiatives, the latter could not act without the support of this trust. Thus, there was double protection to properly ensure the paper’s independence of thought.

Under George Pelletier, Le Devoir began to blossom. Pelletier had a more flexible and less ambiguous style and financially renewed the paper, his less crusty personality attracting a number of advertisers. However, in 1947 the new editor Gérard Filion took over Le Devoir, again mired in a very bad financial situation. He put the business back on track, and rejuvenated the team of writers and the infrastructure from printing press to board of directors. Social issues were increasingly discussed, namely the textile and asbestos strikes. The youthful Filion took a firm stance on some positions including the national question: “As long as Canada has the same king as Great Britain, as long as any British subject can from one day to the next claim to be a Canadian citizen and settle comfortably in any upper management position, as long as a stranger can come to Ottawa give the name of a foreign monarch as a symbol of authority, Canada will tow the line of Great Britain and serve imperial interests.” (Translation) On Québec-France relations: “People must be treated for what they are worth…The French who come to visit us are not always agreeable, but we must not forget that Canadians who go to Paris do not always reflect who we are. So we must allow some compensation.” (Translation)

In 1963, Le Devoir finally accumulated profits of $300,000, and Claude Ryan took charge of the paper under more favourable auspices. On its 60th anniversary he wrote that (The paper) faithful to its origins, attaches more importance to certain kinds of information, showing particular interest in areas that most affect the essential values of the existence of society. In the way it chooses to treat this information it is guided not by jealous and indiscriminate ideology, but by concern for truth, justice and balance. Every day it makes errors of omission or exaggeration, attributable as much to the inevitable pitfalls faced by a daily newspaper as with the paucity of material resources, but rarely from narrow-minded preoccupations. Freedom and responsibility form a happy couple at Le Devoir: you can’t have one without the other.

A turbulent year followed, both on the international scene and in Québec. Le Devoir was not spared, and many predicted its demise in these troubled times. However, Jean-Louis Roy enhanced its economic and cultural pages and put it back on the right foot. In the January 15, 1981 edition, he stated that the weekly cultural supplements constitute a formidable resource for the paper and for society. They must present all of our community’s cultural activities, and analyze and comment on the events that they attend. Without complaisance, the content must encourage the production of solid work, support the research and exchanges that make cultural activities accessible everywhere, and participate in discussions that we hope one day will result in a true Québec cultural policy. (Translation)

Lise Bissonnette, the first woman at the helm, took charge in 1990. Under her watch, a complete restructuring took place to salvage the most essential. With a new banner, Le Devoir Inc., and new shareholders including the Fonds de solidarité and the Mouvement Desjardins, highly successful fundraising campaigns enabled Le Devoir to pursue a more secure course. In the September 24, 1990 edition, Lise Bissonnette made the following observations: “LE DEVOIR turned 84 this year, but with some concern. Once again, and not for the first time, people began to sign its death warrant – both those who were irritated by it and even alas, those who like and appreciate it. But as soon as it showed signs of revival, the bad omens fell silent. This paper’s strong will to live (miraculously a hundred times), resembles that of the society from which it comes.

Whether we make it or read it, challenge or praise it, we feel before it like a precious anomaly, proof that fatality sometimes fails. LE DEVOIR is never assured, but its presence reassures. Sometimes when we really want it the impossible is possible.” (Translation) In 1998, Lise Bissonnette succeeded to Bernard Descôteaux, who ensured the paper’s stability and wanted to make it profitable despite competition, the cost of newsprint, and other unstable financial factors. As to content, always faithful to its original values, Le Devoir became a respected reference recognized by its faithful and diligent readers. In the March 22, 1999 edition Bernard Descôteaux stated that readers should remember what Le Devoir is and say what we want it to be. Canada today has 105 daily papers, more than half (56) belonging to Conrad Black. Only six of these 105 papers are independent, making Le Devoir a special case because it does not belong to anyone person but to all the people of Québéc. In this new era of globalisation and multi-media, Le Devoir’s team of writers, very innovative in their traditionalism, launched Cyberpresse, its own on-line news website, in 1997, one of the first daily papers to do so. In addition to headlines, there are diverse sections from archives to blogs by various journalists.

Several commemorative events will take place this year to highlight the amazing journey of Le Devoir, a privileged witness of Québécois society: its leaders, artisans, people and culture. At the heart of all the battles and debates, the paper’s various teams over the years have ensured the stability and professionalism of its content, faithfully respecting the vision of its creator who gets the last word:

“Moreover, do not fear the austerity of the title: duty (Le Devoir) does not exclude joyfulness, on the contrary.

Without a doubt, we will not give our readers the kind of pleasures found in abundance in the “large print small image” papers, as a discreet colleague once called them, but we will have an editorial staff with enough variety to make LE DEVOIR as pleasant as it is useful.

On everything – form and content– we have not for an instant dreamt that it would be possible to please everyone or to attain perfection. Our ambition is limited seeking to do our best in what we preach: the devoir of each day.

We hope to deserve the kindness, encouragement and good advice from people with wisdom and wit. As to the others, we do not really care.” (Translation)

(H. Bourassa, Avant le combat, Le Devoir, January 10, 1910)