Le Devoir
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2003_Quebec_general_election,_Le_Devoir.jpg
Le Devoir is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and the rest of Canada. It was founded by journalist, politician and nationalist Henri Bourassa in 1910.
History
Bourassa had resigned from the Liberal Party of Canada in 1910 after opposing Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier's decision to construct an independent Canadian Navy. Bourassa then created Le Devoir as an outlet for Quebec nationalism, the first issue appearing on January 10, 1910. During World War I, Bourassa criticized Canada's involvment and the adoption of conscription (see Conscription Crisis of 1917).
Bourassa headed the newspaper until August 3, 1932 when he was replaced by Georges Pelletier. The newspaper continued to speak for Quebec nationalists. During the troubled 1930s, Le Devoir widely opened its page to now-controvertial priest and historian Lionel Groulx and his followers. During World War II, it again opposed conscription (see Conscription Crisis of 1944).
After the death of Pelletier in early 1947, Gerard Filion, ex-editor of La Terre de chez Nous became editor of Le Devoir. In the 1950s, journalists such as André Laurendeau wrote sharp criticism of Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis. Claude Ryan took the helm in 1964, leaving in 1978 to pursue a career in politics. Later editors-in-chief and publishers have been:
- Jean-Louis Roy (1980–1986)
- Benoît Lauzière (1986–1990)
- Lise Bissonnette (1990–1998)
- Bernard Descôteau (1998–current)
Notable contributors have included André Laurendeau, Pierre Laporte, Michel Roy, Jean-Marc Léger, Normand Hudon, Paul Sauriol, Michel Venne and Jean Dion.
Recently, Le Devoir has favoured sovereignty for Quebec and social democracy. It has a relatively low circulation of about 30,000, but is widely considered very influential and the most respected intellectual newspaper of Quebec. Its financial situation has often been precarious, and recent years are no exception: in 2002, it had revenues of $14,376,530, with a meagre profit of $13,524, while the previous year it had made a small loss.
The newspaper's slogan is "Fais ce que doit".
In 1993 and 1994, the Society of News Design called Le Devoir the world's most beautiful newspaper.
See also
External link
- Le Devoir homepage (http://www.ledevoir.com) (in French)fr:Le Devoir