'La fédération impériale, voilà notre ennemie' : Honoré Mercier and Public Opinion on Imperial Federalism as Seen Through the Montreal Press, 1885-1893

The author examines Quebec Premier (1887-1891) Honoré Mercier's critique of imperial federalism from 1885-1893 and its impact on public opinion in Montreal by analysing press coverage. The author points out that hostility to imperial federalism was nurtured and maintained by Mercier's continuous, multi-pronged and organised critique. He notes that this opposition to imperial federalism has been overlooked as a key issue in Mercier's political strategy. The author argues that disappointment with Confederation and the centralising tendencies of the federal government, coupled with surging French-Canadian nationalism, allowed Mercier to successfully frame imperial federation as a threat to provincial autonomy and to French-Canadian survival. He claims that Mercier's strategy relied on rhetoric, spectacle and political savvy in a successful example of elite opinion formation. An 1890 motion in the Quebec Assembly condemning imperial federation and an 1892 oratory contest on Canada's future at Sohmer Park, in Montreal, are examined through Montreal press coverage to illustrate the effectiveness of Mercier's critique that transcended partisan and ethnic divisions. Among the newspapers examined by the author are: the Montreal Star, The Gazette, the Montreal Herald and the Montreal Witness.

Master's Thesis

Queen's University

Kingston, ON

2019

iv-151p.

en