À la québécoise : Portraits of Exceptional Women

David La Haye, actor (born at Belœil, Que 19 Apr 1966).

"Five!? There are five? My God! What am I going to do with five babies?" exclaimed Oliva Dionne on May 28, 1934, when his wife Elzire delivered quintuplets. Elzire managed only to gasp "Holy Mary!" as she realized that their family had increased from seven to 12.

On October 23rd, 1837 some 5000 people gathered at Saint Charles, Lower Canada. They came to hear their inspiring leader Louis-Joseph Papineau. It was a new phenomenon in the young democracy, an angry crowd demanding political change.

Rock Demers, producer (b at Sainte Cécile-de-Levard, Qué 11 Dec 1933). After studying education and audiovisual techniques, he began to work in the film industry in 1960, first in the area of distribution and second for Montréal's International Festival of Film, which he managed from 1962 to 1967.

Hubert Aquin, novelist (born 24 October 1929 in Montréal, QC; died 15 March 1977 in Montréal).

Gilles Archambault, novelist (b at Montréal 19 Sept 1933). He received his BA (1955) from Collège Sainte-Marie and his LL (1957) from Université de Montréal. He worked for Radio-Canada (1963-92) before becoming a radio producer and commentator.

Yves Beauchemin, writer (b at Noranda, Québec; d 26 June 1941). Before becoming a Radio-Québec researcher, Beauchemin taught and worked in publishing.

Marie-Claire Blais, novelist (b at Québec City 5 Oct 1939). Marie-Claire Blais grew up in the working-class neighbourhood of Limoilou, in Québec City.

Félicité Angers, pen name Laure Conan, writer (b at La Malbaie, Qué 9 Jan 1845; d at Québec C 6 June 1924). A witness to her times and the first French Canadian female novelist, Conan's writings followed the triple imperative of family, nation and religion.

Victor-Lévy Beaulieu, journalist, novelist, essayist, playwright, publisher, polemicist (b at Saint-Paul-de-la-Croix, Que, 2 Sep 1945).

Anne Hébert, CC, poet, playwright, novelist (born 1 August 1916 in Sainte-Catherine-de-Fossambault, QC; died 22 January 2000 in Montréal).

André Langevin, novelist, journalist (b at Montréal, Qué 11 July 1927; d at Cowansville, 21 February 2009). The author of 5 novels, Langevin lost both parents at an early age and spent 7 years in an orphanage, an experience that left an indelible mark on his fiction.

Gabrielle Roy, C.C., author (born 22 March 1909 at Saint Boniface, MB; died 13 July 1983 at Québec, QC).

André Major, writer, literary critic, journalist (b at Montréal 22 Apr 1942). Since 1973 Major has been a producer of cultural programs for the Radio-Canada network. He first became known in 1961, with the appearance of 2 collections of poetry: Le Froid se meurt and Holocauste à deux voix.

Roy Dupuis, actor (b at Haileybury ON 21 April 1963).

Bernadette Renaud, author, playwright (born 18 April 1945 in Ascot Corner, Québec).

Arlette Cousture, novelist (b at Saint-Lambert 3 Apr 1948). With a Bachelor of Arts from collège Sainte-Marie and education in cultural and theatre activities from the Université du Québec à Montréal, Arlette Cousture practised various professions before devoting herself to writing.

Normand Hudon, caricaturist, painter, fantasist (b at Montréal 5 June 1929, d at Montréal 8 Jan 1997).

Sir Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine, also La Fontaine, politician (b at Boucherville, LC 4 Oct 1807; d at Montréal 26 Feb 1864).

Thérèse Casgrain, née Forget, CC, OBE, reformer, activist, feminist, politician (born 10 July 1896 in Montréal, QC; died 2 November 1981 in Montréal).

Pierre Bourgault, journalist, politician, author and professor (born 23 January 1934 in East-Angus, QC; died 16 June 2003 in Montréal, QC). A talented public speaker and advocate of the French language, Bourgault was a pioneer of the Québec sovereignty movement.

Pauline Julien, CQ, singer, actress, songwriter (born 23 May 1928 in Trois-Rivières, QC; died 1 October 1998 in Montréal, QC).

Two years ago, on the same day that he finished the manuscript of a new novel, Petit Homme Tornade (Little Man Tornado), author Roch Carrier received a call from Ottawa asking him to become the director of the Canada Council. Telling himself that "it was time to give back to the system," he agreed.

Under the leadership of Premier Maurice DUPLESSIS in the 1940s and 50s, the Québec government was responsible for a significant number of healthy children being diagnosed as mentally incompetent and sent to psychiatric hospitals.