Maurice Duplessis. Marguerite Paulin

by his loyal MLAs, the leader of the Opposition uses every trick in the book. Theatrical, funny, he draws crowds. They stream into church basements or parks to hear Maurice denounce Taschereau and his deceitfulness. More than two hundred speeches. The pre-electoral tour of 1934 is a foretaste of next year’s campaign. “It seems that the Action Libérale Nationale…” If by chance Duplessis hears these words, he snaps back: “The Bleus are the only opponents of the Rouges. This movement doesn’t even qualify as a political party. Its members are dreamers, charlatans. There’s nothing serious about them!”

      As for Paul Gouin, he too is hard at work. He too attends electoral rallies. Less brilliant than Duplessis, he has nevertheless surrounded himself with a team of men who believe strongly in their ideas. Dr. Philippe Hamel, among others, is one of the more fervent proponents of bringing electricity to all of Quebec. There is no doubt in his mind that private companies such as Shawinigan Water and Power are dipping into the province’s greatest natural wealth: water. The time has come to rein in this monopoly. If the Action Libérale Nationale (ALN) takes power, the Assembly will bring in a law to nationalize electricity. The idea is very attractive indeed.

      Even if Duplessis publicly opposes any kind of alliance with this newly emerging political party, privately he is more prudent. There must not be three parties in the upcoming election. How to stop Gouin and his Action Libérale Nationale party from forging ahead?

      At the traditional year-end banquet held in the festive red-and-gold ballroom of the Château Frontenac Hotel, the Conservatives gather around their leader. Enthusiasm has never run so high. Victory has never been so close. Maurice is more discreet. He is weighing his party’s chances of success. And they are good. They would be better if the son of Lomer Gouin were not in the picture. Paul Sauvé lifts his glass to toast Maurice’s health.

      “Come on, Maurice, you look worried,” says Sauvé, who comes over and sits down beside him.

      “Did you listen to the radio broadcasts of the Action Libérale Nationale?” Maurice asks.

      “On Radio-Canada? A few times… I’m not always free Sunday evenings between seven and seven-thirty. They have been airing them for almost three months now. But I’ve heard about them,” replies Sauvé.

      “Paul, my friend, let me just say one thing: radio is a very effective weapon. We’ll have to start using it. We can’t allow our opponents to monopolize the airwaves. Look at Roosevelt. He’s been president for the past two and a half years and you can hear him everywhere. He is a good model for our party. His idea of a “New Deal” is to put people to work on big public projects… We should introduce a similar program here.”

      “Maurice, Maurice…”

      Hortensius Béique joins Sauvé and Duplessis.

      “Tell us what the Empire State Building was like, Maurice?”