The Smallwood Era by Frederick W. Rowe (review)

REVIEWS 425 Theplanmightappearawkward andalittleunwieldy tomanyreaders. On theonehand,Thomsonwantedtowriteabiography of Lesage andportrayhis roleasheadof theQuebecLiberalgovernment from •96o until •966. Buton theotherhand,theauthorsought todescribe 'inconsiderable detail'themajor reforms of thatgovernment. He undoubtedly feltthat,werehetointegratehis morethan3oopagesof dense,fact-packed, statistics-laden materialon the economy, education, the civilservice, federal-provincial relations, Quebec's links withFrance, andsoonintothebiographical portion, Lesage wouldsimply have been buried under the avalanche of information. Thomson's Lesage of coursehasoutstanding qualities.He isintelligent, energetic, ambitious, eloquent. His'sense of responsibility' and'hisinstinct for leadership' madehimeagertorealizehismajorobjective: 'themodernization ofQuebec.' He evenratesacomparison withChurchill.Buthehadhisfaults, too:hewas arrogant,egocentric, irascible, andoftenunabletocontrolacabinet studded withpublicity-seeking stars andfrequently racked bydissension. Moreover, Lesage's alcoholism sadlybecame moreserious astimepassed. It mightberegrettedthat,after somuchdescription, theauthorhasnot seen fittodomoreinterpreting. Hischapters rarelyhavesummaries, andeven thegeneral conclusion attheendof thebookserves mainlytodescribe Lesage's post-•966activities.Still, it is obviousthat Thomson'sview of the Quiet Revolution ishighlyfavourable.He sees it ashavingunleashed the energies andambitions of Quebec's people,'stirringrestlessly afteralmost continuous conservative leadership extending backtothefoundation of thecolony more thanthreecenturies earlier.'Thisvision probably coincides withthefavourable views of mostof Quebec's 'intelligentsia.' Of course, thereformsmodernized Quebec, improvedin manywaysthelotof Francophones, andputanendto some of thedetestable practices of theDuplessis years. But,measured against theirpromises, theycertainly hadtheirfailings too.Nowthataquartercentury haselapsed, it istimefor areinterpretation of theQuietRevolution, bothinits immediate consequences, described in Thomson's book,andin itslong-term effects. RIC•^RD jo•v.s Universitd Laval TheSmallwoodEra. Fm•Dv. RXCI{ w. Rowv.. Toronto:McGraw-HillRyerson•984. Pp.249.$34.95 It isperhaps because wehavecometoexpectsomuchof historian-statesman Frederick Rowethatthisvolumefailsto measure up to expectations. Rowe's goalis to tell the 'inside'storyand therebyrestoresomebalanceto the interpretation of theSmallwood erawhichin recentyearshasbeena fertile fieldfor revisionist scholars. To dispelvarious'myths,'Rowerecounts the events surrounding Confederation and chronicles the achievements of the Smallwood administration in industry,education, culture,andsocial welfare. 426 THE CANADIAN HISTORICAL REVIEW Muchof thisstoryhasbeentoldbefore,bothin Rowe's History ofNewfoundland andLabrador andin Smallwood's ownself-serving tomes.The assessments of Smallwood's friendsandenemies, towhichRowedevotes achapter, arepolite andguarded, nothing likethecolourful language thatJohnCrosbie andothers musthaveusedtodescribe thecontroversial premier.Such testimonies dolittle toaltertheSmallwood image forgood orill.Nordoes theammunition aimedat the 'myths'always hit its mark. It is not enoughto offer the impressive credentials of Smallwood's cabinetto dispelthe accusation thatthe premier surroundedhimselfwith lackeysor to cite construction specifications to demolish rumoursthattheTrans-Canada Highwayisnotuptoscratch. Onthe issue ofresetdement, Roweisonfirmerground,pointingtothelonghistory of outportconsolidation prior to Confederationto put the government's programin perspective. It isunlikelythatRowe's carefully craftedarguments willspike revisionists guns.Nevertheless, it isusefulto havesucha lucidNewfoundland Liberal perspective in print.Thisperspective becomes particularly intriguing whenit isfocused onOttawa.Rowesuggests thatDiefenbaker's decline waspossibly precipitated bytheChieFs flat-footed treatmentof Newfoundland overTerm •9 and the Woodworkers' strike;that Smallwood wasprobablythe first politician to recognize Trudeau'spotentialasnationalleader;and that the AtlanticDevelopmentBoard wasestablished by Jack Pickersgill. If these contentions are true, then Canadianhistoriography is in seriousneed of revision. Rowe wasaSmallwood loyalist, somuchsothathewithdrewhisbidforparty leadership in 2969whenSmallwood capriciously re-enteredthe race.This musthavebeena difficulttimefor Rowe;yethe reveals littleof hisfeelings about theeventorotherdifficultmoments inhislongtenureinNewfoundland politics. Thisistoberegretted, notbecause Smallwood's career isunworthy of defence,but because Rowehasa fascinating careerin hisownright. An accountof growingup in outport Newfoundland,his experiences as an educator, civilservant, politician, senator, andauthorwouldtellusmoreabout the 'Smallwoodera' than the retellingof its legislative achievements. It is hopedthatFrederickRowewillmakehimselfthesubject of hisnextvolume. MARGAR•.'r CONm•t) AcadiaUniversity FLQ:TheAnatomy ofanUnderground Movement. •.outsgOURN•.a Translated by •.t)wAat) B•x'r•.a.sc Press•984. Pp. 373, illus. If Canadianswere askedwhat they remember mostvividlyaboutrecent Canadian history, a majority wouldrefer mostlikelytotheemergence ofthe terroristmovement in Quebecduringthe •96os.More precisely, theywould recallclearlythe OctoberCrisisof •97o when two Front de Lib6rationdu ...