An unknown piece of local history was unveiled recently as the director of a new documentary on a secret French Canadian order talked about a local chapter of the Ordre de Jacques-Cartier.
On March 26 at 3 p.m., Centre La Picasse in Petit de Grat will host a screening of Director Phil Comeau’s latest documentary The Secret Order about the Ordre de Jacques-Cartier.
According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, the first meeting of the Ordre de Jacques-Cartier (OJC), also referred to as “La Patente,” took place on Oct. 22, 1926 in the rectory of the Saint-Charles Church in Ottawa. Convened by Father François-Xavier Barrette and civil engineer Albert Ménard, they said the goal was to establish an organization that could further the interests of French Canadians within the federal public service.
Another major reason for the formation of the secret order was to curb the influence of Anglophone societies such as the Knight of Columbus, the Orange Order, and the Freemasons that were considered detrimental to French-speaking Catholics, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia.
At the time of its formation, Comeau said groups like the Ku Klux Klan had been active for years around Nova Scotia working against Francophones and Catholics, noting “they were burning crosses and everything.”
Comeau said the order was formed to defend the interests of French Canadians as this group was “very poor compared to the majority” of Nova Scotia. And at that time, the best way to work for French-speaking people was behind closed doors, he said.
Around the country, Comeau said the secret society infiltrated all levels of government, the private sector, associations, and the media for more than 40 years. He said the directors would send orders from the head office in Ottawa to local chapters, or commanderies.
Among the more than 72,000 members across Canada were 15 Richmond County residents belonging to an Isle Madame chapter, that was active between 1955 and 1965, and included: Carl Boudreau; Walter Bourque; Wilfrid Duan; Joseph Antoine Samson; Joseph C. LeBlanc; Dan D. Marchand; Joseph-Francois Martel; Francois G. Samson; Raymond George Samson; William D. Marchand; Maurice E. Poirier; Gerald Joseph Boucher; Paul Baccardax; Dennis W. Britten; and Joseph A. Mury.
In addition to Isle Madame, Comeau said members of the local cell came from communities like L’Ardoise, River Bourgeois, and Louisdale, and included College Sainte-Anne students.
In the 10 years the local group existed, Comeau they did “amazing” work, helping bring major industry to the Point Tupper area to keep people at home, and were heavily involved in the Antigonish Movement, such as co-operatives to help everyone, and credit unions because Acadians couldn’t borrow money from regular banks to open businesses.
Comeau said the secret order helped bring more French-speaking clergy to local communities.
While never partisan, Comeau noted that the order was heavily involved in local politics, supporting candidates or deputies that shared their values. He said Liberals and Progressive Conservatives were represented in the local group.
Comeau said the local commandery worked to get bursaries for students wanting to attend university or college, noting that they supported education for young Acadians.
Comeau said the group worked to legalize French education, which was technically illegal in Nova Scotia until 1968, and only recognized as an official national language in the same year.
The secret society was instrumental in expanding Radio-Canada into Nova Scotia and helped bring bilingual signs to Acadian areas, Comeau said.
Comeau said the organization was not exclusive to those with French names, and in the minutes from meetings Comeau researched, he never came across anything that was anti-English.
Although the permission of the bishop was necessary, and the local group needed members who were practicing Catholics, the director said the secret order was not affiliated with the Catholic Church.
In the wake of the Second World War, the Canadian Encyclopedia said new francophone associations emerged such as the Société Richelieu (formed in 1944) which was part the OJC’s desire to create organizations that would counter the appeal of “neutral” social clubs that were not Catholic.
The encyclopedia said the OJC grew considerably by the mid-1950s, thanks largely to the help of chaplains and priests. Initially made up of a single commandery, they said the society comprised 59 cells in 1934 and 128 in 1940. It was primarily active in Ontario and Québec but also had cells in Manitoba (1930), Alberta (1930), Saskatchewan (1931) and New Brunswick (1933).
At the time of its dissolution, the encyclopedia said the OJC had 550 cells and over 5,000 members. At its peak, between 1955 and 1956, the number of members reached 11,300, they said. The order recruited mainly from various nationalist civil society organizations, such as the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste, they noted.
The encyclopedia said its members were all men, and recruits had to undergo a secret initiation ritual.
The order was not a democracy and members were recruited based on a complex hierarchical structure, according to the encyclopedia. At the top were the chancellors, who had the power to establish, oversee and suspend operating policies, they said, noting they also had final say in directing political affairs.
To support the chancellors, the OJC relied on a permanent secretariat whose primary responsibility was to publish the bulletin L’Émerillion, noted the encyclopedia. Over the years, they said the structure became more regionalized through the creation of provincial and regional councils, as well as local commanderies.
The OJC focused on addressing national problems, and to do so, it relied on infiltration and outsourcing, said the encyclopedia. According to its doctrine, the order aimed not to replace existing organizations but to influence them indirectly so discretion was key, they noted. They said the order discreetly recruited a number of decision and opinion makers from French Canadian society.
Like other patriotic societies, the encyclopedia said the OJC was active mainly within the political sphere. It fought for institutional bilingualism in the federal public service using its vast network to ensure Francophones were appointed to certain key positions, they said.
The order’s directors planned opinion campaigns and coordinated with outsourcing organizations to launch them, said the encyclopedia. Using this method, they said the order organized several campaigns calling for the issue of bilingual cheques for family allowances (1945) and, later, for old age pensions (1952). At the same time, it launched a number of offensives in favour of reintroducing French into civil society, they said.
In the early 1960s, the order went through a period of turmoil, noted the encyclopedia. The rise of the independence movement, the growing secularization of society, and the ideas of democratization and social development that prevailed at the time rattled the foundations of the order, they said.
Within the organization, more and more directors in Québec supported the neo-nationalism and Quiet Revolution occurring in the province which clashed with members from minority francophone communities elsewhere in Canada, said the encyclopedia.
Shaken by this discord, the encyclopedia noted that the order could no longer remain secret, and starting in 1963, the organization’s discreet nature was undermined by denunciations.
In February 1965, the chancellors decided to dissolve the Ordre de Jacques-Cartier in favour of four large parallel councils representing Western Canada, Ontario, Québec, and the Maritimes, according to the encyclopedia.
After learning that his father was a member, Comeau said he knew he had to retrace his secret journey.
In The Secret Order, which as National Film Board of Canada production, former members of the organization are identified for the first time, witnesses tell their stories, and experts offer context and explanation, Comeau said, noting the film recreates an initiation ceremony.
After the embargo on the information was recently lifted, Comeau said he conducted research at the National Archives, the University of Ottawa, the Université de Montreal, and Université de Moncton.
Considering their contributions to this region, it is unfortunate that this local commandery and its members remained secret for so many years.
Not just dealing with French language affairs, this chapter admirably helped attract major employers to the Strait area, worked for the formation of co-operatives and credit unions to help communities and residents, and promoted education and assistance for students.
Even in the more touchy areas of politics and religion, the local chapter reasonably wanted Acadian areas to be served by French-speaking clergy since they wielded so much power, and the local group was not partisan, choosing to back candidates who shared their interests, regardless of party affiliation.
Even more minor accomplishments, like bilingual signage and bringing Francophone news sources to the province, were beneficial to many Nova Scotians and many communities around the province.
And this was all accomplished without promoting anti-English, or anti-Protestant sentiment against their neighbours.
These people shaped the destinies of communities and people around the Strait of Canso for many years, and although it was done behind closed doors, they deserve public acknowledgement of their contributions.