The Rise and Fall of Adrien Arcand: Antisemitism in 20th Century Quebec

Abstract

Abstract:Leader of the National Social Christian Party from 1934 to 1938, and of the National Unity Party of Canada from 1938 to 1967, Adrien Arcand is reputed to be the most virulent antisemitic propagandist in Canadian history. In publications he disseminated between 1929 and 1939 (Le Goglu, Le Miroir, Le Chameau, Le Patriote, Le Fasciste canadien, and Le Combat national), Arcand drew on The Protocols of the Elders of Zion for his vilification of the Jewish people. Arrested in 1940 and imprisoned for the duration of the Second World War, he regained his freedom in 1945 and was able to resume his campaign of hateful propaganda against Jews with the full knowledge of the Canadian authorities. From which sources did Arcand draw his antisemitism, and how did he become the champion of antisemitism in Canada? This article attempts to explain this dark and enigmatic character.