MCQ Views and Voices

In this episode, Julie Miller and François Roy look beyond black and white definitions to talk about three women who lived outside of the box, in a "grey zone," with a foot in at least two worlds, sometimes more.  Whether  it was because of their family origins or through their own choices, these three individuals had the courage to define themselves beyond the strict roles dictated to t...

In this episode, hosts Julie Miller and François Roy talk about World War I and its impact on Trois-Rivières.   The Armoury was built in 1905, but it became a kind of private club for the local Liberal party.  François will reveal what Sam Hughes, the minister of munitions for the federal Conservative government, had to say about that.  You'll also hear about what happened to local MP Blondin...

This week hosts Julie Miller and François Roy are talking about industry - about a few specific industries in particular.  Did you know that 3 generations of the Bradley family operated a business in Red Mill, a hamlet near what is now Cap de la Madeleine, and that they produced red ochre powder for Canada Paint, and other companies, for almost a hundred years?  And you’ve seen the name Whitehead...

This week’s episode is a little bit longer than other weeks, but that is what happens when you hop into a canoe to explore rivers and waterways.  You just never know where you are going to end up. And that’s also what happens when you start to explore history:  one story leads to different story, one place leads to another place.  Hosts Julie Miller and François Roy start with a war, and an empire...

In this edition hosts Julie Miller and François Roy discuss the Crimean War. Although it was fought far away in Europe, it was a significant war for Trois Rivières, and for the rest of Quebec, for a very particular reason.  You’ll hear about an event in 1855 which turned the tides for French Canadians when a ship docked in Trois Rivières with an unusual and unprecedented cargo. During these years...

How did organized sport start developing in Trois Rivières?  That’s the subject of this episode. Hosts Julie Miller and François Roy cover a lot of bases –they'll talk about baseball,   horse racing, canoeing, snowshoeing, skating, tennis, and so much more.  There was even a cricket club once upon a time in TR! And as François likes to point out, you could even say politics was a sport, yes i...

One of the titles we also considered for this episode is "Religions and Royal Visits."  In this week's somewhat eclectic episode, our topics range from a very awkward Franciscan preacher to the passage of the Queen of England a century and a half later. You’ll also hear about some of the religious diversity that existed in Trois-Rivières in the late 1700s and through the 1800s, incl...

In lucky episode number 13,  hosts Julie and François compare  the very different life paths taken by two Loyalist families who first arrived in Trois Rivières as refugees after the American Revolution.  You’ll hear about an attorney general and about martial law; about who sympathised with the Patriotes in 1838 and who did not; and you’ll also find out about the first ever agricultural manual pub...

This week, Julie and François get down to business.  Literally.  This episodes picks up in the 1870s and 80s in Trois Rivières.  François has lots to say about the businessmen of the time, and what they did to get organized and develop the area economically.  The hosts  also talk about the development of trade unions, or the lack of them, in the early days in TR.  And then, they tackle the subject...

In this episode. Julie and François take a look at the Patriote rebellions of 1837-38, and at its effect on people in Trois Rivières, both during the events themselves and in the aftermath.  You can’t really talk about this time without discussing the general climate of the province.  This is a period marked by growing tensions, by abuse of power and an increasing concentration of wealth, and a po...

This episode is about two women who insisted on the right to self-determination, although they would have called it the right to "follow the guidance of their own heart."  One was a silversmith's daughter whose tale would be shocking even today; the other was the daughter of a prominent seigneur who had the temerity to fall in love with a lowly (and English speaking) Irish surgeon. ...

This episode is about the second wave of immigration of English speakers to Trois-Rivières, from about 1775 to the 1840's.  It was an age of industrialization and colonization.  We'll talk about the appearance of steam machines on George Davison's Lanton Farm.  We'll also hear about Matthew Bell's business savvy, as the longest-serving director of the Forges-Saint-Maurice....

This episode takes a look at the winter of 1775-76, when 3R was evacuated because of an advancing army.  Did the  Americans wreak havoc on Trifluvian life, or were they more of a ragtag army?  Why did the French Canadians call it, "La guerre des autres?" Who was General Riedesel, and what tradition did his charming wife Charlotte introduce to Québec?  This week, François tells Julie all...

After the British conquest of 1760, the English began to settle in Québec.  Many former naval and army officers bought land.  Many of the seigneuries in the Trois-Rivières/Bécancour/Nicolet area now had British owners, with names like Hart, Munro, Chandler, Cuthbert, and Gugy.  In this episode, Julie and François also talk about different waves of refugees who fled to the area for safety.

The Harts were a very important family in the history of Trois-Rivières, from Aaron Hart and his wife Dorothea Judah, to their sons Moses and Ezekiel, one of whom was famous, the other, infamous. There were several Jewish families in Trois-Rivières after 1760, and of these the Harts were the most prominent.  Aaron Hart is considered a founding member of the Jewish community in Canada.   In this ep...

There were two Scots living in Three Rivers, as it was known to the British, both of whom had been present at the Battle of Culloden of 1746, but on opposite sides.  This episode talks about some of the Scots who came to live here in the early days.

This episode covers more stories from the early days of an English - and protestant! - presence in Trois-Rivières.  Julie Miller and François Roy talk about Frederick Haldimand: who was he and why did he need a bilingual secretary? Who was Conrad Gugy, and who was the enigmatic woman he lived with:  was she a woman of ill-repute, or a wealthy woman of independent mind? 

Listen to this short clip from the first episode of our second season to hear what's coming up  on MCQ Views and Voices. 

Our second season is devoted to a special series on the history of English speakers in Trois-Rivières: "From Burton to Barton." In this introductory episode, host Julie Miller and this season's special guest, historian François Roy, give an overview of what's to come.  Who were the first English speakers?  Where did they come from, and what did they do?  How did the community g...

This episode explores the early days of a consistent English presence in 3R.  Host Julie Miller and this season's special guest, historian François Roy, discuss the Royal American and Fraser's 78th regiments, and François introduces us to the Ralph Burton referred to in the series' title, From Burton to Barton.

Barry Husk is back for another chat with Julie Miller in this fourth episode in our series about the history of Drummondville.  Things really began to change at the end of the 1800s when Southern Canada Power chose to build a power plant in Drummondville.  It was an intense period: the town grew from a place that made axes and wooden spools and not much more, to a place with many textile factories...

John Husk has a special story about how he first decided to get involved in municipal politics 12 years ago at only 27 years of age.  He hasn't looked back since.  This fall, John will be retiring as a city councilor in Drummondville as a new chapter opens in his life, but he will continue to be a champion for the environment.  He talks about growing up in Drummondville, what happened when hi...

In this episode in our mental health series, hosts Emily Vidal and Julie Miller meet Pauline Meunier of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.  Pauline was a paramedic for many years before becoming a master trainer for the Mental Health Commission's workshops and sessions.  She's become a passionate spokesperson for the commission and has been involved in its development.  Where does t...

At the beginning of the pandemic, Montreal-based mental health support and advocacy group, Ami-Quebec, put their services online.  This meant that English speakers from outside the metropolitan area can now have access to their programs - and this includes people in the Mauricie and Centre du Québec.  In this episode, hosts Emily Vidal and Julie Miller speak with Marc Griffin and Tony Alfonso of A...

In this fourth episode in our series about mental health and stigma, Julie Miller and Emily Vidal speak  with Victoria Kuczynski.  Victoria is a counsellor who works with the Montreal organization, Friends for Mental Health.  We talk about the impact of the pandemic on youth based on Victoria's experience over the past year.  Do we have unrealistic expectations of adolescents?  How heavy are...