Eugenics, McGill, and the Catholic Church in Montreal and Quebec: 1890-1942.

Abstract

Tracing the origins of eugenics in Canada and seeking to apply a national model, the article explores the juxtaposition between the movement's origin in Britain and its popularity in the Canadian academic milieu, and its condemnation in Quebecois intellectual circles. The first aspect of the movement is explored through the work of two McGill professors, Carrie Derrick and J.G. Adami. In contrast, there is both apathy and resistance from the Quebecois polity--and the influence of Catholicism in forming a resistant position to the eugenics movement--to consider. The impact of works by Blais, Forest, and others are examined in this respect. The conclusion argues for a bifurcated response to eugenic ideas in Quebec, divided along linguistic-cultural lines.