Levesque, Georges-Henri

▪ 2001

      Canadian cleric and educator (b. Feb. 16, 1903, Roberval, Que.—d. Jan. 15, 2000, Quebec, Que.), was instrumental in bringing about Quebec's “Quiet Revolution,” the period of social change and modernization that the province experienced from 1960 to 1966. Ordained in the Dominican order in 1928, he was associated with Laval University, Quebec, from 1938 to 1955, first serving as professor of philosophy and economics and later as dean of the school of social sciences. From 1954 to 1963 he served as director of Montmorency House, a centre devoted to social, cultural, and religious debate and activism. He used his influence to help modernize church-controlled social welfare organizations, acquire federal grants for universities, and establish a number of new socioeconomic institutions. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1979.

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