Article content

In 1971, I found myself, only fours years after coming to Montreal from New York City, working for CBC Radio on a program called Quebec Now. My job was to travel around Quebec to put together radio documentaries about working people and everyday life, but I also told the story of the chronic unemployment and poverty found in the regions.

Forty years ago, there was a lot of hardship here. But two generations later, anyone with a historical memory can see how deeply Quebec has changed. The élan of the Quiet Revolution has carried itself forward in subsequent decades to create a Québécois variant of what French economist Thomas Piketty calls the post-Second World War “social state.”

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Opinion: Quebec needs its 'social state' more than ever Back to video

I now teach literature at Montreal’s Dawson College and see the very tangible benefits for young people of living in today’s Quebec.

CEGEPs themselves confer a great advantage, offering low-cost post-secondary education. Affordable daycare obviously benefits young families. An extremely poor urban person in Montreal has services, such as a CLSC, that help one cope.