Tuesday, July 6, 2021
As one of M. Ouellet's PhD students, I wrote the following tribute for the History Department at York University. This was circulated to the members of the department yesterday. I thought I would share it here as well:
"Fernand Ouellet spent the last part of his distinguished academic career in the Faculty of Arts History Department, retiring in the mid-1990s. He had previously taught at Université Laval, Carleton University, and the Université d’Ottawa. He came to York as the first Robarts Centre Chair in Canadian Studies in 1985-1986, taking up a full-time position in the History Department the following year. He received the J.B. Tyrrell Historical Medal of Royal Society of Canada in 1970, the Governor General’s award for non-fiction for his Le Bas-Canada, 1791-1840 in 1977, and an honorary doctorate from the Université Laurentienne in 2004. Ouellet was a member of the Order of Canada, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
He was one of the most prominent Canadian historians of his generation, and often a controversial one. His masterwork, Histoire économique et sociale du Québec, 1760-1850, was the product of many years working in the Provincial Archives of Québec as well as a deep engagement with Annales School historians, in particular the approach of Ernest Labrousse. Providing an anti-nationalist view of the history of post-Conquest Québec, his work defined much of the historiographical framework for a generation of scholars, even when they were arguing against his perspective. As an intellectual, he followed a distinctive path. While he knew other anti-nationalists in his home province, like Pierre Trudeau, he did not share the latter’s dedication to Catholicism. As a result, Ouellet was more difficult to define politically than many believed.
Ouellet was famous for engaging in vigorous debate in print and in scholarly meetings. As a teacher, he revelled in interpreting historical sources, and he was passionate in marshalling quantitative analysis to back up his perspectives. Few Canadian historians have embraced the type of quantitative history that formed the bedrock of his approach.
He was also a very supportive graduate supervisor and mentor. He was an incredibly good sport when I was completing a full draft of my dissertation to a strict deadline so that I could take up a postdoctoral fellowship. I remember couriering a draft of my conclusion over the December holidays in those days before email attachments were possible. He read it immediately, and fairly early on the morning of 1 January he phoned me to give me feedback. He confirmed that my draft was complete, and I was able to start the postdoctoral fellowship. I was very grateful to him for his support.
In the latter part of his career, Ouellet turned his attention to the history of Francophone Ontario, publishing L’Ontario français dans le Canada français avant 1911: contribution à l’histoire sociale, in 2005.
Ouellet was extremely dedicated to his family and his late wife, Thérèse, and I extend my condolences to his daughters and their family."
I would add that I found Professor Ouellet an inspirational historian, who conveyed his passion for history to his students. He was also a most generous mentor to me personally. I mourn his passing and celebrate his life.
Colin Coates, Professor, Glendon College, York University
