McGILL UNIVERSITY GENESIS OF THE MONTREAL COUNCIL OF SOCIAL AGENCIES A Thesis Submitted to The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for The Master's Degree in Social Work by William F. Shepherd Montreal, April, 1957 DEDICATION To my wife and son with gratitude for their forbearance and encouragement 1 ii ACKNOWLEDGMENT The writer wishes to thank the President and members of the Board of The Boys' Farm and Training School for permission to attend the McGill School of Social Work on a part­ time basis from 1953 to 1957. The co-operation of Mr. Charles H.Young, Executive Director of the Montreal Council of Social Agencies; Miss Gwyneth Howell, Associate Executive Director, and her staff is gratefully acknowledged. Appreciation is extended to Miss Eva R. Younge and Professor Philip Garigue for valued consultation and assistance. Special thanks are due Dr. John J.O.Moore, Director of the McGill School, who did the author the honour of acting as his student and thesis advisor. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES • • v LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS • • • • • • vi LIST OF APPENDICES • • • vii INTRODUCTION • • • 1 Chapter I THE SOCIAL SERVICES OF QUEBEC, HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT • • • • 12 II THE FORMATION OF THE COUNCIL • • 42 III FINANCIAL FEDERATION • • 76 IV THE PROBLEM OF MENTAL RETARDATION • 95 v CONCLUSIONS. • • • 128 APPENDICES • • . • • • • • 146 BIBLIOGRAPHY • • 153 iv LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Population of Montreal 1642-1941 • 22 2 Distribution of Public Funds to Private Agencies in Montreal 1918-1919 • • • • • • • • 81 v LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1 Montreal Council of Social Agencies Organization Chart 1922 • • • • 2 Objectives and Receipts Welfare Federation Campaign 1922-56. • • 91 vi LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix Page A Montreal Council of Social Agencies List of Member Agencies, March, 1957 •• 146 B List of Agencies attending organ- izational meeting: Montreal Council of Social Agencies January, 1919 • . 149 C Financial Federation 1922, First Board of Directors. • • • • 151 D Red Feather Agencies March, 1957 • 152 vii Master of Social Work School of Social Work McGill University William F. Shepherd GmESIS OF THE MONTREAL COUNCIL OF SOCIAL AGENCIES Thesis Abstract This is a stu~ of the origine of the Montreal Council of Social Agencies, a highly-deTeloped welfare planning bo~ of Montreal. An analysis is made here of its position and its functions in relation to the historical background of the Province of Quebec and to the cultural !'orees which :iapinge on the Council' s growth Sld deTelOJDE'Ilt. The wrk deals also with the fomation of Financial Federation because of the symbiotic relationship which existe between it and the Co un cil. The Council's efforts on behalf o!' mentally retarded children are discussed in detail and the writer concludes that the Council's work is constantl7 influenced by the traditional attitudes of French Catholics in the ProTince of Quebec. This thesis emphasizes the importance, to both English and French, of a mutual understanding of their characteristic cultural differences and of fostering common Talues in order that a closer working relationship can be developed between these two ethnie groups in the welfare field. It is suggested that there exista in this province a dominant culture of which English and French are but different expressiœ s. INTRODUCTION This is a study in community organization, an ex­ 1 amination of The Montreal Council of Social Agencies. The writer's intention is to endeavour to develop a greater understanding of the Council's role in the community and of its present and future functions through an examination of its origins. Background The reasons for undertaking the study at the present time fall into several categories. The first of these is personal. (1. The writer is deeply interested in the history of the Province of Quebec. As a social worker for nearly two decades, he has become ab­ sorbed in tracing the growth of the welfare services in the province and particularly in studying the development of English-Protestant institutions within a prevailing Catholic climate. (2. As a member of the Board of Governors of the Council, he has become interested in the factors which led to the formation of the Council in 1920. (3. Lastly, the writer is the Executive director of an agency which, by virtue of membership in the Council, has a vested interest in its future. 1 Hereafter referred to as the Council. - ' - -2- The more compelling considerations giving rise to the study, however, are the Council's bread objectives and the peculiar social framework within which these objectives must be achieved. The Council - Its Objectives and Responsibilities. The Council is the major welfare-planning and coord­ inating body of the English-speaking population of Montreal. Its principal objects are stated in Article 2 of its con­ stitution and are as follows: To promote, co-ordinate, advance and maintain health and welfare work in the city and suburbs of Montreal and in particular: a) To secure the necessary factual basis for planning and action. b) To promote community thinking and joint planning. c) To gain the advantages of concerted action, through co-operative services and otherwise. d) To increase the effectiveness and improve standards of work of individual organizations. e) To increase public understanding of what is being done in health and welfare work. f) To help secure adequate support from the public and from government bodies for both public and private health and welfare work. The Membership of the Council includes represen­ tatives of eighty-six welfare, health, recreation and 1 religious organizations, these operating mainly in the city and its immediate surroundings, though sorne render a province­ wide service. The Board of Governors comprises members of the 1 See Appendix A, p.l4~List of present member organ- izations. - 3 - Protestant and Jewish faiths. Sorne of the member organ- izations give service only to people of particular religious denominations. The majority, however, provide services re- gardless of race or creed. Both the membership and the work of the Council are affected, of course, by the development of the community of which it is a part. New France began as a highly organized urban settle­ ment. In the course of time the economy became primarily rural but of necessity rather than from choice. By 1820 the best agricultural land was occupied and there began the emigration of sorne half million French Canadians to the towns of New England. 1 The development which saved Quebec was an industrial revolution. The industrialization of Quebec, which began at the beginning of this century, proceeded imperceptibly but in­ creased with accelerating momentum during the last two decades. The provincial economy has been completely transformed. At the end of the last century agriculture contributed 65 per cent of the total production in Quebec. 2 In 1920 this figure had dropped to 37 per cent and in 1941 to 10 per cent.3 Abundant supplies of ore and timber, the development of hydro-electric power and the advances in technology have been the contribut­ ing factors. 1 Jean (Quebec: Les Presses 2Ibid., p.28. - 4 - Along with industrialization has come urbanization, and this has vastly increased health and welfare needs. In Montreal this has been reflected in the Council's preoccupation with auch problems as housing, income maintenance programs and services which support and strengthen family !ife. When the Council was created, the population of Montreal numbered just over 400,000, of whom approximately 61 percent were French.1 Since then the city has experienced a phenomenal growth. The population of Metropolitan Montreal today is four times as great as it was in 1920. (The percent­ age of French has increased by about 3.6). This tremendous increase in population has been caused by two factors: first, the rapid industrialization and urbanization which has been going on in Quebec since the end of World War I, and, second, the immigration from Europe since the end of World War 11. The increase in population has been accompanied by a phenomenon which has been occurring in large cities all over the North American continent: decentralization into suburbs. In Montreal this bas been happening from one end of the Island to the other and across its breadth. Welfare needs, particularly in the area of recreation, have grown in the suburbs with their proliferation. The Council, which formally restricted its services to the city proper and to one or two adjacent m·.ùn­ icipalities, now finds itself concerned with the total welfare 1 Ibid., p.?J. ~ 5 - requirements of the entire Island of Montreal in so far as they affect the non-Catholic population. The Council, therefore, is re-evaluating its functions. Already it has organized a multiple-service agency for the Lakeshore, i.e., the area extending west from the city of Lachine to the western limits of the Island. This is a sig­ nificant trend, undoubtedly presaging assumption of greàtly increased responsibilities. The Cultural Milieu and the Welfare Structure. Up to this point the picture with respect to the Council is npt unlike that in any fast growing metropolitan area. However, the social framework within which the Council operates possesses certain characteristics which are indeed unique and which create very special prbblems. The most salient and important of these features is the philosophy upon which the welfare structure is based throughout the province of Quebec. This structure finds its roots mainly in the Roman Catholic religion, the traditions of France and the edicta of Rome. The social service philosophy of the Protestants, on the other hand, stems from the Poor Laws of Great Britain. In Montreal there are two groups, in addition to the English Protestants and the French Catholics, to be considered.