November 5, 1996 - Resignation for Wearing Swastika - a podcast by Stephen Hammond

Quebec’s new lieutenant governor resigns for wearing swastika during student protest. On September 12, 1996, Prime Minister Jean Chretien appointed Jean-Louis Roux as lieutenant governor for Quebec. A strong federalist who had campaigned vigorously against separation during the 1995 referendum, Roux had a long and prominent career as a stage and television actor in the province. However, in an interview with L’Actualité magazine, Roux admitted that in 1942, when he was 19 years old, he’d worn a swastika during a student protest against conscription. This prompted numerous requests for his resignation from many fronts, including the Jewish community. Roux argued that his actions had been a lark and in no way related to the anti-Semitism common at that time. But when the media revealed that Jewish shops had been vandalized in the heat of that protest, pressure mounted against Roux. He finally resigned as Quebec’s vice-regal on November 5, 1996. Two months later, the prime minister appointed Lise Thibault to the post.

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