Some 50 people crowded into the Paragraphe Bookstore on McGill College for the launch of Joseph-Elzéar Bernier, Champion of Canadian Arctic Sovereignty on Wednesday, September 30. Author Marjolaine Saint-Pierre and translator William Barr of the Arctic Institute explained to those present how important Bernier had been in the establishment of Canada’s sovereignty in the north. They also made it clear that he is still very relevant and that his story is fascinating.

In addition to the book on Bernier, Baraka Books launched America’s Gift, What the World Owes to the Americas and Their First Inhabitants by Käthe Roth and Denis Vaugeois. Käthe Roth spoke for both authors. See the special post on America’s Gift.

It was also the occasion to formally launch A People’s History of Quebec by Jacques Lacoursière and Robin Philpot. Jacques Lacoursière, also present, pointed out that the book is one of the first attempts to provide English readers with an accessible Quebec history book from the point of a French-language Quebec historian. The book appears to have filled a void since it has been on the Gazette’s Bestseller list for eight straight weeks.

Photo: Author Marjolaine Saint-Pierre and translator William Barr.