The Secret Is Out

There is something irresistibly captivating about secret societies — circles of the powerful who gather in clandestine fashion. They virtually constitute a cinematic genre: The 39 Steps, North by Northwest, The Da Vinci Code, Eyes Wide Shut, and a host of more forgettable others take advantage of the general fascination with the idea that there are groups bound by arcane oaths and passwords who exert control on an unwitting public.

One such secret society was the Ordre de Jacques-Cartier, often referred to as La Patente. Formed in 1926 in Ottawa, it was created so that an underground elite, with the support of the Catholic Church, could promote the interests of French Canada. Over the years, it would include an astonishing array of French Canadian politicians and activists: Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau; New Brunswick premier Louis Robichaud, along with five members of his cabinet; Cardinal Paul-Émile Léger; the Queen’s Printer...