Chronologie des ufologues et organisations ufologiques du Québec (1950-2015), par Garpan
Texte par Yann Vadnais et Guillaume Lamothe
Mise à jour de l’article et du document publiés pour la première fois le 26 octobre 2014.
1) Vers une ufologie mondiale
Après 70 ans d’ufologie civile, notre discipline souffre toujours d’un manque de cohésion internationale. Le jour où les renseignements des banques de données des groupes ufologiques de tous les pays seront rassemblés (par exemple dans un Wikipédia de l’ufologie), les ufologues pourront enfin obtenir un portrait global du phénomène que sont les ovnis ainsi que des statistiques irréalisables jusqu’à maintenant. Au Québec, nous connaissons surtout les ufologies américaine et française, et un peu des mexicaine (grâce à la popularité de Jaime Maussan) et belge. Néanmoins, nous ne savons presque rien des ufologies italienne, allemande, scandinave, polonaise, russe, ukrainienne, israélienne, africaine, saoudienne, iranienne, indienne, chinoise, japonaise, indonésienne, brésilienne, argentine, chilienne, etc., et ce constat est certes consternant.
Heureusement, au Québec, nous ne sommes pas trop à plaindre, car depuis les années 1960-, l’ufologie québécoise a été beaucoup plus productive que celle d’autres provinces canadiennes ou d’autres pays. Non seulement de nombreux ufologues ont laissé leurs traces dans l’histoire provinciale de notre discipline, mais les Québécois sont souvent considérés comme plus ouverts d’esprit et plus intéressés par les ovnis et les phénomènes paranormaux que nos cousins français ou nos voisins anglophones. Ce fait est particulièrement frappant lorsque l’on compare la population du Québec (8,2 millions d’habitants) avec celle de la France (66,6 millions d’habitants) et que l’on établit un rapport relativement au nombre de gens intéressés par l’ufologie.
Afin d’honorer le riche patrimoine de l’ufologie du Québec, le GARPAN a rédigé la Chronologie des organisations ufologiques et des ufologues du Québec, de 1950 à 2015. Pour ce faire, nous avons consulté plusieurs ouvrages et avons fait appel à nos confrères et collègues pour valider l’information qui s’y trouve. Par ailleurs, nous les remercions grandement pour les nombreuses précisions qu’ils y ont apportées !
Notre document de 15 pages (enregistré aux Archives nationales du Québec) est disponible en format PDF pour la somme symbolique de 3 $. Les 15 pages du document sont ci-dessous, mais si vous apprécié notre travail, procurez-vous un copie numérique pour soutenir le Garpan. Merci !
Se procurer le E-document de la Chronologie des organisations ufologiques et des ufologues du Québec : shop.garpan.ca.
2) Remarques générales
Cette recherche, bien qu’incomplète, a été longue et ardue, surtout en raison du nombre de personnes avec qui nous avons communiqué pour confirmer et préciser les renseignements recueillis. Cependant, l’effort en a valu la peine. Commençons par mettre en relief ce qui ressort de l’ufologie québécoise.
- L’ufologie québécoise peut se vanter d’avoir rassemblé des dizaines de chercheurs sérieux qui ont constitué un imposant patrimoine en matière d’ufologie, et ce, malgré la faible démographie de notre territoire.
- Dès les années 1970, l’ufologie du Québec a pu s’appuyer sur des auteurs importants comme Henri Bordeleau, Jean Casault, Jean Ferguson ainsi que les membres d’UFO-Québec (1974-81).
- De décennie en décennie, nous constatons une augmentation de l’intérêt du public pour le sujet des ovnis, et ce, grâce au nombre d’ufologues actifs et aux travaux qu’ils ont accomplis.
- À la lumière des données rassemblées par le Canadian UFO Survey, nous constatons que la majorité des cas d’ovnis du Québec ne sont pas répertoriés dans les statistiques canadiennes. Nous le remarquons par le nombre de cas québécois reçus et la répartition des années où des bilans annuels québécois leur ont été transmis, ou que des cas québécois ont été enregistrés.
- D’après notre recherche, il s’avère que seuls quatre enquêteurs ou groupes d’enquêteurs en ufologie ont remis des bilans annuels au Canadian UFO Survey.
- Plusieurs auteurs ont laissé une impression durable, bien qu’ils aient été seulement de passage sur la scène ufologique, notamment Norbert Spehner, Yurko Bundarchuk, Réginald Marquis, B. Guénette et R. Haines ainsi que Thomas Jean (alias Jacques Dumont).
- Plusieurs anciens ufologues ne veulent plus rien savoir de l’ufologie ou se sont tournés vers d’autres domaines du savoir ou d’autres sphères de la connaissance, pour le dire ainsi.
- Les archives de plusieurs ufologues ont été détruites.
- Depuis 2009, nous croyons qu’il y a un renouveau de l’ufologie au Québec. Cela se remarque tant par le nombre de publications abordant le sujet que par la multiplication d’événements ufologiques (comme le Congrès UFO-401), les nouveaux groupes qui s’initient à l’investigation ufologique, la meilleure compréhension qu’en ont les gens depuis les années 2000 et l’ébullition qui anime l’ufologie .
3) Remarques particulières
Voici quelques points que nous avons retenu au cours de nos recherches pour établir cette chronologie :
- Tant aux yeux du public en général qu’à ceux de nos confrères en ufologie, Jean Casault est l’ufologue vivant le plus populaire et apprécié du Québec. Sa dernière série, remplie d’enquêtes passionnantes et très bien documentées, et son site Internet, volumineux et varié, y sont sans aucun doute pour quelque chose. La démarche spirituelle et le discours extra-ufologique de ses derniers livres, que certains lui reprochent, n’annulent aucunement la place et le rôle de Jean Casault dans l’ufologie québécoise contemporaine. Et à dire vrai, c’est son parcours initial, plus scientifique et critique, qui donne davantage de crédibilité aux sujets ésotériques qu’il aborde maintenant.
- Le site Internet et les plateformes virtuelles d’Ésotérisme expérimental méritent une mention spéciale. On y trouve sans doute plus d’information de cas, de témoignages, d’analyses, d’exposés et de discussions ufologiques que dans tout autre site Web québécois. Il faut savoir que l’œuvre de Richard Glenn est colossale et remplie de précieuses découvertes. Dans les années 1980 et 1990, Richard Glenn était LA personnalité ufologique incontournable du Québec. Avec la tenue récente du Congrès international d’ufologie UFO-401, à Montréal, Richard Glenn et son équipe ont fait un retour en force en réalisant un événement ufologique qui ne s’était pas vu au Québec depuis plus de 15 ans! C’était la juste rétribution du travail remarquable de cette équipe dynamique qui organise de nombreux événements (conférences mensuelles, autres congrès à venir) et produit de nombreux documents (Club CRÉÉ, émission Vidéorandia sur YouTube). Un héritage collectif.
- L’Association québécoise d’ufologie (AQU) anime les importants repas ufologiques mensuels de Montréal depuis 1998. Ces soirées permettent chaque année à des centaines de personnes intéressées par les ovnis de se rencontrer. L’AQU a aussi constitué une notable banque de données de cas ufologiques que nous souhaiterions plus accessibles, bien que d’excellentes enquêtes se trouvent sur leur site Internet.
- Un autre site Internet portant sur l’ufologie qui archive de nombreux cas québécois est celui de Donald Cyr,qui est une mine d’information que de nombreux blogueurs ont copiée, plagiée ou exploitée. Effectuant des enquêtes depuis les années 1980, Donald Cyr a accumulé une impressionnante collection audiovisuelle et a effectué un travail archivistique important pour l’ufologie du Québec.
- Il peut paraître étonnant de publier seulement deux livres en 40 ans de travail en ufologie, mais il n’en demeure pas moins que François C. Bourbeau a joué un rôle important entre la génération d’UFO-Québec et la nôtre, car il est celui qui représente le mieux le type du technicien-enquêteur en ufologie, défendant avec hardiesse l’approche scientifique et méthodique de notre discipline. Il est aussi le premier à s’être investi pour former rigoureusement d’autres enquêteurs durant les années 2000. Le Réseau Ovni-alerte dispose d’archives volumineuses dont nous pouvons toutefois regretter l’inaccessibilité (site Internet hors service depuis plus de 3 ans).
- Un ufologue important est Christian R. Page, qui a été omniprésent dans le paysage ufologique et a laissé sa trace dans plusieurs organisations, accumulant au fil des années des archives sans doute impressionnantes. Or, M. Page ne semble plus vraiment défendre l’intérêt pour les ovnis sur le plan médiatique. Il opte plutôt pour une approche ultra critique de la reconnaissance des phénomènes ufologiques (pourtant fort diversifiés). De quoi porter à réflexion.
- Enfin, c’est justement en scrutant les longues carrières des Casault, Glenn, Page, Bourbeau, Morissette, Cyr et plusieurs autres que nous pouvons entrevoir l’immensité de leurs expériences respectives, et par conséquent aussi la profondeur et les nuances des positions qu’ils adoptent, publiquement ou théoriquement, pour certaines raisons ou pour d’autres.
En conclusion, un grand bravo à toutes ces générations d’ufologues!
Et un sincère respect envers les efforts et les sacrifices que chacun a donnés pour une cause qui n’est toujours pas reconnue par nos institutions gouvernementales et scientifiques.
Ne lâchons pas, le meilleur est à venir.
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