Le Progrès was a political newspaper from beginning to end. It would be impossible in this limited space to give a detailed account of the development and evolution of its various lines of political thought over the years. What follows is but a brief synopsis of some of the main issues dealt with by Le Progrès, presented in the hope that readers will be interested in delving deeper into this area of Canadian history. The close links between the Pacaud family and Wilfrid Laurier leave no doubt as to the paper’s overall political affiliation. Consequently, the paper’s initial allegiance to the Conservative party seems incomprehensible at first glance . Closer reading suggests that this opening gambit was nothing more than a ruse to enable the Liberal party to establish a foot-hold in the Windsor area. An editorial published many years later, in 1895, would seem to confirm this view . In any case, the original ruse was rather short-lived : after one year of publication, Le Progrès began displaying its true colours . From then on, the paper would fly the Liberal banner on every issue.

The personal and political convictions of the Pacaud brothers comes out most eloquently in reaction to the culminating events of the Northwest Rebellion. The execution of Louis Riel by the Conservative party of John A. MacDonald came close to tearing the young country apart. The debate was as ferocious in the Windsor area as anywhere else in the country. Le Progrès denounced the Tories in no uncertain terms. Gaspard Pacaud took part in several protest meetings throughout Essex County, urging the French-Canadian population to rise up against the federal government , , . The Conservatives would thenceforth be referred to as “The Hangmen” and the “Party of the Rope.” . According to Le Progrès, the Conservative party was anti-French and no more than a front for the Orange party; as a result, the paper printed an unending series of articles and editorials decrying Tory treachery in Ottawa as well as at Queen’s Park in Toronto , , , , . Of course, just as they do today, corruption and scandals sold papers . Le Progrès could be counted on to toe the party line on most major Liberal issues : for example, the newspaper was in favour or reciprocity - that is to say, free trade between Canada and the United States , . On the other hand, it came out squarely against prohibition, a Conservative proposal .

Not all the “hangmen” were in Ottawa and Toronto. Windsor had its own French Conservative “clique.” As far as Le Progrès was concerned, they were the worst kind of traitors. Among this select group werre people like Hypolite Girardot, Drs. H.R. Casgrain and J.O. Réaume, Daniel Odette, Francis Janisse and Francis Meloche. The editors of Le Progrès never tired of ridiculing these men and their ideas and relished any chance to turn their politics to utter nonsense , , , , .

But in spite of their strong Liberal association, the Pacaud brothers always insisted that their first loyalty belonged to their nation (French-Canadian) and not to a political party. They certainly proved this in the 1902 election campaign, during which Le Progrès refused to support the Liberal candidate William McKee, whom the Pacauds accused of anti-French fanaticism. Instead, they reluctantly threw their support behind the Conservative Alex Réaume, whom they considered more of a moderate , , .

In the end, it can be said the the Pacaud brothers, while giving no quarter to their political enemies, were actually more pragmatic than fanatical in their political views. When necessary, they could be very flexible and open-minded. It must be said, as well, that they knew how to keep their own interests in the forefront when making their editorial decisions. We can get a good overview of the evolution of the Le Progrès’s policies and of its shifting alliances by reading the editorials that usually graced the paper’s anniversary issues , , , . It is perhaps a sign of Le Progrès’s self-confidence that, while never doubting its own convictions and the importance of its self-imposed mission, it never lost its sense of humour and was quite capable of poking fun of itself .