This society, established by Brother Marie-Victorin, in 1923, encouraged the popularization and study of natural sciences in Canada, the development of scientific research projects and the creation of connections between Canadian and international scholars.
In fact, at the time, the educational system was starting to be severely criticized by the French Canadian Intelligentsia (among others, Brother Marie-Victorin and André Pouliot).
[3] In that sense, the formation of "circles" among religious schools across the province, appeared as a solution to improve the educational system's image without reforming it .
Brother Marie-Victorin (1885–1944) : President of the SCHN (1925–1940), Founder and Director of the Montreal Botanical Garden (and its Institute) and author of the Laurentian Flora (1935).
Sister Marie Jean-Eudes (1897–1978) : Member of the CJN administration (1945–1963) and author of a master's thesis entitled "La flore de Rawdon" (1943).