He studied at the Séminaire de Québec from 1840 onward, and proved brilliant, being promoted to assistant professor of physics and collaborating to the foundation of the student newspaper, through which he published several collections of canticles.

His 1869 Histoire du Canada was used until the end of the century, and was described as "very accurate in relation to the historical knowledge of the time", but "severely judged from a pedagogical and literary point of view".

An almost obsessive attention to detail (he could spend an entire day checking a single fact) marked Laverdière's work.

An amiable man "of medium height, with keen black eyes, tanned complexion and square shoulders," he devoted his life to historical scholarship.

His work, alongside that of other historians of the time like Narcisse-Eutrope Dionne and Louis-Philippe Turcotte, marked a revival of interest for history in late 19th century Quebec.