Alain Marcoux
Encyclopedia
Alain Marcoux is an administrator and former politician in the Canadian
province in Quebec
. He was a Parti Québécois
member of the National Assembly of Quebec
from 1976 to 1985 and was a cabinet minister in the governments of René Lévesque
and Pierre-Marc Johnson
. Marcoux is currently the director-general of Quebec City
.
and was educated at the Université de Montréal
and the Université Laval
, earning a degree in sociology. He later took an advanced course in administration at the École nationale d'administration publique
. Marcoux taught economics and social science at the Cégep de Rimouski
from 1969 to 1973 and served as director of the same institution from 1973 to 1977.
He was a Parti Québécois activist before his election, leading the party's Rimouski association from 1971 to 1974 and serving on its national executive from 1974 to 1977.
, defeating one-term Liberal incumbent Claude St-Hilaire in the Rimouski
division. The Parti Québécois won a historic majority government
in this election and Marcoux served for the next five years as a government backbencher. From 1979 to 1981, he was parliamentary assistant to the minister of social affairs.
He was re-elected in the 1981 provincial election
and was appointed to René Lévesque's cabinet as the minister of public works and supply on April 30, 1981. On September 9, 1982, he was also named as revenue minister.
Revenue minister
Marcoux announced in October 1982 that Quebec would not move forward with an earlier plan to introduce casino
s to the province. In making this decision, he issued a brief statement saying that the government was concerned about "the consequences on the social climate and the quality of life of Quebeckers." He later announced that Lévesque government would tax the tips earned by waiters and waitresses via a weekly paycheque reduction; this proved to be an unpopular measure and was never enacted.
Public Works minister
Marcoux introduced a bill in 1983 to abolish his own department of public works and replace it with a publicly owned corporation. His national assembly biography indicates that he ceased to be the public works minister on October 1, 1984, although newspaper reports from 1985 suggest that he still held the position in a later period.
Municipal Affairs minister
René Lévesque shuffled his cabinet on March 5, 1984, shifting Marcoux from revenue to the ministry of municipal affairs. Shortly after his appointment, Marcoux concluded what had previously been a contentious dispute with the government of Canada
over job-creation grants to municipalities. The agreement required that Quebec municipalities go through the provincial municipal affairs department when seeking federal grants.
Marcoux introduced legislation in early 1985 to consolidate and reform Quebec's municipal election laws. One of his proposals was to require that councillors running in mayoral by-elections resign their council seats. Later in the same year, Marcoux announced seven hundred thousand dollars in funding to help move failing day-care centres into public buildings. In May 1985, he and transport minister Guy Tardif
introduced legislation to allow Montreal
and South Shore residents to have public meetings on the state of municipal transit.
Marcoux also introduced legislation to restrict the amount of money that municipal political parties could raise from anonymous sources. The bill died on the order paper
when the 1985 election
was called.
Parti Québécois divisions
The Parti Québécois went through an internal crisis
in late 1984 over the nature of its support for Quebec sovereignty. Leading party figures including René Lévesque sought to moderate the party's approach, while more hardline members preferred to make a new declaration of support for Quebec independence. Marcoux sided with the moderates and argued that the party should not fight the next election on the issue of sovereignty.
Johnson administration
Although he sided with Lévesque on the sovereignty issue, Marcoux privately said in early 1985 that he believed Lévesque would need to resign as premier before the next election. When Lévesque resigned in June on the same year, Marcoux was one of the first backers of Pierre-Marc Johnson's successful leadership bid. He was kept as municipal affairs minister when Johnson announced his cabinet on October 3 and was given addition responsibilities as the minister responsible for planning on October 16.
Marcoux was narrowly defeated in Rimouski in the 1985 provincial election
, in which the Liberals won a majority government.
He was the director of intergovernmental relations for the Union des Municipalités du Québec
from 1989 to 1991 and served as director-general of Sainte-Foy, Quebec
from 1991 to 2001. Marcoux was later named as deputy director-general of Quebec City
in 2001 and promoted to director-general in 2006.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. He was a Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
member of the National Assembly of Quebec
National Assembly of Quebec
The National Assembly of Quebec is the legislative body of the Province of Quebec. The Lieutenant Governor and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other British-style parliamentary systems.The National Assembly was formerly the...
from 1976 to 1985 and was a cabinet minister in the governments of René Lévesque
René Lévesque
René Lévesque was a reporter, a minister of the government of Quebec, , the founder of the Parti Québécois political party and the 23rd Premier of Quebec...
and Pierre-Marc Johnson
Pierre-Marc Johnson
Pierre-Marc Johnson, , is a Quebec lawyer, physician and politician. He was the 24th Premier of Quebec from October 3 to December 12, 1985.- Early background :...
. Marcoux is currently the director-general of Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
.
Early life and career
Marcoux was born in Saint-Norbert, QuebecSaint-Norbert, Quebec
Saint-Norbert is a parish municipality in the Lanaudière region of Quebec, Canada, part of the D'Autray Regional County Municipality.-Demographics:Population:* Population in 2006: 1067 * Population in 2001: 1046...
and was educated at the Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
and the Université Laval
Université Laval
Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...
, earning a degree in sociology. He later took an advanced course in administration at the École nationale d'administration publique
École nationale d'administration publique
The École nationale d'administration publique , located in Quebec City, Quebec, was established in 1969 by the Quebec government, as a way of obtaining a professional public administration during a period when a number of social and structural changes were taking place within the province...
. Marcoux taught economics and social science at the Cégep de Rimouski
Cégep de Rimouski
The Cégep de Rimouski is a post-secondary education institution located in Rimouski, province of Quebec, Canada.-History:...
from 1969 to 1973 and served as director of the same institution from 1973 to 1977.
He was a Parti Québécois activist before his election, leading the party's Rimouski association from 1971 to 1974 and serving on its national executive from 1974 to 1977.
Legislator and cabinet minister
Marcoux was elected to the Quebec legislature in the 1976 provincial electionQuebec general election, 1976
The Quebec general election of 1976 was held on November 15, 1976 to elect members to National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. It was one of the most significant elections in Quebec history, rivalled only by the 1960 general election, and caused major repercussions in the rest of Canada...
, defeating one-term Liberal incumbent Claude St-Hilaire in the Rimouski
Rimouski (provincial electoral district)
Rimouski is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. It was created in 1829.-Members of Legislative Assembly:*Joseph Garon, Conservative Party...
division. The Parti Québécois won a historic majority government
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
in this election and Marcoux served for the next five years as a government backbencher. From 1979 to 1981, he was parliamentary assistant to the minister of social affairs.
He was re-elected in the 1981 provincial election
Quebec general election, 1981
The Quebec general election of 1981 was held on April 13, 1981, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Claude Ryan.The PQ won re-election despite...
and was appointed to René Lévesque's cabinet as the minister of public works and supply on April 30, 1981. On September 9, 1982, he was also named as revenue minister.
Revenue minister
Marcoux announced in October 1982 that Quebec would not move forward with an earlier plan to introduce casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
s to the province. In making this decision, he issued a brief statement saying that the government was concerned about "the consequences on the social climate and the quality of life of Quebeckers." He later announced that Lévesque government would tax the tips earned by waiters and waitresses via a weekly paycheque reduction; this proved to be an unpopular measure and was never enacted.
Public Works minister
Marcoux introduced a bill in 1983 to abolish his own department of public works and replace it with a publicly owned corporation. His national assembly biography indicates that he ceased to be the public works minister on October 1, 1984, although newspaper reports from 1985 suggest that he still held the position in a later period.
Municipal Affairs minister
René Lévesque shuffled his cabinet on March 5, 1984, shifting Marcoux from revenue to the ministry of municipal affairs. Shortly after his appointment, Marcoux concluded what had previously been a contentious dispute with the government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
over job-creation grants to municipalities. The agreement required that Quebec municipalities go through the provincial municipal affairs department when seeking federal grants.
Marcoux introduced legislation in early 1985 to consolidate and reform Quebec's municipal election laws. One of his proposals was to require that councillors running in mayoral by-elections resign their council seats. Later in the same year, Marcoux announced seven hundred thousand dollars in funding to help move failing day-care centres into public buildings. In May 1985, he and transport minister Guy Tardif
Guy Tardif
Guy Tardif was a politician in the Canadian province of Quebec. He was a Parti Québécois member of the National Assembly of Quebec from 1976 to 1985 and was a cabinet minister in the governments of René Lévesque and Pierre-Marc Johnson.-Early life and career:Tardif was born in Montreal, received...
introduced legislation to allow Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and South Shore residents to have public meetings on the state of municipal transit.
Marcoux also introduced legislation to restrict the amount of money that municipal political parties could raise from anonymous sources. The bill died on the order paper
Order Paper
The Order Paper is a daily publication in the Westminster system of government which lists the business of parliament for that day's sitting. A separate paper is issued daily for each house of the legislature....
when the 1985 election
Quebec general election, 1985
The Quebec general election of 1985 was held on December 2, 1985, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Quebec Liberal Party, led by former premier Robert Bourassa, defeated the incumbent Parti Québécois, led by premier Pierre-Marc Johnson.This election...
was called.
Parti Québécois divisions
The Parti Québécois went through an internal crisis
Parti Québécois Crisis, 1984
The Parti Québécois Crisis of 1984 was one of the most severe internal party crises in Quebec politics.-Origins:In September 1984, Progressive Conservative politician Brian Mulroney became Prime Minister of Canada, with the backing of many Parti Québécois supporters...
in late 1984 over the nature of its support for Quebec sovereignty. Leading party figures including René Lévesque sought to moderate the party's approach, while more hardline members preferred to make a new declaration of support for Quebec independence. Marcoux sided with the moderates and argued that the party should not fight the next election on the issue of sovereignty.
Johnson administration
Although he sided with Lévesque on the sovereignty issue, Marcoux privately said in early 1985 that he believed Lévesque would need to resign as premier before the next election. When Lévesque resigned in June on the same year, Marcoux was one of the first backers of Pierre-Marc Johnson's successful leadership bid. He was kept as municipal affairs minister when Johnson announced his cabinet on October 3 and was given addition responsibilities as the minister responsible for planning on October 16.
Marcoux was narrowly defeated in Rimouski in the 1985 provincial election
Quebec general election, 1985
The Quebec general election of 1985 was held on December 2, 1985, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Quebec Liberal Party, led by former premier Robert Bourassa, defeated the incumbent Parti Québécois, led by premier Pierre-Marc Johnson.This election...
, in which the Liberals won a majority government.
After politics
Marcoux returned to his administrative position at the Cégep de Rimouski in 1986. He also served as director-general of the Parti Québécois from 1986 to 1988, in which capacity he was responsible for improving the party's financial state. He supported the party's 1987 program, saying that it reaffirmed the PQ's social democratic policies while also stressing job creation and the environment. He stood down as director-general in 1988.He was the director of intergovernmental relations for the Union des Municipalités du Québec
Union des Municipalités du Québec
The Union des Municipalités du Québec is an organization representing municipalities in the Canadian province of Quebec...
from 1989 to 1991 and served as director-general of Sainte-Foy, Quebec
Sainte-Foy, Quebec
Sainte-Foy is a former city in central Quebec, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River. It was amalgamated into Quebec City on January 1, 2002. Most of Sainte-Foy is in the Borough of Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge....
from 1991 to 2001. Marcoux was later named as deputy director-general of Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
in 2001 and promoted to director-general in 2006.