Claude Castonguay
Encyclopedia
Claude Castonguay, is a Canadian
politician, educator and businessman.
Born in Quebec City
, Quebec
, the son of Émile Castonguay and Jeanne Gauvin, he studied at Université Laval
and studied actuary science at the University of Manitoba
.
He taught at Université Laval from 1951 until 1957. He was elected in the 1970 Quebec election
to the National Assembly of Quebec
in the riding of Louis-Hebert
. He served as Minister of Health, Family and Social Welfare. He did not run in 1973. In 1978, he was the President-elect of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. From 1982 until 1989, he was the chief executive officer
of the Laurentian Group Corporation and president of the Laurentian Bank of Canada
. From 1989 to 1990, he was the chairman of the Conference Board of Canada
. He was the Chancellor of the Université de Montréal
from 1986 until 1990.
He was appointed to the Senate
, as a member of the Progressive Conservative
caucus.
He represented the senatorial division of Stadacona, Quebec, on September 23, 1990. He resigned on December 9, 1992.
Quebec government mandated Castonguay to chair a Commission (with Gerard Nepveu)- The Commission on health care and social services (Commission d’enquête sur les services de santé et les services sociaux)- on the state of health care in Quebec much of which, before the Quiet Revolution
, was still largely under the jurisdiction of the Clergy
. The result was the Castonguay-Nepveu Report published in 1967. This report recommended a new state-run health insurance policy, a new health care network, as well as a new network of social service clinics now known as the CLSC
. The plan was to give a broader access to health
and psychiatric care for the Quebec population. Major changes were made following the recommendation, most notably the introduction of hospitalisation and medication
insurance
. Castonguay is so closely identified with health care in Quebec that many people refer to the Quebec health card (Carte d’assurance-maladie au Québec) as a Castonguette.
The Castonguay task force released in February 2008 said Quebec residents should pay $25 for every visit to a doctor. The report also called for an increase of up to one percentage point in the Quebec sales tax to help pay for medicare. Castonguay said health care is growing 5.8 per cent a year as a share of the provincial budget, while total government spending increases 3.9 per cent annually.http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=f48829c8-0ede-464a-a46b-bb9b8680f45d&k=89574
Most of the report was publicly dismissed by the government of the day.
Forty years after being one of the pioneers of socialized medicine
, Castonguay's commission advocates both an increased role for private enterprise in medicine and increased public investment in the socialized system both through taxes and through user fees. Castonguay was quoted as saying "We are proposing to give a greater role to the private sector so that people can exercise freedom of choice."http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives2/2008/06/020854.php While concerned about the financial stresses the system places on the government, Castonguay does not advocate dismantling publicly financed health insurance altogether. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/1999/09/08/castonguay990908.html http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=0a48e656-d004-4227-8256-7a4e4304c13e&p=2
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...
politician, educator and businessman.
Born in 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...
, 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....
, the son of Émile Castonguay and Jeanne Gauvin, he studied at 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...
and studied actuary science at the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
.
He taught at Université Laval from 1951 until 1957. He was elected in the 1970 Quebec election
Quebec general election, 1970
The Quebec general election of 1970 was held on April 29, 1970 to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The former Legislative Assembly had been renamed the "National Assembly" in 1968...
to 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...
in the riding of Louis-Hebert
Louis-Hébert (provincial electoral district)
Louis-Hébert is a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of Quebec. Located in the Capitale-Nationale region, the riding was formed in 1965 and includes mostly central and western portions of Quebec City west of Autoroute 73 and Autoroute 740...
. He served as Minister of Health, Family and Social Welfare. He did not run in 1973. In 1978, he was the President-elect of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. From 1982 until 1989, he was the chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the Laurentian Group Corporation and president of the Laurentian Bank of Canada
Laurentian Bank of Canada
The Laurentian Bank of Canada is a Schedule I bank in the province of Quebec. . LBC's Institution Number is 039.-History:...
. From 1989 to 1990, he was the chairman of the Conference Board of Canada
Conference Board of Canada
The Conference Board of Canada is a not-for-profit Canadian organization dedicated to researching and analyzing economic trends, as well as organizational performance and public policy issues....
. He was the Chancellor of 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...
from 1986 until 1990.
He was appointed to the Senate
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
, as a member of the Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
caucus.
He represented the senatorial division of Stadacona, Quebec, on September 23, 1990. He resigned on December 9, 1992.
Castonguay-Nepveu Commission
During the 1960s, the Jean LesageJean Lesage
Jean Lesage, PC, CC, CD was a lawyer and politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 19th Premier of Quebec from 22 June 1960, to 16 August 1966...
Quebec government mandated Castonguay to chair a Commission (with Gerard Nepveu)- The Commission on health care and social services (Commission d’enquête sur les services de santé et les services sociaux)- on the state of health care in Quebec much of which, before the Quiet Revolution
Quiet Revolution
The Quiet Revolution was the 1960s period of intense change in Quebec, Canada, characterized by the rapid and effective secularization of society, the creation of a welfare state and a re-alignment of politics into federalist and separatist factions...
, was still largely under the jurisdiction of the Clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
. The result was the Castonguay-Nepveu Report published in 1967. This report recommended a new state-run health insurance policy, a new health care network, as well as a new network of social service clinics now known as the CLSC
CLSC
CLSCs in Quebec are free clinics which are run and maintained by the provincial government...
. The plan was to give a broader access to health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and psychiatric care for the Quebec population. Major changes were made following the recommendation, most notably the introduction of hospitalisation and medication
Medication
A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine, medication or medicament, can be loosely defined as any chemical substance intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease.- Classification :...
insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
. Castonguay is so closely identified with health care in Quebec that many people refer to the Quebec health card (Carte d’assurance-maladie au Québec) as a Castonguette.
The Castonguay task force on Quebec health care
In 2007, the minority Liberal government of Quebec appointed Castonguay to a closed-door committee examining the health-care system's finances. Castonguay is a long-serving advocate of greater privatization, user fees and private insurance.http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/columnists/story.html?id=411dcef1-584a-4add-a12f-5bb8cd0ca6aaThe Castonguay task force released in February 2008 said Quebec residents should pay $25 for every visit to a doctor. The report also called for an increase of up to one percentage point in the Quebec sales tax to help pay for medicare. Castonguay said health care is growing 5.8 per cent a year as a share of the provincial budget, while total government spending increases 3.9 per cent annually.http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=f48829c8-0ede-464a-a46b-bb9b8680f45d&k=89574
Most of the report was publicly dismissed by the government of the day.
Forty years after being one of the pioneers of socialized medicine
Socialized medicine
Socialized medicine is a term used to describe a system for providing medical and hospital care for all at a nominal cost by means of government regulation of health services and subsidies derived from taxation. It is used primarily and usually pejoratively in United States political debates...
, Castonguay's commission advocates both an increased role for private enterprise in medicine and increased public investment in the socialized system both through taxes and through user fees. Castonguay was quoted as saying "We are proposing to give a greater role to the private sector so that people can exercise freedom of choice."http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives2/2008/06/020854.php While concerned about the financial stresses the system places on the government, Castonguay does not advocate dismantling publicly financed health insurance altogether. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/1999/09/08/castonguay990908.html http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=0a48e656-d004-4227-8256-7a4e4304c13e&p=2
Honours
- In 1974, he was made a Companion of the Order of CanadaOrder of CanadaThe Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. - In 1991, he was made an Officer of the National Order of QuebecNational Order of QuebecThe National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as l'Ordre national du Québec, and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec...
. - He has received Honorary Doctor of Laws from Bishop's UniversityBishop's UniversityBishop's University is a predominantly undergraduate university in Lennoxville, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Bishop's is one of three universities in the province of Quebec that teach primarily in the English language...
, McGill UniversityMcGill UniversityMohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, University of ManitobaUniversity of ManitobaThe University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
, Laurentian UniversityLaurentian UniversityLaurentian University , was incorporated on March 28, 1960, is a mid-sized bilingual university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada....
, Concordia University (Montreal), University of Western OntarioUniversity of Western OntarioThe University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
and York UniversityYork UniversityYork University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
.