Jean Drapeau,
CCThe Order of Canada is an honour for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the highest such order administered by the Governor General-in-Council, on behalf of the Queen of Canada. Created in 1967, to coincide with the centennial of Canadian...
,
GOQThe 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...
(18 February 1916 – 12 August 1999) was a
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
lawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain stability, and deliver...
and
politicianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
who served as
mayor"Mayor" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government....
of
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
from 1954 to 1957 and 1960 to 1986. During his tenure as mayor he was responsible for the construction of the
Montreal MetroThe Montreal Metro is a rubber-tired metro system, and the main form of public transportation underground in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
system and the
Place des Artsright|frame|View of the Place des Arts esplanade. The Musée d'art contemporain is on the left; behind it is the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, with the Théâtre Maisonneuve on the rightPlace des Arts is a major performing arts centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
concert hall, for conceiving
Expo 67The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, or Expo 67 as it was commonly known, was the first First Category exhibition approved by the Bureau of International Exhibition in the Americas. It was held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 28 to October 29, 1967...
, for securing the
1976 Summer OlympicsThe 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976...
, and for helping to bring Major League Baseball to Montreal with the creation of the
Montreal ExposThe Montreal Expos is the name of a Major League Baseball team that was located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1969 until the end of the 2004 season, when the team was moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Nationals....
.
Although he is remembered as a visionary, Drapeau's mishandling of the construction of the Olympic Games facilities resulted in massive
cost overrunCost overrun is defined as excess of actual cost over budget. Cost overrun is also sometimes called "cost escalation," "cost increase," or "budget overrun." However, cost escalation and increases do not necessarily result in cost overruns if cost escalation is included in the budget.Cost overrun is...
s and left the city with a debt that has taken its citizens over thirty years to fully pay off.
The son of Joseph-Napoléon Drapeau and Alberta (Berthe) Martineau, Jean Drapeau was born in Montreal in 1916.
Jean Drapeau,
CCThe Order of Canada is an honour for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the highest such order administered by the Governor General-in-Council, on behalf of the Queen of Canada. Created in 1967, to coincide with the centennial of Canadian...
,
GOQThe 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...
(18 February 1916 – 12 August 1999) was a
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
lawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain stability, and deliver...
and
politicianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
who served as
mayor"Mayor" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government....
of
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
from 1954 to 1957 and 1960 to 1986. During his tenure as mayor he was responsible for the construction of the
Montreal MetroThe Montreal Metro is a rubber-tired metro system, and the main form of public transportation underground in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
system and the
Place des Artsright|frame|View of the Place des Arts esplanade. The Musée d'art contemporain is on the left; behind it is the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, with the Théâtre Maisonneuve on the rightPlace des Arts is a major performing arts centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
concert hall, for conceiving
Expo 67The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, or Expo 67 as it was commonly known, was the first First Category exhibition approved by the Bureau of International Exhibition in the Americas. It was held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 28 to October 29, 1967...
, for securing the
1976 Summer OlympicsThe 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976...
, and for helping to bring Major League Baseball to Montreal with the creation of the
Montreal ExposThe Montreal Expos is the name of a Major League Baseball team that was located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1969 until the end of the 2004 season, when the team was moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Nationals....
.
Although he is remembered as a visionary, Drapeau's mishandling of the construction of the Olympic Games facilities resulted in massive
cost overrunCost overrun is defined as excess of actual cost over budget. Cost overrun is also sometimes called "cost escalation," "cost increase," or "budget overrun." However, cost escalation and increases do not necessarily result in cost overruns if cost escalation is included in the budget.Cost overrun is...
s and left the city with a debt that has taken its citizens over thirty years to fully pay off.
Early life and career
The son of Joseph-Napoléon Drapeau and Alberta (Berthe) Martineau, Jean Drapeau was born in Montreal in 1916. His father, an insurance broker, city councillor and election worker for the Union nationale, introduced him to politics. Jean Drapeau studied law at the
Université de MontréalUniversité de Montréal is a public francophone university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
.
Drapeau was a protégé of nationalist priest
Lionel GroulxLionel-Adolphe Groulx was a Roman Catholic priest, historian and Quebec nationalist.-Early life and ordination:Groulx was born at Chenaux, Quebec, Canada, the son of a farmer and lumberjack, and died in Vaudreuil, Quebec...
in the 1930s and 1940s, and was a member of
André LaurendeauAndré Laurendeau was a novelist, playwright, essay writer, political activist, television commentator, journalist, newspaper editor and politician in Quebec, Canada. He was active in Québécois life, in various spheres and capacities, for three decades...
's anti-
conscriptionConscription is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by an established authority. It is most often used in the specific sense of requiring citizens to serve in the armed forces...
Ligue pour la défense du Canada. In 1942, he ran as a candidate of the nationalist
Bloc Populaire, which opposed Canadian conscription during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in a federal by-election (see Second Conscription Crisis). Drapeau lost the election. He was also a
Bloc populaire candidate in the
1944 provincial electionThe Quebec general election of 1944 was held on August 8, 1944 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Union Nationale, led by former premier Maurice Duplessis, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Adélard Godbout.This election marked...
but was badly defeated in his Montreal constituency.
He began his practice as a criminal lawyer in Montreal in 1944. During the
Asbestos StrikeThe Asbestos Strike of 1949, based in and around Asbestos, Quebec, Canada, was a four-month labour dispute by the asbestos miners. It has traditionally been portrayed as a turning point in Quebec history that helped lead to the Quiet Revolution...
of 1949, he took on the legal defence of some of the strikers.
In 1945, he married Marie-Claire Boucher. They had three sons.
Mayor of Montreal
Jean Drapeau's profile grew as the result of his role in a public inquiry led by
Pacifique PlantePacifique Plante was a crime fighting lawyer from the 1940s to the 1950s. He was also known as Pax Plante.He investigated corruption in Montreal municipal politics....
into police corruption in the early 1950s. When
Camillien HoudeCamillien Houde was a Quebec politician, a Member of Parliament, and a four-time mayor of Montreal.-Political career:...
retired as mayor of Montreal, Drapeau was well poised to succeed him.
Drapeau was elected mayor of Montreal in 1954 at the age of 37, as the candidate of the Civic Action League, on a platform of cleaning up the administration. In 1957, he lost to
Sarto FournierSarto Fournier was a Canadian politician. He served as mayor of Montreal from 1957 to 1960.Born in East Broughton, Quebec, he graduated in law from McGill University and formally entered law practice in 1938...
who was backed by the powerful
Premier of QuebecThe Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
Maurice DuplessisMaurice Le Noblet Duplessis served as the premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from 1936 to 1939 and 1944 to 1959...
, but Drapeau was elected again in the election of 1960, and from then he was re-elected without interruption until he retired from political life in 1986. His long tenure would eventually turn the
Parti CiviqueThe Civic Party of Montreal was a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It existed from 1960 to 1994. Throughout its history the Civic Party was dominated by the personality of its leader Jean Drapeau.-Origins:...
into his personal fief, with no clear heir.
During Jean Drapeau's tenure as mayor, he initiated the initial construction of the
Montreal MetroThe Montreal Metro is a rubber-tired metro system, and the main form of public transportation underground in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
subway system,
Place des Artsright|frame|View of the Place des Arts esplanade. The Musée d'art contemporain is on the left; behind it is the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, with the Théâtre Maisonneuve on the rightPlace des Arts is a major performing arts centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
, and
Expo 67The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, or Expo 67 as it was commonly known, was the first First Category exhibition approved by the Bureau of International Exhibition in the Americas. It was held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 28 to October 29, 1967...
, the Universal Exposition of 1967. To support the expenditures, Drapeau created the first public
lotteryA lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize. Some governments outlaw it, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery...
in Canada in 1968, which he called simply a "voluntary tax", an idea that would later gain favor and become enlarged by the provincial government by creating Loto-Québec society in 1970.
In the municipal elections of October 1970, Drapeau used the proclamation of the War Measures Act and the
October crisisThe October Crisis was a series of events triggered by two kidnappings of government officials by members of the Front de libération du Québec during October 1970 in the province of Quebec...
to discredit and neutralize the candidates of the opposition party by accusing them of being terrorist sympathisers and supporters of the
Front de libération du QuébecThe Front de Libération du Québec , commonly known as the FLQ, was a left-wing nationalist and socialist revolutionary group in Quebec, Canada, with at least two terrorist cells. It was responsible for more than 200 bombings, including the bombing of the Montreal Stock Exchange in 1969 and the...
. Some opposition candidates, including his main opponent, were imprisoned only to be released after the end of the election in which Drapeau's party won all 52 seats.
The 1970s saw the preparation of the 1976 Summer Olympics. Cost overruns and scandals forced the Quebec government to take over the project. The Summer Games were also marked by Drapeau's controversial decision to dismantle the
CorridartCorridart was an eight-kilometer exhibit of artworks that took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on Sherbrooke Street. It was intended to be part of the arts and cultural component of the 1976 Summer Olympics. The exhibit was showed many different Quebec artists...
public art display just before the Games.
http://archives3.concordia.ca/privatefonds/P119.html
Public criticism of Drapeau's municipal administration grew and lead to the creation of a new opposition party in 1974, which gradually grew in popularity over the next decade. Drapeau did not seek re-election in the election of 1986, which was won by the opposition.
Canadian Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of Canada is the primary Minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government of Canada. The office is not outlined in any of the documents that constitute the written portion of the constitution of Canada; executive authority is formally vested in the...
Brian MulroneyMartin Brian Mulroney, PC, CC, GOQ was the eighteenth Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of highly contentious economic...
appointed Drapeau to the position of Canadian ambassador to
UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945...
in
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Despite the nationalism of his youth, Drapeau remained neutral during the
1980 Quebec referendumThe 1980 Quebec referendum was the first referendum in Quebec on the place of Quebec within Canada and whether Quebec should pursue a path toward sovereignty. The referendum was called by Quebec's Parti Québécois government, which strongly favoured secession from Canada...
.
In 1967, Drapeau was made a Companion of the Order of Canada and in 1987 a Grand Officer of the
National 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...
.
After his death in 1999 (at age 83), Drapeau was interred in the Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges in Montreal.
One of the biggest parks in Montreal,
Parc Jean-DrapeauParc Jean-Drapeau is situated to the east of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the Saint Lawrence River. Parc Jean-Drapeau (formerly called Parc des Îles) is situated to the east of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the Saint Lawrence River. Parc Jean-Drapeau (formerly called Parc des...
, composed of
Île Notre-DameÎle Notre-Dame is an artificial island built in 10 months from 15 million tons of rock excavated for the Montreal Metro in 1965. It was created for Expo 67 to celebrate Canada's centennial. The island is part of the city of Montreal and forms part of the Hochelaga Archipelago...
and
Ile Sainte-HélèneSaint Helen's Island is an island in the Saint Lawrence River, in the territory of the city of Montreal. It is situated immediately southeast of the Island of Montreal, in the extreme southwest of Quebec. It forms part of the Hochelaga Archipelago...
in the middle of the
Saint Lawrence riverThe Saint Lawrence River is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage of the Great Lakes Basin...
, site of the universal exposition of 1967, was renamed in his honour, as was the Metro station serving the park.
Quotations
- "The Olympics can no more lose money than a man can have a baby." Jean Drapeau after Montreal won the right to host the 1976 Olympics. Following the Olympics, the city was left with a debt of $1 billion.
- As rival Toronto
Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
grew in size and prestige, Drapeau declared: "Let Toronto become MilanMilan in Italy, is the capital of the region of Lombardia and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while the urban area is the fifth largest in the E.U. with an estimated population of 4.3 million...
. Montreal will always be RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
."
- One opponent called him "a combination of Walt Disney and Al Capone."
- His critics described most of his projects as circuses. Drapeau replied: "What the masses want are monuments."
External links
Multimedia
- CBC Archives Drapeau's vision of bringing the Eiffel Tower to Montreal for Expo 67.