Lucien Bouchard,
PCThe Queen's Privy Council for Canada , sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council,
is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign...
,
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...
(born December 22, 1938) is a Canadian lawyer, diplomat,
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,...
and former Minister of the Environment of the
Canadian Federal GovernmentThe government of Canada is established as a constitutional monarchy, with the powers and structure of the federal government established by the Constitution of Canada, which includes the written part, the decisions of courts, and unwritten conventions developed over time.-Usage:In Canadian...
. He was the
Leader of OppositionThe Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition , or simply the Leader of the Opposition, in Canada is the Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons who leads Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, the party in Parliament that has the most seats in opposition to the ruling party.He or she is...
in the
Canadian House of CommonsThe House of Commons is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate.
The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament .
Members are elected by simple...
from 1993 to 1996, and
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....
from January 29, 1996 to March 8, 2001. He became a central figure for the
oui side in the
1995 Quebec referendumThe 1995 Quebec referendum was the second referendum to ask voters in the Canadian province of Quebec whether Quebec should secede from Canada and become an independent state, through the question:...
.
He is the brother of noted historian
Gérard BouchardGérard Bouchard is a historian, sociologist and writer from Quebec, Canada, affiliated with the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. Born in Jonquière, Quebec, he obtained his master's degree in sociology from Université Laval in 1968 and later obtained his PhD degree in history from the University...
, and a recipient of the title of
Commander of the
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
Legion of HonourThe Légion d'honneur or Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
Origins
Bouchard graduated from Jonquière Classical College in 1959, and obtained a Bachelor's degree in social science and a law degree at
Université LavalUniversité Laval is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French. Its main campus is located in Quebec City, Quebec, the capital of the province, on the outskirts of the historic city.According to the university's...
in 1964. He was called to the
Quebec barThe Bar of Quebec is the provincial law society for lawyers in Quebec, Canada. It was founded May 30,...
later that year.
He practised law in
ChicoutimiChicoutimi is one of the three boroughs of Saguenay, Quebec, Canada, and was a separate city in its own right until 2002. Chicoutimi had a population of 59,764 in the Canada 2001 Census, the last census in which Chicoutimi was counted as a separate city....
until 1985, while being given many charges as a public servant over the years: president of the arbitration committee for the education sector (1970 to 1976), prosecutor in chief for the commission for labour and industry (Cliche commission – 1974 to 1975), co-president of the study commission on the public and parapublic sectors (Martin-Bouchard commission — 1975). From then, he acted as a coordinator or member of many special teams on behalf of
Quebec's governmentThe Government of Quebec refers to the provincial government of the province of Quebec. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
in the
trade unionA trade union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas, such as working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labor contracts with employers...
negotiations for the public sector.
Early years in politics and diplomacy
Bouchard's relationship with politics is a complex one, as he affiliated himself over the years with various
political partiesA political party is a political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns...
with highly diverging
ideologiesAn ideology is a set of aims and ideas that directs one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a...
, going as far as founding one, the
Bloc QuébécoisThe Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada that defines itself as devoted to both the protection of Quebec's interests on a federal level as well as the promotion of its sovereignty...
.
Bouchard has been a
Quebec nationalist-1534–1774:Canada was first a French colony. Jacques Cartier claimed it for France in 1534, and permanent French settlement began in 1608. It was part of New France, which constituted all French colonies in North America. Up until 1760, "Canadien" nationalism had developed itself free of all...
during his entire political career. Contrary to popular belief, during the
1970 Quebec general electionThe Quebec general election of 1970 was held on April 29, 1970 to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The former Legislative Assembly had been renamed the "National Assembly" in 1968...
, he did not work for the federalist
Liberal Party of QuebecThe Quebec Liberal Party , is a Centre-left liberal political party in the Canadian province of Quebec. It has been independent of the Liberal Party of Canada since 1955....
; but, was deeply shaken by the events of Quebec's
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...
, especially by
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...
Pierre TrudeauJoseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, PC, CC, CH, QC, MSRC , was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968, to June 4, 1979, and from March 3, 1980, to June 30, 1984.Pierre Trudeau was a charismatic figure who, from the late 1960s until the mid-1980s,...
's imposition of the
War Measures ActThe War Measures Act was a Canadian statute that allowed the government to assume sweeping emergency powers...
requested by then Quebec Premier
Robert BourassaRobert Bourassa, GOQ was a politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as Liberal Premier of Quebec in two different mandates, first from May 12, 1970, to November 25, 1976, and then from December 12, 1985, to January 11, 1994.-Early years and education:Bourassa was born in Montreal in a working class...
. At the same time, he was a great admirer of Premier
René LévesqueRené Lévesque was a reporter, a minister of the government of Quebec, Canada , the founder of the Parti Québécois political party, and 23rd Premier of Quebec...
, often quoting him in speeches.
Bouchard worked with the "Yes" side 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...
on sovereignty. In 1984
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...
, Bouchard's close friend from his law school days at Université Laval, became Canadian Prime Minister. Mulroney would go on to ask Bouchard to serve in various official capacities, including (in 1985) as Canadian ambassador to
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
. Despite being sympathetic to the sovereigntist cause, Bouchard joined Mulroney's
Progressive ConservativeThe Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and a centrist stance on social issues....
government in 1988 as Secretary of State and later Minister of the Environment, serving until 1990. While still a strong Quebec nationalist, he believed that Mulroney's
Meech Lake AccordThe Meech Lake Accord was a set of failed amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated in 1987 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the provincial premiers, including Premier of Quebec Robert Bourassa. It was intended to persuade the government of the Province of Quebec to endorse the 1982...
was sufficient to placate nationalist feelings and keep Quebec in confederation.
However, after a commission headed by
Jean CharestJohn James Charest, PC, MNA , a Canadian lawyer and politician, is the 29th and current Premier of Quebec...
recommended some changes to the Accord, Bouchard left the Progressive Conservatives (May 1990), feeling that the spirit and objectives of Meech were being diluted. Mulroney felt betrayed by Bouchard, and rejected his reasoning, having heard from a friend that Bouchard planned on leaving days before the Commission's report. In fact, in his memoirs Mulroney stated that trusting Bouchard was his most regretful and costliest mistake as Prime Minister. After the failure of Meech, Bouchard formed the sovereigntist Bloc Québécois, initially a faction of disaffected, separatist federal MPs and later a full-blown party, which attracted a variety of former Liberals and Conservatives.
The
Parti QuébécoisThe Parti Québécois is a left-wing political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Québec and secession from Canada. It is a social democratic party and has traditionally had support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social democratic parties, its ties with the...
campaigned for the Bloc in the
1993 federal electionThe Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
in order to prepare Quebec for sovereignty, according to the
Three Periods strategyThe Three Periods is a Quebec sovereigntist strategy. Before the 1993 federal election in Canada, Parti Québécois leader Jacques Parizeau evoked a strategy for attainment of Quebec independence called the Three Periods. The strategy is partly inspired by the three periods of play in ice hockey...
of PQ leader
Jacques ParizeauJacques Parizeau, GOQ is an economist and noted Quebec sovereignist who was Premier of the province of Quebec, , from September 26, 1994 to January 29, 1996.-Biography:...
. In this election, the Bloc Québécois won 54 out of 75 ridings in Quebec, the second most populous province in Canada. Despite only running candidates in Quebec, the Bloc's strong showing was enough to win the second greatest number of seats in the country's federal election. This made Bouchard the first separatist
leader of the OppositionThe Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition , or simply the Leader of the Opposition, in Canada is the Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons who leads Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, the party in Parliament that has the most seats in opposition to the ruling party.He or she is...
in the history of Canada.
Bouchard was still serving in that capacity in Ottawa, and working closely with the provincial
Parti QuébécoisThe Parti Québécois is a left-wing political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Québec and secession from Canada. It is a social democratic party and has traditionally had support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social democratic parties, its ties with the...
to bring about the independence of Quebec, when he lost a leg to
necrotizing fasciitisNecrotizing fasciitis , commonly known as flesh-eating disease or flesh-eating bacteria, is a rare infection of the deeper layers of skin and subcutaneous tissues, easily spreading across the fascial plane within the subcutaneous tissue. Type I describes a polymicrobial infection, whereas Type II...
("flesh-eating disease") in December 1994.
Referendum on sovereignty
In 1995, Bouchard signed, as Bloc leader, a tripartite agreement with Parti Québécois leader Jacques Parizeau and
Action démocratiqueThe Action démocratique du Québec is a populist, conservative, nationalist and autonomist provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. Its official registered name is Action démocratique du Québec...
leader
Mario DumontMario Dumont is a former politician in the province of Quebec. He was a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec , and the leader of the Action démocratique du Québec , from 1994 to 2009. After the 2007 Quebec election, Dumont obtained the post of Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly...
, which mapped the way to the
referendumThe 1995 Quebec referendum was the second referendum to ask voters in the Canadian province of Quebec whether Quebec should secede from Canada and become an independent state, through the question:...
on independence. He was instrumental in convincing Parizeau to include a plan of association with Canada in the referendum question. He campaigned with the other two leaders for the Yes side. Quebec premier Jacques Parizeau first led the Yes campaign but, as support for sovereignty began to plateau, Bouchard was given the official leadership.
The referendum was narrowly defeated by a majority vote of 50.58% to 49.42%.
Premier of Quebec
After the Yes side lost the 1995 referendum, Parizeau resigned as Quebec premier. Bouchard resigned his seat in Parliament in 1996, and became the leader of the Parti Québécois and premier of Quebec.
On the matter of sovereignty, while in office, he stated that no new referendum would be held, at least for the time being. A main concern of the Bouchard government, considered part of the necessary
conditions gagnantes ("winning conditions" for the feasibility of a new referendum on sovereignty), was economic recovery through the achievement of "zero deficit". Long-term Keynesian policies resulting from the "Quebec model", developed by both PQ governments in the past and the previous Liberal government had left a substantial
deficitA budget deficit occurs when an entity spends more money than it takes in. The opposite of a budget deficit is a budget surplus. Debt is essentially an accumulated flow of deficits. In other words, a deficit is a flow, and debt is a stock....
in the provincial budget.
Retirement
Bouchard retired from politics in 2001, and was replaced as Quebec premier by
Bernard LandryBernard Landry, GOQ is a Quebec lawyer, teacher, politician, who served as Premier of Quebec, Canada, , leader of the Opposition and leader of the Parti Québécois .-Personal:...
. He stated that his relative failure to revive the sovereignist flame was a cause of his departure, something for which he took responsibility. Others have speculated that the
Michaud AffairThe Michaud Affair was a political controversy in Quebec that began in 2000. It revolved around the comments of Parti Québécois supporter Yves Michaud, those of the Quebec Jewish community and the subsequent censure motion from the National Assembly of Quebec members of parliament.-CKAC...
, regarding allegedly anti-Semitic comments by Parti Québécois candidate
Yves MichaudYves Michaud is a prominent Quebec public figure, a sovereignist and pur et dur supporter of the Parti Québécois.-Background:Michaud was born on February 13, 1930 in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec|Canada....
, was another factor favouring Bouchard's departure. Bouchard also faced criticism by the hardliners of his own party for failing to engage the province in a third, decisive referendum on sovereignty.
Since then, he has returned to practising law by becoming a partner at
Davies Ward Phillips & VinebergDavies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP focuses on business law. The firm acts for a wide range of leading industrial and commercial companies and financial institutions, both public and private, in Canada, the United States and abroad. It is one of the seven sisters law firms in Toronto...
, where he specializes in commercial and corporate law. He has served as a negotiator in high-profile labour and commercial disputes, most recently for Olymel and the Société des alcools du Québec (Quebec Liquor Board) during a strike that lasted six months. He is chairman of the
Montreal Symphony OrchestraOrchestre symphonique de Montréal is a symphony orchestra based in Montréal, Québec, Canada, with Montréal's Place des Arts as its home.-History:...
and sits on the board of Transcontinental G.T.C. Limited, Saputo Inc., Groupe BMTC and Groupe Conseil Dessau-Soprin. In April 2004, he helped launch the Centre for International Studies of 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...
(CÉRIUM), of which he is a board member. He recently separated from Audrey Best (born 1960), a
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
-born airline stewardess he married after meeting her on an international flight. They have two children, Alexandre and Simon.
On October 19, 2005, Bouchard and eleven other Quebecers of different backgrounds and political aspirations published a manifesto entitled "
Pour un Québec lucidePour un Québec lucide is a manifesto signed by 12 prominent Quebecers, including former premier Lucien Bouchard. Published on October 19 2005, the manifesto tackled issues facing modern Quebec, highlighting Quebec's fiscal problems and promoting unpopular solutions including raising university...
" ("For a clear-eyed vision of Quebec"). The manifesto warned Quebec's aging population about the challenges the future poses, demographically, economically and culturally. It made a certain impression on the
Parti Québécois leadership race of 2005The Parti Québécois leadership election of 2005 was held from November 13 to November 15, 2005 to elect the new leader of the Parti Québécois, the main sovereigntist and social democratic political party in Quebec, Canada....
, getting mixed reactions. It was well received in other quarters, receiving praise on the editorial page of
The Globe and MailThe Globe and Mail is a Canadian English language nationally distributed newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of 935 000, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star and...
.
Nearly a year later on October 16, 2006 Bouchard declared to TVA news reporter Paul Larocque, that the population of the province is not working enough and that it should be more productive in order to produce more resources for the population. He also added that his generation had contracted 75% of the province's current debt and that the future generations should not be handling the burden of paying for the previous ones.
Controversy
Not long before the 1995 referendum, Bouchard drew considerable ire when he said on October 14th, 1995, "We're one of the white races that has the fewest children."
Liza Frulla Liza Frulla, PC , also formerly known as Liza Frulla-Hébert, is a former Canadian politician. She was a Quebec Liberal Party MNA in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1989 to 1998, and a Liberal Member of Parliament from 2002 to 2006.From 1974 to 1976, she worked for the public affairs service...
, former Quebec culture minister commented, "We were shocked and hurt by Mr. Bouchard's various comments over the weekend. ... He is insulting our intelligence."
He also refused funding to 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....
to build a proposed Labatt Field. This stadium would have played a major role in helping the Expos stay in Montreal.
Legacy
His government implemented some controversial policies, including cuts to the province's
health careHealth care , is the treatment and management of illness, and the preservation of health through services offered by the medical, dental, complementary and alternative medicine, pharmaceutical, clinical laboratory sciences , nursing, and allied health professions...
spending in order to balance the deficitary provincial budget, and the amalgamation of Quebec's larger cities undertaken by his successor
Bernard LandryBernard Landry, GOQ is a Quebec lawyer, teacher, politician, who served as Premier of Quebec, Canada, , leader of the Opposition and leader of the Parti Québécois .-Personal:...
. Also, some have criticized him for not pushing forward on the sovereignty issue during his time in office. These hardline
purs et durs independentists were a problem for his leadership, notably because of the strongly decentralised structure of the Parti Québécois. Other aspects of his legacy include the creation of a low-cost, universal public daycare system, the birth of
Emploi Québec, and achieving a balanced budget. He is remembered for his sometimes "short fuse" when provoked and his unforgiving demands for excellence in those he worked with, but also for his charm and eloquence, and was appreciated as a formidable foe by his political adversaries. Bouchard stated that he will not return to politics.
Quotes
- More than ever, it will be imperative to remind all that the sovereignist way is one of generosity, of tolerance, and openness.
- "Plus que jamais, il faudra rappeler que la démarche souverainiste en est une de générosité, de tolérance, et d'ouverture."
- The people of Quebec possess all the assets to achieve an enviable place in the concert of nations (i.e., the international community). At the only condition of repatriating all of its public resources, rather than dispersing them on two conflicting fronts.
- "Le peuple québécois possède tous les atouts pour se tailler une place enviable dans le concert des nations. À la seule condition de rapatrier toutes ses ressources publiques, plutôt que de les disperser sur deux fronts conflictuels."
- Interview with TVA reporter Paul Larocque on October 16, 2006:
- There is a certain distress, a certain stagnation [in Quebec]. It is a comfort which is dangerous, because it holds the future for us which will not be comfortable and which will be very very difficult. (...) Quebec's great project of tomorrow needs to be conceived.
- "Il y a un certain désarroi, un certain sur-place [au Québec]. C'est un confort qui est dangereux, parce qu'il nous réserve des lendemains qui ne seront pas confortables, qui vont être très très difficiles. (…) Le grand projet du Québec de demain, il faut le concevoir."
- During the referendum campaign, October 14, 1995:
- There is something magical about a Yes vote. With a wave of our magic wand, we will stir up a feeling of solidarity among Quebecers.
- "Le oui a quelque chose de magique. D'un coup de baguette, nous allons provoquer la solidarité des Québécois."
Elections as party leader
He won the
1998 electionThe Quebec general election of 1998 was held on November 30, 1998, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada...
and resigned in 2001.
Honours
In English
- Marsh, James. "Bouchard, Lucien", in The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Foundation, 2008
- Martin, Lawrence (1997). The Antagonist: Lucien Bouchard and the Politics of Delusion, Toronto: Viking, 356 p.
- Cornellier, Manon (1995). The Bloc, Toronto: James Lorimer & Co., 180 p. [translated by Robert Chodos, Simon Horn and Wanda Taylor]
- Bouchard, Lucien (1994). On the Record, Toronto : Stoddart, 288 p. [translated by Dominique Clift]
In French
- Côté, André-Philippe and David, Michel (2001). Les années Bouchard, Sillery: Septentrion, 168 p.
- Vastel, Michel (1996). Lucien Bouchard : en attendant la suite, Outremont: Lanctôt, 1996, 253 p.
- Bouchard, Lucien (1996). Lucien Bouchard mot à mot, Montreal: Stanké, 384 p. [prepared by Rémi Maillard]
- Bouchard, Lucien (1992). À visage découvert, Montreal: Boréal, 377 p.
- "Bouchard, Lucien", dossier in Vigile.net
Vigile.net, or Vigile, is an internet political website maintained in Quebec, Canada, by webmaster Bernard Frappier. It is a medium of the Quebec independence movement...
, 2008
- "Lucien Bouchard", dossier in L'Encyclopédie de L'Agora, updated May 25, 2006
- Beauregard, Denis. "Généalogie de Lucien Bouchard", in FrancoGene, 2003
- Duguay, Nicolas. "Lucien Bouchard", in Radio-Canada.ca, 2001
See also
- List of Quebec premiers
- Nicknames of Quebec premiers
- Quebec sovereignty movement
The Quebec sovereignty movement refers to the history and present status of multiple, multi-lateral political movements aimed at attaining statehood for the Canadian province of Quebec. Supporters of the movement advocate a variety of proposals...
- History of Quebec
Quebec has played a special role in Canadian history; it is the site where French settlers founded the colony of Canada in the 1600s and 1700s...
- Politics of Quebec
The politics of Quebec are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces, namely a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The capital of the province is Quebec City, where the Lieutenant Governor, Premier, the legislature, and cabinet reside.The...
- Politics of Canada
The politics of Canada function within a framework of constitutional monarchy and a federal system of parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions. Many of the country's legislative practices derive from the unwritten conventions of and precedents set by the United Kingdom's...
Analysis
Biographies