Sylvain Simard
Encyclopedia
Sylvain Simard is a politician
and academic based in the Canadian
province of Quebec
. He has represented Richelieu
in the National Assembly of Quebec
since 1994 and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Lucien Bouchard
and Bernard Landry
. Simard is a member of the Parti Québécois
(PQ).
degree in Education from the Université de Montréal
(1967), a Master of Arts
degree from McGill University
(1970), and a Ph.D.
in Comparative Literature
from the University of Bordeaux
in France
(1975). From 1976 to 1994, he was a professor of French literature at the University of Ottawa
. He completed a work entitled Mythe et reflet de la France: L'image du Canada en France in 1987, examining perceptions of Quebec in France
from the time of Louis Napoleon to World War I
.
Simard's brother, Christian Simard
, was a Bloc Québécois
member of the Canadian House of Commons
from 2004 to 2006.
.
In 1982, he helped organize a street protest against Canadian prime minister
Pierre Trudeau
's patriation of the Canadian Constitution without Quebec's approval. Later in the same year, he requested that Elections Canada
incorporate a federal wing of the PQ so that the party could run candidates in the next Canadian federal election
. Some senior party members opposed this measure, which led to the creation of the Parti nationaliste du Québec
. Simard also helped coordinate the PQ's bid to join the Socialist International
in 1983. This was opposed by the New Democratic Party
, then the leading social democratic party in the rest of Canada outside Quebec.
Simard supported electoral reform and proposed that future elections in Quebec be conducted under a system of compensatory proportional representation
. He also encouraged Premier Levesque to shuffle his cabinet and staff in early 1984, arguing that some people had been in the same positions for too long. His own term as vice-president ended in 1984.
, at a time when the NDP was seeking to build its support base in Quebec. He ultimately decided against running.
In the same period, Simard became involved with local politics in the Outaouais
region. He was a prominent local member of the Société nationale des Québécois and opposed proposed changes to the province's Charter of the French Language
. He also formed a group called the Gatineau Democratic Movement in 1987, and there was some speculation that he would run for mayor
in that year's municipal election
. He ultimately decided against doing so, arguing that it would be irresponsible to split the vote against incumbent Gaétan Cousineau
.
Cousineau was narrowly re-elected to the mayoralty, but resigned from office in early 1988. Simard was the first declared candidate in a by-election
to succeed him, running on a platform of increased democratic consultation, budget cuts that would not affect municipal salaries, and reduced taxes. He also argued that Gatineau residents should be allowed to have a referendum
on a proposed cultural centre, called for all mayoral candidates to declare their financial interests, and proposed a new municipal code of ethics. On election day, he lost to Bob Labine by only 174 votes.
Simard was a PQ candidate in the 1989 provincial election
, narrowly losing to Liberal Party cabinet minister Guy Rivard
in the Montreal
division of Rosemont
.
From 1990 to 1994, Simard was president of the Mouvement National des Quebecois (MNQ). In 1991, he argued that a sovereign Quebec would try to reduce the concentration of immigrant communities in Montreal
neighbourhoods. He was quoted as saying, "We can't lower the concentration [of existing communities]; the people who are here are here. But in the future . . . we will have to adjust our welcome of immigrants to our capacities to integrate them." He also argued that francophone Quebecers would need to become more accepting of immigrants and the changes they would bring to Quebec culture. At a MNQ meeting in May 1991, he said that most francophone Quebecers were "remarkably open to the necessity for and the advantages of immigration."
As MNQ president, Simard argued that francophone Quebecers were unfairly singled out by Canadian federalists
for having condoned racist and xenophobic behaviour in earlier times. In the wake of a public controversy over Esther Delisle
's The Traitor and the Jew
, which addressed historical anti-Semitism
and Quebec nationalism
, Simard said, "Of course we denounce all forms of anti-Semitism and xenophobia, and we don't excuse it even fifty years later. But why should we have to respond to [...] attacks that are obviously politically motivated?" Unlike other Quebec sovereigntist groups, the MNQ under Simard's leadership sought to build links with francophone groups across Canada.
Simard called for a referendum on sovereignty in early 1992 and campaigned against the Charlottetown Accord
on Canadian constitutional reform later in the same year.
for Richelieu in the 1994 provincial election
, defeating Liberal incumbent Albert Khelfa
. The PQ won a majority government
in this election under Jacques Parizeau
's leadership, and Simard entered the legislature as a government backbencher. When Lucien Bouchard
succeeded Parizeau as premier of Quebec
on January 29, 1996, he appointed Simard as minister of international relations and minister responsible for La Francophonie, with further responsibilities for the Outaouais region
. On January 22, 1997, Simard was given additional responsibilities as minister responsible for international humanitarian action.
Soon after his appointment, Simard warned the Canadian government to consider the possibility of a violent reaction if it ever tried to partition the predominantly federalist areas from a future, sovereign Quebec. This was in response to a statement by Canadian intergovernmental affairs minister
Stéphane Dion
, who said that if Canada was divisible, then Quebec would be as well.
In March 1996, Simard announced that Quebec would close thirteen of its nineteen foreign delegations as a cost-saving measure. He added that Quebec representatives in some of the affected areas could operate from within Canadian embassies, promoting both Quebec trade interests and sovereignty. Canadian deputy prime minister Sheila Copps
responded that Quebec representatives would "absolutely not" be allowed to promote Quebec sovereignty in Canadian facilities, and Simard's plan was widely criticized in the rest of Canada.
Simard took part in a bid for Quebec to receive special status at the United Nations
in 1997. This was defeated by the Canadian government. Later in the same year, he quarreled with federal politicians over the terms of a child-support agreement between Quebec and France; the Canadian government argued that some sections of the deal came close to defining Quebec as a sovereign country. Simard also threatened a boycott of the 2001 Francophone Games in Ottawa and Hull
, on the grounds that the federal government was excluding Quebec from the organizing committee.
As minister of international relations, Simard represented Quebec in trade and diplomatic missions to France
, China
, Vietnam
, Senegal
, Côte d'Ivoire
, Israel
, Palestine
, Lebanon
, and Zimbabwe
. He was skeptical of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment
and encouraged Canada to withdraw from negotiations around the accord in October 1998.
In late November 1996, Simard criticized Charles Aznavour
after the well-known troubadour sang some of his best-known songs in English during a concert in Ottawa
. The minister was quoted as saying, "Charles Aznavour is a French singer and when he comes here he should sing in French. It shows a complete ignorance of the reality and sensibilities of Quebec society — it's a provocation."
Simard was re-elected in the 1998 Quebec election
, but was dropped from cabinet on December 15, 1998. In 2000, he co-authored a procedural review document recommending that elected representatives be given more opportunities to consider and scrutinize proposed legislation.
for more francophone immigration in upcoming years.
In late 2000, Simard said that he would not serve alongside Yves Michaud
, a candidate for the PQ nomination in an upcoming Montreal by-election
. Michaud had characterized Jewish support for the Canadian federalist option in the 1995 Quebec referendum as an "ethnic vote against the sovereignty of the Quebec people" and described B'nai Brith Canada
as "anti-sovereigntist extremists." He was also quoted as saying that Jews believed themselves to be "the only people in the world who have suffered." Simard described Michaud's comments as "an old anti-Semitic throwback that leave me no choice but to condemn." Michaud, in turn, contended that he was "falsely demonized" by the reporting of his comments and was not anti-Semitic. This controversy exposed divisions in the ranks of the PQ and is widely believed to have provoked Lucien Bouchard's resignation as premier shortly thereafter.
's successful bid to become the party's new leader. Landry was sworn in as premier on March 8, 2001, and re-assigned Simard as president of the treasury board, minister of state for administration and the public service, minister responsible for administration and the public service, and minister responsible for the Outaouais.
Simard issued his first report as treasury board president on March 29, 2001, indicating that government spending would increase by 3.1% in 2001-02 with three-quarters of the new revenues going to health and education. He added that spending as a percentage of gross domestic product would decline, as it had in previous years. Later in 2001, he announced that Quebec would take nearly one billion dollars from its reserve fund to avoid going into deficit amid a serious North America
n economic downturn. In November 2001, Simard launched a $220 million initiative to ensure pay equity.
Simard launched a major recruitment campaign in early 2001, seeking to fill 1,500 full-time and 5,000 part-time public service positions. This was described as the department's most important outreach program in twenty years. In making the announcement, Simard indicated that minority groups, including anglophones and youth, would receive fair representation.
Simard also served on a cabinet committee overseeing strategies for Quebec's asbestos
sector in this period.
, minister of education, minister responsible for employment, and minister responsible for the Outaouais. Simard delivered an education policy statement in March 2002, in which he promised to maintain Quebec's longstanding freeze on university tuition
rates and remove a legislative loophole that allowed non-anglophone parents to send their children to English public schools after one year at an English private school.
He announced a $91 million program for reforming Quebec's secondary schools in January 2003, highlighted by increased tutoring, a focus on history and the French language as well as upgrades to the sciences, and new steps to target the provincial dropout rate. He introduced another plan in the same month to counter schoolyard harassment and intimidation. He was strongly critical of the right-wing Action démocratique du Québec
's proposal to introduce a system of school vouchers to the province.
Simard was one of the few ministers in the Landry government with a strong interest in promoting Quebec sovereignty. In February 2003, he argued that Quebec would receive an additional $800 million in education spending if the "fiscal imbalance
" between Quebec and the Canadian federal government was fixed.
defeated the PQ in the 2003 provincial election
. Simard was re-elected in Richelieu by a reduced margin and served as opposition critic for the treasury board and public service. He was named as the PQ's chief organizer in October 2004. Simard was strongly critical of the Charest government's cuts to economic development and the public service, as well as its move toward public-private partnership
s. In 2006, he brought forward a private member's bill
to create a pension benefits guarantee fund.
Simard called for a public inquiry into federalist spending practices during the 1995 referendum on sovereignty in 2005, following statements by a high-ranking Liberal Party of Canada
organizer that the federalist side had "violated" and "flouted" Quebec's election laws. Simard was quoted as saying, "We don't want to rewrite the past. What is done is done. What we need are new ground rules and the means to ensure that that this doesn't happen again."
Simard supported Bernard Landry
's bid to retain the PQ leadership after the 2003 election, but nonetheless helped Landry reach his decision to resign after receiving only 76 per cent support at the party's June 2005 convention. Later in the same year, Simard supported André Boisclair
's successful bid to succeed Landry as party leader.
Simard suggested lifting Quebec's tuition freeze in 2006, arguing that it had created a state of "perpetual underfunding" for universities. The PQ's youth wing opposed this suggestion, and a subsequent policy workshop reaffirmed the party's support for the freeze.
The PQ fell to a third-place finish in the 2007 general election
, and Simard was again re-elected by a reduced margin over a strong challenge from an ADQ candidate. Following the election, he was one of the few PQ MNAs who still supported Boisclair's leadership. When Boisclair resigned, Simard planned to support Gilles Duceppe
's bid to lead the party. Duceppe ultimately decided not to run, and Pauline Marois
was chosen as Boisclair's successor.
The PQ returned to official opposition status in the 2008 election under Marois's leadership, and Sylvain was re-elected by an increased margin. He was re-appointed as critic for the treasury board and public service after the election. In March 2009, he argued that the government could save four billion dollars by building two new university teaching hospitals in Montreal as conventional projects rather than as private-public partnerships. The following year, he accused the Charest government of falsifying cost estimates to favour the public-private approach.
In early 2011, Pauline Marois said that she favoured extending Quebec's Charter of the French Language
to restrict non-anglophone students from attending English-language CEGEP
s. Simard openly disagreed with this policy approach, which was approved by delegates to a PQ convention in April 2011.
In May 2011, Simard introduced a private member's bill
to protect whistleblower
s in the Quebec civil service.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and academic based in the Canadian
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 of 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 has represented Richelieu
Richelieu (provincial electoral district)
Richelieu is a provincial electoral riding in the province of Quebec, Canada. Located in the Montérégie region, the district was created in 1792. Between 1936 and 1944, it was part of the defunct riding of Richelieu-Vercheres...
in 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...
since 1994 and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Lucien Bouchard
Lucien Bouchard
Lucien Bouchard, is a Canadian lawyer, diplomat, politician and former Minister of the Environment of the Canadian Federal Government. He was the Leader of Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons from 1993 to 1996, and the 27th Premier of Quebec from January 29, 1996 to March 8, 2001...
and Bernard Landry
Bernard Landry
Bernard Landry, is a Quebec lawyer, teacher, politician, who served as the 28th Premier of Quebec , leader of the Opposition and leader of the Parti Québécois .-Personal:...
. Simard is a member of the 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...
(PQ).
Early life and career
Simard was born in Chicoutimi, Quebec. He holds a Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Education from 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...
(1967), a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed 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...
(1970), and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Comparative Literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
from the University of Bordeaux
University of Bordeaux
University of Bordeaux is an association of higher education institutions in and around Bordeaux, France. Its current incarnation was established 21 March 2007. The group is the largest system of higher education schools in southwestern France. It is part of the Academy of Bordeaux.There are seven...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(1975). From 1976 to 1994, he was a professor of French literature at the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
. He completed a work entitled Mythe et reflet de la France: L'image du Canada en France in 1987, examining perceptions of Quebec in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
from the time of Louis Napoleon to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Simard's brother, Christian Simard
Christian Simard
Christian Simard is a Canadian politician.A director general, political adviser and project coordinator, Simard was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the Canadian federal election, 2004...
, was a Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
member of the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada 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...
from 2004 to 2006.
PQ vice-president
Simard first became involved with the Parti Québécois as a regional organizer in the Outaouais. He was elected as the PQ's vice-president in 1981 and argued that the party's internal organization should receive more autonomy from the provincial PQ government of René LevesqueRené 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...
.
In 1982, he helped organize a street protest against Canadian prime minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
's patriation of the Canadian Constitution without Quebec's approval. Later in the same year, he requested that Elections Canada
Elections Canada
Elections Canada is an independent, non-partisan agency reporting directly to the Parliament of Canada. Its ongoing responsibility is to ensure that Canadians can exercise their choices in federal elections and referenda through an open and impartial process...
incorporate a federal wing of the PQ so that the party could run candidates in the next Canadian federal election
Canadian federal election, 1984
The Canadian federal election of 1984 was held on September 4 of that year to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 33rd Parliament of Canada...
. Some senior party members opposed this measure, which led to the creation of the Parti nationaliste du Québec
Parti nationaliste du Québec
-Origins:For decades, the Social Credit Party's Quebec wing, the Ralliement créditiste, attracted many Quebec nationalists as a party that could represent Quebec's interests in the Canadian House of Commons...
. Simard also helped coordinate the PQ's bid to join the Socialist International
Socialist International
The Socialist International is a worldwide organization of democratic socialist, social democratic and labour political parties. It was formed in 1951.- History :...
in 1983. This was opposed by the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
, then the leading social democratic party in the rest of Canada outside Quebec.
Simard supported electoral reform and proposed that future elections in Quebec be conducted under a system of compensatory proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
. He also encouraged Premier Levesque to shuffle his cabinet and staff in early 1984, arguing that some people had been in the same positions for too long. His own term as vice-president ended in 1984.
Political activist
Simard was encouraged to run as a New Democratic Party candidate in the 1988 federal electionCanadian federal election, 1988
The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....
, at a time when the NDP was seeking to build its support base in Quebec. He ultimately decided against running.
In the same period, Simard became involved with local politics in the Outaouais
Outaouais
Outaouais is a region of western Quebec, Canada. It includes the city of Gatineau , the Pontiac region, and the town of Maniwaki, and is located on the north side of the Ottawa River opposite Canada's capital, Ottawa...
region. He was a prominent local member of the Société nationale des Québécois and opposed proposed changes to the province's Charter of the French Language
Charter of the French Language
The Charter of the French Language , also known as Bill 101 and Loi 101, is a law in the province of Quebec in Canada defining French, the language of the majority of the population, as the only official language of Quebec, and framing fundamental language rights for everyone in the province...
. He also formed a group called the Gatineau Democratic Movement in 1987, and there was some speculation that he would run for mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
in that year's municipal election
Gatineau municipal election, 1987
The 1987 Gatineau municipal election was held on November 1, 1987, to elect a mayor and councillors in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. Incumbent mayor Gaétan Cousineau was narrowly re-elected over a challenge from former mayor John Luck.-Council:...
. He ultimately decided against doing so, arguing that it would be irresponsible to split the vote against incumbent Gaétan Cousineau
Gaétan Cousineau
Gaétan Cousineau is an administrator and former politician in the Canadian province of Quebec. He was the mayor of Gatineau from 1983 to 1988 and is now president of the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse .-Early life and career:Cousineau has a diploma in Civil Law...
.
Cousineau was narrowly re-elected to the mayoralty, but resigned from office in early 1988. Simard was the first declared candidate in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
to succeed him, running on a platform of increased democratic consultation, budget cuts that would not affect municipal salaries, and reduced taxes. He also argued that Gatineau residents should be allowed to have a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
on a proposed cultural centre, called for all mayoral candidates to declare their financial interests, and proposed a new municipal code of ethics. On election day, he lost to Bob Labine by only 174 votes.
Simard was a PQ candidate in the 1989 provincial election
Quebec general election, 1989
The Quebec general election of 1989 was held on September 25, 1989, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada...
, narrowly losing to Liberal Party cabinet minister Guy Rivard
Guy Rivard
Guy Rivard is a former politician in the Canadian province of Quebec. He served in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1985 to 1994 as a member of the Liberal Party and was a junior minister in the government of Robert Bourassa...
in the 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...
division of Rosemont
Rosemont (provincial electoral district)
Rosemont is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The district is located in Montreal. Its boundaries are Dickson Street and Lacordaire Boulevard to the east. Sherbrooke Street to the south, the Canadian Pacific Railway and 6th...
.
From 1990 to 1994, Simard was president of the Mouvement National des Quebecois (MNQ). In 1991, he argued that a sovereign Quebec would try to reduce the concentration of immigrant communities in 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...
neighbourhoods. He was quoted as saying, "We can't lower the concentration [of existing communities]; the people who are here are here. But in the future . . . we will have to adjust our welcome of immigrants to our capacities to integrate them." He also argued that francophone Quebecers would need to become more accepting of immigrants and the changes they would bring to Quebec culture. At a MNQ meeting in May 1991, he said that most francophone Quebecers were "remarkably open to the necessity for and the advantages of immigration."
As MNQ president, Simard argued that francophone Quebecers were unfairly singled out by Canadian federalists
Canadian federalism
Canada is a federation with two distinct jurisdictions of political authority: the country-wide federal government and the ten regionally-based provincial governments. It also has three territorial governments in the far north, though these are subject to the federal government...
for having condoned racist and xenophobic behaviour in earlier times. In the wake of a public controversy over Esther Delisle
Esther Delisle
Esther Delisle Ph.D. is a French Canadian historian and author of historical works from Quebec.Born and raised in Quebec City, she completed her BA and MA in political science at Université Laval in Sainte-Foy, Quebec, and taught political theory at a Quebec CEGEP and worked as a researcher for...
's The Traitor and the Jew
The Traitor and the Jew
The Traitor and the Jew is a 1992 book of non-fiction by Quebec political scientist Esther Delisle Ph.D.....
, which addressed historical anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
and Quebec nationalism
Quebec nationalism
Quebec nationalism is a nationalist movement in the Canadian province of Quebec .-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...
, Simard said, "Of course we denounce all forms of anti-Semitism and xenophobia, and we don't excuse it even fifty years later. But why should we have to respond to [...] attacks that are obviously politically motivated?" Unlike other Quebec sovereigntist groups, the MNQ under Simard's leadership sought to build links with francophone groups across Canada.
Simard called for a referendum on sovereignty in early 1992 and campaigned against the Charlottetown Accord
Charlottetown Accord
The Charlottetown Accord was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada, proposed by the Canadian federal and provincial governments in 1992. It was submitted to a public referendum on October 26 of that year, and was defeated.-Background:...
on Canadian constitutional reform later in the same year.
Minister of International Relations
Simard was first elected to the National Assembly of QuebecNational 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...
for Richelieu in the 1994 provincial election
Quebec general election, 1994
The Quebec general election of 1994 was held on September 12, 1994, to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The Parti Québécois, led by Jacques Parizeau, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Daniel Johnson, Jr.....
, defeating Liberal incumbent Albert Khelfa
Albert Khelfa
Albert Khelfa is a former politician in the Canadian province of Quebec. He served in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1985 to 1994 as a member of the Liberal Party.-Early life and career:...
. The PQ won a 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 under Jacques Parizeau
Jacques Parizeau
Jacques Parizeau, is an economist and noted Quebec sovereignist who was the 26th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from September 26, 1994 to January 29, 1996.-Early life and career:...
's leadership, and Simard entered the legislature as a government backbencher. When Lucien Bouchard
Lucien Bouchard
Lucien Bouchard, is a Canadian lawyer, diplomat, politician and former Minister of the Environment of the Canadian Federal Government. He was the Leader of Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons from 1993 to 1996, and the 27th Premier of Quebec from January 29, 1996 to March 8, 2001...
succeeded Parizeau as premier of Quebec
Premier of Quebec
The 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....
on January 29, 1996, he appointed Simard as minister of international relations and minister responsible for La Francophonie, with further responsibilities for the Outaouais region
Minister responsible for the Outaouais (Quebec)
The Minister responsible for the Outaouais is a ministerial designation in the government of Quebec. The minister who holds this position is responsible for overseeing government matters in the Outaouais region, along Quebec's border with Ontario...
. On January 22, 1997, Simard was given additional responsibilities as minister responsible for international humanitarian action.
Soon after his appointment, Simard warned the Canadian government to consider the possibility of a violent reaction if it ever tried to partition the predominantly federalist areas from a future, sovereign Quebec. This was in response to a statement by Canadian intergovernmental affairs minister
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs (Canada)
The Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the federal government's relations with the governments of the provinces and territories of Canada...
Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Maurice Dion, PC, MP is a Canadian politician who has been the Member of Parliament for the riding of Saint-Laurent–Cartierville in Montreal since 1996. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Leader of the Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons from 2006 to 2008...
, who said that if Canada was divisible, then Quebec would be as well.
In March 1996, Simard announced that Quebec would close thirteen of its nineteen foreign delegations as a cost-saving measure. He added that Quebec representatives in some of the affected areas could operate from within Canadian embassies, promoting both Quebec trade interests and sovereignty. Canadian deputy prime minister Sheila Copps
Sheila Copps
Sheila Maureen Copps, PC is a former Canadian politician who also served as Deputy Prime Minister of Canada from November 4, 1993 to April 30, 1996 and June 19, 1996 to June 11, 1997....
responded that Quebec representatives would "absolutely not" be allowed to promote Quebec sovereignty in Canadian facilities, and Simard's plan was widely criticized in the rest of Canada.
Simard took part in a bid for Quebec to receive special status at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in 1997. This was defeated by the Canadian government. Later in the same year, he quarreled with federal politicians over the terms of a child-support agreement between Quebec and France; the Canadian government argued that some sections of the deal came close to defining Quebec as a sovereign country. Simard also threatened a boycott of the 2001 Francophone Games in Ottawa and Hull
Hull, Quebec
Hull is the central and oldest part of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Canadian National Capital Region, it contains offices for twenty thousand...
, on the grounds that the federal government was excluding Quebec from the organizing committee.
As minister of international relations, Simard represented Quebec in trade and diplomatic missions to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Palestine
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. He was skeptical of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment
Multilateral Agreement on Investment
The Multilateral Agreement on Investment was a draft agreement negotiated between members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 1995–1998. Its ostensible purpose was to develop multilateral rules that would ensure international investment was governed in a more...
and encouraged Canada to withdraw from negotiations around the accord in October 1998.
In late November 1996, Simard criticized Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour, OC is an Armenian-French singer, songwriter, actor, public activist and diplomat. Besides being one of France's most popular and enduring singers, he is also one of the best-known singers in the world...
after the well-known troubadour sang some of his best-known songs in English during a concert in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. The minister was quoted as saying, "Charles Aznavour is a French singer and when he comes here he should sing in French. It shows a complete ignorance of the reality and sensibilities of Quebec society — it's a provocation."
Simard was re-elected in the 1998 Quebec election
Quebec general election, 1998
The Quebec general election of 1998 was held on November 30, 1998, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Parti Québécois, led by Lucien Bouchard, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Charest.After the narrow defeat of...
, but was dropped from cabinet on December 15, 1998. In 2000, he co-authored a procedural review document recommending that elected representatives be given more opportunities to consider and scrutinize proposed legislation.
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Simard rejoined Lucien Bouchard's cabinet on October 6, 2000, as the minister of citizenship and immigration. Soon after his appointment, he announced that Quebec would increase its annual immigration rate from 30,000 to a figure between 40,000 and 45,000 by 2003, while also raising its rate of francophone immigration from 44% to 52%. Echoing his statements from a decade earlier, he called for an increased settlement of immigrants into areas outside of Montreal to facilitate their integration to Quebec society. In March 2001, he announced that the numbers of both educated and francophone immigrants to Quebec were increasing and that the province would look to the MaghrebMaghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
for more francophone immigration in upcoming years.
In late 2000, Simard said that he would not serve alongside Yves Michaud
Yves Michaud
Yves Michaud is a prominent Quebec public figure, a sovereignist and pur et dur supporter of the Parti Québécois.-Background:...
, a candidate for the PQ nomination in an upcoming Montreal by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
. Michaud had characterized Jewish support for the Canadian federalist option in the 1995 Quebec referendum as an "ethnic vote against the sovereignty of the Quebec people" and described B'nai Brith Canada
B'nai Brith Canada
B'nai Brith Canada is the Canadian section of B'nai Brith . It was founded in 1875 and is the country's oldest Jewish service organization.-Members:...
as "anti-sovereigntist extremists." He was also quoted as saying that Jews believed themselves to be "the only people in the world who have suffered." Simard described Michaud's comments as "an old anti-Semitic throwback that leave me no choice but to condemn." Michaud, in turn, contended that he was "falsely demonized" by the reporting of his comments and was not anti-Semitic. This controversy exposed divisions in the ranks of the PQ and is widely believed to have provoked Lucien Bouchard's resignation as premier shortly thereafter.
President of the Treasury Board
When Bouchard resigned from office in early 2001, Simard supported Bernard LandryBernard Landry
Bernard Landry, is a Quebec lawyer, teacher, politician, who served as the 28th Premier of Quebec , leader of the Opposition and leader of the Parti Québécois .-Personal:...
's successful bid to become the party's new leader. Landry was sworn in as premier on March 8, 2001, and re-assigned Simard as president of the treasury board, minister of state for administration and the public service, minister responsible for administration and the public service, and minister responsible for the Outaouais.
Simard issued his first report as treasury board president on March 29, 2001, indicating that government spending would increase by 3.1% in 2001-02 with three-quarters of the new revenues going to health and education. He added that spending as a percentage of gross domestic product would decline, as it had in previous years. Later in 2001, he announced that Quebec would take nearly one billion dollars from its reserve fund to avoid going into deficit amid a serious North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n economic downturn. In November 2001, Simard launched a $220 million initiative to ensure pay equity.
Simard launched a major recruitment campaign in early 2001, seeking to fill 1,500 full-time and 5,000 part-time public service positions. This was described as the department's most important outreach program in twenty years. In making the announcement, Simard indicated that minority groups, including anglophones and youth, would receive fair representation.
Simard also served on a cabinet committee overseeing strategies for Quebec's asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
sector in this period.
Minister of Education
Bernard Landry shuffled his cabinet on January 30, 2002, and re-assigned Simard as minister of state for education and employmentMinister of State for Education and Employment (Quebec)
The Minister of State for Education and Employment is a former ministerial title in the Executive Council of Quebec. Established in 2001, it was discontinued in 2003 when the ministerial responsibilities for education and employment were split between two different ministries....
, minister of education, minister responsible for employment, and minister responsible for the Outaouais. Simard delivered an education policy statement in March 2002, in which he promised to maintain Quebec's longstanding freeze on university tuition
Tuition
Tuition payments, known primarily as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in British English, Canadian English, Australian English, New Zealand English and Indian English, refers to a fee charged for educational instruction during higher education.Tuition payments are charged by...
rates and remove a legislative loophole that allowed non-anglophone parents to send their children to English public schools after one year at an English private school.
He announced a $91 million program for reforming Quebec's secondary schools in January 2003, highlighted by increased tutoring, a focus on history and the French language as well as upgrades to the sciences, and new steps to target the provincial dropout rate. He introduced another plan in the same month to counter schoolyard harassment and intimidation. He was strongly critical of the right-wing Action démocratique du Québec
Action démocratique du Québec
The Action démocratique du Québec, commonly referred to as the ADQ is a centre-right political party in Quebec, Canada. On the sovereignty question, it defines itself as autonomist, and has support from both soft nationalists and federalists....
's proposal to introduce a system of school vouchers to the province.
Simard was one of the few ministers in the Landry government with a strong interest in promoting Quebec sovereignty. In February 2003, he argued that Quebec would receive an additional $800 million in education spending if the "fiscal imbalance
Fiscal imbalance
- Meaning and Types :Fiscal imbalance is the term used to denote a mismatch in the revenue powers and expenditure responsibilities of a government. In the literature on fiscal federalism, two types of fiscal imbalances are measured: Vertical Fiscal Imbalance and Horizontal Fiscal Imbalance...
" between Quebec and the Canadian federal government was fixed.
Opposition member
The Liberal Party under Jean CharestJean Charest
John James "Jean" Charest, PC, MNA is a Canadian politician who has been the 29th Premier of Quebec since 2003. He was leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998 and has been leader of the Quebec Liberal Party since 1998....
defeated the PQ in the 2003 provincial election
Quebec general election, 2003
The Quebec general election of 2003 was held on April 14, 2003, to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec . The Parti libéral du Québec , led by Jean Charest, defeated the incumbent Parti Québécois, led by Bernard Landry.-Unfolding:...
. Simard was re-elected in Richelieu by a reduced margin and served as opposition critic for the treasury board and public service. He was named as the PQ's chief organizer in October 2004. Simard was strongly critical of the Charest government's cuts to economic development and the public service, as well as its move toward public-private partnership
Public-private partnership
Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
s. In 2006, he brought forward a private member's bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
to create a pension benefits guarantee fund.
Simard called for a public inquiry into federalist spending practices during the 1995 referendum on sovereignty in 2005, following statements by a high-ranking Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
organizer that the federalist side had "violated" and "flouted" Quebec's election laws. Simard was quoted as saying, "We don't want to rewrite the past. What is done is done. What we need are new ground rules and the means to ensure that that this doesn't happen again."
Simard supported Bernard Landry
Bernard Landry
Bernard Landry, is a Quebec lawyer, teacher, politician, who served as the 28th Premier of Quebec , leader of the Opposition and leader of the Parti Québécois .-Personal:...
's bid to retain the PQ leadership after the 2003 election, but nonetheless helped Landry reach his decision to resign after receiving only 76 per cent support at the party's June 2005 convention. Later in the same year, Simard supported André Boisclair
André Boisclair
André Boisclair is a politician in Quebec, Canada. He was the leader of the Parti Québécois, a social democratic and separatist party in Quebec....
's successful bid to succeed Landry as party leader.
Simard suggested lifting Quebec's tuition freeze in 2006, arguing that it had created a state of "perpetual underfunding" for universities. The PQ's youth wing opposed this suggestion, and a subsequent policy workshop reaffirmed the party's support for the freeze.
The PQ fell to a third-place finish in the 2007 general election
Quebec general election, 2007
The Quebec general election of 2007 was held in the Canadian province of Quebec on March 26, 2007 to elect members of the 38th National Assembly of Quebec. The Quebec Liberal Party led by Jean Charest managed to win a plurality of seats, but were reduced to a minority government, Quebec's first in...
, and Simard was again re-elected by a reduced margin over a strong challenge from an ADQ candidate. Following the election, he was one of the few PQ MNAs who still supported Boisclair's leadership. When Boisclair resigned, Simard planned to support Gilles Duceppe
Gilles Duceppe
Gilles Duceppe is a Canadian politician, and proponent of the Québec sovereignty movement. He was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons for over 20 years and was the leader of the sovereigntist Bloc Québécois for almost 15 years. He is the son of a well-known Quebec actor, Jean...
's bid to lead the party. Duceppe ultimately decided not to run, and Pauline Marois
Pauline Marois
Pauline Marois is the current leader of the Parti Québécois in the province of Quebec, since June 27, 2007 and current Leader of the Official Opposition of the National Assembly of Quebec, representing the riding of Charlevoix...
was chosen as Boisclair's successor.
The PQ returned to official opposition status in the 2008 election under Marois's leadership, and Sylvain was re-elected by an increased margin. He was re-appointed as critic for the treasury board and public service after the election. In March 2009, he argued that the government could save four billion dollars by building two new university teaching hospitals in Montreal as conventional projects rather than as private-public partnerships. The following year, he accused the Charest government of falsifying cost estimates to favour the public-private approach.
In early 2011, Pauline Marois said that she favoured extending Quebec's Charter of the French Language
Charter of the French Language
The Charter of the French Language , also known as Bill 101 and Loi 101, is a law in the province of Quebec in Canada defining French, the language of the majority of the population, as the only official language of Quebec, and framing fundamental language rights for everyone in the province...
to restrict non-anglophone students from attending English-language CEGEP
Cégep
CEGEP is an acronym for , which is literally translated as "College of General and Vocational Education" but commonly called "General and Vocational College" in circles not influenced by Quebec English. It refers to the public post-secondary education collegiate institutions exclusive to the...
s. Simard openly disagreed with this policy approach, which was approved by delegates to a PQ convention in April 2011.
In May 2011, Simard introduced a private member's bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
to protect whistleblower
Whistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
s in the Quebec civil service.