Lucien Bouchard

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Lucien Bouchard (2009)

Lucien Bouchard , PC , GOQ (born December 22, 1938 in Saint-Cœur-de-Marie (now part of Alma ), Québec ) is a Canadian politician , diplomat and lawyer . From 1985 to 1988 he was Canadian ambassador to France and was then a member of the progressive-conservative federal government of Brian Mulroney as Environment Minister . Disappointed at the failure of a constitutional reform that would have given the province of Québec more rights, he left the government, founded the separatist party Bloc Québécois and became its first chairman. In 1995 he led the yes campaign before the independence referendum , which narrowly failed with a no-vote share of 50.58%. He then switched to provincial politics and was Prime Minister of Québec from January 29, 1996 to March 8, 2001; during this time he was also chairman of the Parti Québécois .

biography

Study and job

Bouchard studied social science and law at the Université Laval . He graduated in 1964 with the Bachelor and received in the same year for admission as a lawyer . Until 1985 he practiced his profession in Chicoutimi . From 1970 to 1976 he was President of the Québec Province Education Arbitration Tribunal . Robert Bourassa , the Prime Minister of Québec, set up a non-partisan commission in 1974 to investigate the causes of violence and corruption in the construction industry, particularly in the hydropower projects in the James Bay region . One of the commissioners was Brian Mulroney , who named Bouchard his advisor. The investigation uncovered entanglements in organized crime among trade unions and construction companies. Subsequently, Bouchard worked as chief negotiator for the provincial government in negotiations with unions.

Diplomacy and Federal Politics

Throughout his political career, Bouchard advocated Québec's independence. In 1971 he joined the Parti Québécois . In 1980 he actively supported the first independence referendum , which, however, failed with around 60% rejection. In 1984 Bouchard's close friend Brian Mulroney became Canada's new Prime Minister. The latter appointed him ambassador to France in July 1985 . As such, Bouchard also led the preparations for the second Francophonie Summit, which took place in Québec in 1987 . He remained in office as ambassador until March 1988.

Despite his separatist attitude, Bouchard joined the progressive-conservative party (in principle no contradiction to his membership in the Parti Québécois, since in Canada the parties are separated at the federal and provincial levels). He was convinced that the Mulroney-initiated Meech Lake Accord , which provided for various constitutional amendments, would bring Québec more sovereignty. He won a by-election in the Lac-Saint-Jean constituency on June 20, 1988 and moved to the lower house as a member of parliament . In the general election of 1988 that followed in November, he clearly prevailed. From December 1988 he was a member of the cabinet as Environment Minister.

The governments of the provinces of Manitoba and Newfoundland did not ratify the Meech Lake Accord before the appointed date. When a commission led by Jean Charest proposed several changes to avert the collapse of the agreement, Bouchard resigned from his ministerial post in protest on May 21, 1990 and also revoked his membership of the Progressive Conservative Party. In June 1991 he founded the Bloc Québécois , together with like-minded members of the lower house , which was supposed to advocate the independence of Québec at the federal level. Bouchard became the first chairman of the new party.

The Parti Québécois supported the election campaign of the Bloc Québécois in the 1993 general election in order to achieve the goal of Québec's independence more quickly. Candidates from the Bloc Québécois prevailed in 54 out of 75 constituencies in the province of Québec. Although the party ran exclusively in Québec, it was so successful that it became the second strongest force in the lower house and Bouchard was able to take on the role of opposition leader.

Independence referendum

In September 1994 Jacques Parizeau became the new Prime Minister of Québec and promised to hold a second referendum on Québec's independence in a year 's time. Bouchard, who supported this campaign from the beginning, fell ill with necrotizing fasciitis in December 1994 . His life could only be saved by amputating one leg. His recovery and public appearances on crutches sparked a wave of compassion. Bouchard took over the management of the previously sluggish campaign from Parizeau and gave it new momentum. The referendum was held on October 30, 1995 and ended in an extremely narrow defeat for the separatist provincial government: 50.58% spoke out against independence.

Prime Minister of Quebec

After this defeat, Jacques Parizeau announced his imminent resignation. Bouchard, in turn, gave up his House of Commons mandate in mid-January 1996 and turned away from federal politics. On January 27, he was elected chairman of the Parti Québécois, two days later he took over the office of provincial premier. In a by-election in the Jonquière constituency on February 19, he secured a seat in the National Assembly of Québec .

As Prime Minister of Québec, Bouchard attached far less importance to the independence issue than his predecessor. He repeatedly stressed that he would not allow a new referendum to be held until the economic framework conditions had improved significantly. This attitude earned him a lot of criticism from hardliners within the Parti Québécois. Bouchard pursued a "zero deficit policy" and turned away from Keynesianism , which had shaped provincial politics for the past three decades and led to a substantial deficit. Bouchard managed to balance the budget. He achieved this primarily with savings in health care. His plans to reform the community structures through extensive mergers were also controversial.

Withdrawal from politics

On March 8, 2001, Bouchard resigned as prime minister and party chairman, he was succeeded by Bernard Landry . He returned to practice as a lawyer at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg , which specializes in commercial and corporate law . He is chairman of the Orchester symphonique de Montréal and member of the boards of directors of various companies. In April 2004 he was one of the founders of the Center for International Studies at the Université de Montréal . In October 2005, he and eleven co-authors published the manifesto “Pour un Québec lucide” (For a clear Québec) , in which the people of Québec are made aware of the demographic, economic and cultural challenges of the future.

Works

literature

  • André-Philippe Côté: Les années Bouchard . Presses Universitaires du Septentrion, Villeneuve-d'Ascq 2001, ISBN 2-89448-188-8 .
  • Lawrence Martin: The Antagonist: Lucien Bouchard and the Politics of Delusion . Penguin Canada, Toronto 1998, ISBN 0-14-026427-2 .
  • Michel Vastel: Lucien Bouchard: En attendant la suite . Éditions Michel Brûlé, Montréal 1996, ISBN 2-89485-009-3 .

Web links

Commons : Lucien Bouchard  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Bouchard, Lucien
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian politician
DATE OF BIRTH December 22, 1938
PLACE OF BIRTH Saint-Cœur-de-Marie, Alma , Québec