Robert Bourassa

See also: Bourassa

Robert Bourassa , (born the July 14th 1933 and deceased the October 2nd 1996) was a Politician Québécois (Canadian). Born in Montreal, he exerted the functions of Prime Minister for Quebec, under the banner of the Liberal party of Quebec, twice: May 12th 1970 with the November 25th 1976, then December 12th 1985 with the January 11th 1994.

Biography

Robert Bourassa was graduate Faculty of Law of the Université of Montreal in 1956 and was accepted with the Barreau of Quebec this same year. Later, he studied with the Université of Oxford and also took down a diploma in political economy with the Université Harvard. He led the Liberal party of Quebec to an electoral victory in 1970, demolishing the conservative government of the National union. At 36 years, he became thus the youngest Prime Minister for the history of Quebec.

As a Prime Minister for Quebec, it played a crucial role during the Crise of October of 1970 during which its Minister for Labor, Pierre Laporte, was assassinated by members of the terrorist group the Front of release of Quebec. It was Bourassa which pushed the Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau, to declare an emergency and to call upon the Loi to the measures of war, sending the Canadian Armée to patrol the streets of the Québécois big cities and those of the Canadian capital, Ottawa.

Bourassa and Trudeau frequently clashed on the questions of federal-provincial relations and Québécois Nationalisme, Trudeau being opposed so that he saw like concessions with the souverainism. Trudeau did not have either a large personal respect for Bourassa, treating it on an occasion of " eater of hot dogs".

Whereas it was with the capacity, Bourassa introduced policies which aimed at protecting the French language in Quebec. In 1974, it made adopt the Loi on the official language or '' Loi 22 '', the first law aiming at reinforcing the position of French in Quebec. However, this law was soon supplanted by the Charte of the French language, so known under the name of Loi 101, was introduced by the government pequist which replaced it in 1976. Perhaps however, the law 22 had a greater impact than law 101. By making of French the Official language of Quebec, that indicated that Quebec was not officially any more bilingual (English and French). Several companies and professionals felt unable to direct their operations under such strict conditions; it is estimated that 300.000 emigrated in Ontario, allowing Toronto to replace Montreal like centers economic of Canada. The law 22 raised the grogne at the same time english-speaking, who saw an attack with their rights there, and French-speaking people, of which a good number judged that the law did not go rather far. Bourassa was denounced by the two groups and was demolishes with the elections of 1976. The health insurance (1970), the mode of the family benefits of Quebec (1973), legal aid (1973), the Québécois Charter of the rights and freedoms of the person (1975), marked also its first mandate.

Bourassa lost the elections of 1976 vis-a-vis Rene Lévesque, chief of the Parti Québécois. Moreover, it lost its own seat with the National Assembly, being demolishes by Gerald Godin in the district of Mercier. He resigned of the direction of the Liberal party of Quebec and accepted stations of teaching in Europe and to the the United States. Bourassa remained in political exile until in 1983 as it returned to the provincial policy; he was again elected chief of the Liberal party the October 15th 1983, and took again the capacity like Prime Minister with the elections of 1985. However, it was beaten in its clean Circonscription of Bertrand and had to be made elect six weeks later in a sure district, that of the St. Lawrence, that one of its deputies yielded to him. The Prime Minister had to assist of spectator with the reading of the inaugural speech of the session made by the vice-first minister Lise Bacon.

In its second mandate, it used the clause notwithstanding of the Canadian Charte of the rights and freedoms to pass in addition to a judgment of the Supreme court of Canada which declared unconstitutional certain parts of the Charte of the French language. This decision caused the resignation of some anglophone ministers of its cabinet. A few years later however, it made certain modifications to the charter. These compromises réduirent the controversy on the language which had been a dominant question of the Québécois policy since decades. The majority of the Inhabitants of Quebec came to a consensus and accepted new the status quo.

Bourassa militated for a recognition of Quebec as being a " distinct Company " in the Canadian constitution, promising with the Inhabitants of Quebec that their disagreements with Canada could be solved with a new constitutional agreement. However, Trudeau was opposed successfully to Bourassa in its two mandates. Early in its first mandate, it took part in a first attempt at constitutional reform, the Charte of Victoria of 1971, which does not lead to nothing. At the time of its second mandate, he collaborated closely with Canadian the Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and succeeds in obtaining several concessions of the federal government, which were included in the Accord of the lake Meech and the Accord of Charlottetown. After the failure of these two agreements, the efforts to reform the constitution crumbled, and the movement souverainist took again hair of the animal.

Bourassa launched the hydroelectric project of the bay James, but faced the opposition of environmentalists groups, as of the Cris which lived the affected region. The Bourassa government also played a crucial role to save the Olympic Games of summer of 1976 with Montreal of the enormous budgetary goings beyond and times of construction caused by the bad management of the project by the administration of the mayor Jean Drapeau. However, Bourassa was shown to throw money down the drain to save the Olympic Games without taking measures to ensure an adequate supervision; its government was blamed in corruption scandals which contributed to its defeat at the polls in 1976.

Bourassa was withdrawn from the policy in 1994 in bad health and having lost the popularity which had renewed it at the post of Prime Minister. Daniel Johnson replaced it as liberal chief and Prime Minister for Quebec and was demolishes by the Québécois Parti nine months later.

He died in 1996, with Montreal, of a cancer of the skin, at the 63 years age. He is buried with the Cimetière Our-Lady-of-Snows in Montreal.

Hydroelectric station LG2 was famous Centrale Robert-Bourassa in his honor. The Avenue of the Park of Montreal had been had a presentiment of to be famous the Robert-Bourassa avenue in 2006, but this project was abandoned vis-a-vis popular protests. This same year, the Highway Of the Small valley of Quebec is famous Autoroute Robert-Bourassa .

Quotation

English Canada must include/understand in a very clear way that, no matter what one says and no matter what one makes, Quebec is, today and for always, a company distinct, free and able to assume its destiny and its development. (marked Speech on June 22nd, 1990 with the National Assembly following the failure of the Agreement of the lake Meech.)

See too

Related articles

External bonds

  • Biographical note of the National Assembly of Quebec
  • Robert Bourassa, Prime Minister at all costs - Files of Radio-Canada
  • Portrait of Robert Bourassa — Gilles Lesage, the political year in Quebec 1993-1994
  • Biography on line: The political education of Robert Bourassa by the author Jean-François Lisée

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