Gilles Lamontagne
 Gilles Lamontagne    (politician) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||||
| Born | Joseph-Georges-Gilles-Claude Lamontagne April 17, 1919 Montreal, Quebec | |||||||||||
| Died | June 14, 2016 (Age 97) Quebec City, Quebec | |||||||||||
| Nationality | Canadian | |||||||||||
| Party | Canada/Liberal Party | |||||||||||
Canadian Quebec politician who attended the 1983 Bilderberg as Minister of Defence. Advocate of higher armaments spending.
| ||||||||||||
Joseph-Georges-Gilles-Claude Lamontagne was a Canadian politician and Lieutenant Governor of Quebec. He attended the 1983 Bilderberg meeting, where one of the subjects was "East-West Relations: Containment, Detente or Confrontation" as a hawkish Minister of Defence.
Background
Son of Anna Kieffer and the industrialist Trefflé Lamontagne, he was born in Montreal.[1] During World War II, Lamontagne was a bomber pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force[2] and was shot down over the Netherlands in 1943, being detained as a prisoner of war until May 1945. In 1946, he settled in Quebec City and entered the importing business. He became a member of the Rotary Club of Quebec City with his partner and neighbour Jean Poliquin.
Career
He entered politics and was elected mayor of Quebec City in 1965. He was mayor during the separatist October Crisis in 1970. He held that post until he won a seat in the House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal Party candidate in a 1977 by-election. In 1978, he entered the Cabinet of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, briefly as Minister without Portfolio before becoming Postmaster General. He had that position until the defeat of the government in the 1979 election.
When the Liberals returned to power in the 1980 election, Lamontagne returned to Cabinet as Minister of National Defence. As minister, he said that "NATO countries must reinforce their military strength to match that of the Soviet Union before negotiating disarmament treaties", which included Canada buying expensive weapons from Lockheed and McDonnell Douglas. He also criticized the anti-nuclear movement.[3][4]
In 1984, he left politics to accept the position of Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec, and was the province's viceroy until his retirement in 1990.
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1983 | 13 May 1983 | 15 May 1983 | Canada Quebec Château Montebello | The 31st Bilderberg, held in Canada |
References
- ↑ https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/joseph-georges-gilles-claude-lamontagne
- ↑ https://www.canveyisland.org/history-2/wartime-canvey/wwii/wellington-bomber-bj894/documents-on-the-loss-of-wellington-bomber-bj894
- ↑ https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/01/14/NATO-countries-must-reinforce-their-military-strength-to-match/1502379832400/
- ↑ https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP84B00049R001403560039-6.pdf
