Jean Lesage
 Jean Lesage    ( lawyer) | ||||||||||
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| Born | June 10, 1912 Montreal, Quebec | |||||||||
| Died | December 12, 1980 (Age 68) Sillery, Quebec | |||||||||
| Nationality | Canadian | |||||||||
| Alma mater | • Petit Séminaire de Québec • Université Laval | |||||||||
| Spouse | Corinne Lagarde | |||||||||
| Party | Liberal Party of Canada, Quebec Liberal Party | |||||||||
Attended the 1961 Bilderberg as Premier of Quebec
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Jean Lesage was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was premier of Quebec from 1960 until 1966.[1] He attended the 1961 Bilderberg meeting.
Contents
Background
Lesage was born on June 10, 1912, in Montreal, Quebec, one of six children an insurance company executive[2] Lesage began his education at the kindergarten Saint-Enfant-Jésus Montréal. In 1921, the family relocated to Quebec City, when his father was appointed as assistant manager by his brother in the headquarters office.[2]
Education
Lesage enrolled as a day student in the private boarding school École Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague and, in 1923, he was admitted to the Petit Séminaire de Québec for an eight-year program which eventually led to the baccalaureate. He was a talented and bright student who ranked highly in courses, especially in religion, French, Latin, Greek and philosophy.[2]
He enrolled in the Faculté de droit de l'Université Laval. During his years as a student, Lesage was an active Liberal, and he became interested in having a political career. He graduated with a law degree in 1934.[2]
Early career
He practiced law in Quebec City with Paul Lesage in 1934, then with Charles Gavan Power, Valmore Bienvenue, Paul Lesage, and Jean Turgeon. He was made a Crown attorney for the Wartime Prices and Trade Board from 1939 to 1944. He was in the Canadian Army Reserve from 1939 to 1945.
Lesage was elected as a federal Member of Parliament for the riding of Montmagny-L'Islet as a Liberal for the first time in the 1945 general election. After his re-election in 1949, he was first named Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of State for External Affairs from January 25, 1951, to December 31, 1952. He was then named Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Finance from January 1, 1953, to June 13, 1953.
Following his re-election in 1953, Lesage was appointed as Minister of Resources and Development from September 17, 1953, to December 15, 1953, and then Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources from December 16, 1953, to June 21, 1957.[3] He was re-elected in both 1957 and 1958. However, he resigned from his seat on June 13, 1958, following his election as leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec on May 31, 1958.
Premier of Quebec (1960–1966)
On June 22, 1960, Lesage's Liberal Party won the Quebec general election with 51 of 95 seats and 51 percent of the popular vote. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec with the slogans l'équipe de tonnerre ("the terrific team") and C'est le temps que ça change ("It's time for change").[4] His electoral success ended the Union Nationale and Maurice Duplessis's conservative reign since 1944.[2]
Lesage became Premier, President of the Executive Council, and Minister of Finance from July 5, 1960, to June 16, 1966. He was also Minister of Federal-Provincial Affairs from March 28, 1961, to June 16, 1966, and Minister of Revenue from May 30, 1963, to August 8, 1963.
His election ushered in the Quiet Revolution, which was the rapid and drastic change of values, attitudes, and behaviours in Quebec society also characterized by a surge in Quebec nationalism.[2] In the previous decade, it had already ended its affiliation with the Liberal Party of Canada.
In 1962, the Liberal Party of Quebec won re-election with a campaign promising the nationalization of hydroelectricity, with the slogan Maîtres chez nous (Masters in Our Own Home).
The Lesage government’s rule significantly contributed to environmental, legal, social, economic and political changes in Quebec society, and strengthened the Québécois identity during the Quiet Revolution.[5]
One of the major changes made by the Lesage government was the secularization of Quebec from the Catholic Church. Lesage rejected the role of the Catholic Church, which had previously controlled the school system, and modernized it. He wanted the Quebec provincial government to provide education for everyone and instill in them Québécois values as well as produce a better skilled labour force. The mandatory schooling age was also increased from 14 to 16..[6]
A major success was the establishment of Hydro-Québec and the nationalization of the province's hydro-electricity. "The nationalization of electricity was 'a logical extension' of the government’s goal of growth... based primarily on the promotion of the French-Canadian people."[7] With much assistance from René Lévesque, the 11 remaining private power companies were bought out, and Hydro-Québec began supplying, distributing, and transmitting the entire province's energy.
Other major economic acts included the creation of the Société générale de financement, which provided capital for private and mainly Francophone enterprises; the creation of public companies like the Société de Montage Automobile (SOMA) to assemble French automobiles in Quebec; the Société Québécoise d’Exploration Minière (SOQUEM) to ensure that mining resources would be developed in the interests of Quebecers; and Sidérurgie Québécoise (SIDBEC) which was established as an integrated steel plant.[8]
Furthermore, during his time as Premier, Quebec also took over health care from the Church and was the only province to opt out of the national pension plan to create its own version, the Quebec Pension Plan. It also formed the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec to invest in the pension plan funds and the Régie des rentes du Québec to manage the plan, revamped the province’s labour force by giving public-sector workers the right to strike, and laid a foundation for the creation of post-secondary Collèges d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEPs) in the area of education.[6]
Despite winning 47% of the vote in the 1966 Quebec general election, compared to 40% for the Union Nationale, Lesage's Liberals won fewer seats because their vote was concentrated in urban ridings. Lesage was succeeded as Premier by Daniel Johnson.
Lesage remained Liberal leader for several years until he announced his resignation in August 1969, even though his party held a big lead over the governing Union Nationale in polls. He continued on as Leader of the Opposition until January 1970, when Robert Bourassa became the new Liberal leader. Bourassa returned the Liberals to power in the 1970 Quebec general election held in April 1970.
Retirement and death
After leaving politics, Lesage sat on several corporate boards. He had throat cancer at the end of his life, and died from heart failure at his home on December 12, 1980, at the age of 68.[9][10][11][12]
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1961 | 21 April 1961 | 23 April 1961 | Canada Quebec St-Castin | The 10th Bilderberg, the first in Canada and the 2nd outside Europe. |
References
- ↑ https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jean-lesage
- ↑ Jump up to: a b c d e f Thompson, Dale C. (1984) Jean Lesage and the Quiet Revolution. Macmillan of Canada.
- ↑ Government of Canada. Privy Council Office. "Seventeenth Ministry"
- ↑ (Thompson, 1984:87).
- ↑ Thompson, David C. (1984) Jean Lesage and the Quiet Revolution. Macmillan of Canada.
- ↑ Jump up to: a b Thompson, David C. (1984). Jean Lesage and the Quiet Revolution. Macmillan of Canada.
- ↑ (Thompson, 1984:242)
- ↑ (Thompson, 1984:212)
- ↑ ttps://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/12/12/Former-Quebec-premier-Jean-Lesage-father-of-the-Quiet/5089345445200
- ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/image/421731690/
- ↑ https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/12/14/Mourners-pay-their-last-respects-to-Jean-Lesage/8162345618000/
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/1980/12/13/archives/jean-lesage-68-dies-in-canada-was-premier-of-quebec-in-1960s.html
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