Benoît Bouchard
Benoît Bouchard | |
|---|---|
| Canadian commissioner at the International Joint Commission Canada United States on Boundary Waters | |
| Assumed office 2013 | |
| Chair of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada | |
| In office 1996–2001 | |
| Member of Parliament for Roberval | |
| In office September 4, 1984 – June 17, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Suzanne Beauchamp-Niquet |
| Succeeded by | Michel Gauthier |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 16, 1940 Roberval, Quebec, Canada |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Occupation | teacher, public official, politician |
Benoît Bouchard PC CM (French pronunciation: [bənwa buʃaʁ]; born April 16, 1940) is a Canadian public official and former politician.
Biography
After a career as a professor and teacher, Bouchard was elected to the
In 1985, he was promoted to
In 1989, the federal budget mandated fiscal cuts to a broad range of departments and agencies, one of which was Bouchard's ministry at Transport Canada. As part of his department's efforts to cut its budget, Bouchard authorized Transport Canada to slash the subsidy to the national intercity passenger railway, Via Rail by 55%. Responding to the cuts, Bouchard said in a television interview several weeks later: "Ten years from now, no one will remember Benoît Bouchard cut Via Rail".[1]
He retired from politics in June 1993 to accept an appointment as Canada's Ambassador to France.
In 1996, Bouchard returned to Canada and was appointed Chair of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada by Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. He oversaw the Canadian portion of the investigation of the Swissair Flight 111 air crash. He retired from the board in 2001.
In 2012, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada.[2] Since 2013, Benoit Bouchard is Canadian commissioner at the International Joint Commission Canada United States on Boundary Waters.
References
- ^ Bouchard, Benoît; Pamela Wallin (February 1990). "Interview by Pamela Wallin with Minister of Transport Benoit Bouchard". Question Period. CTV News.
- ^ "Appointments to the Order of Canada". Governor General of Canada. 20 September 2017.