Jacques Léonard

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Jacques Léonard
Minister of State for Planning
In office
November 26, 1976 – November 6, 1980
Preceded byposition created
Succeeded byGuy Tardif
Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Labelle
(known as Laurentides-Labelle before 1981)
In office
1976 – May 23, 1985
Preceded byRoger Lapointe
Succeeded byDamien Hétu
In office
1989 – March 8, 2001
Preceded byDamien Hétu
Succeeded bySylvain Pagé
Personal details
Born (1936-12-02) December 2, 1936 (age 87)
Saint-Jovite, Quebec, Canada
Political partyParti Québécois
Alma materUniversité Laval

Jacques Léonard (born December 2, 1936) is a

Quebec sovereigntist and a member of the Parti Québécois (PQ) and Bloc Québécois
(BQ).

Early life and career

Léonard was born in

Université national du Rwanda from 1966 to 1968, at which time he returned to Quebec. From 1968 to 1976, he was a professor and vice-dean of education at the Université de Montréal.[2]

Léonard became a member of the sovereigntist Rassemblement pour l'Indépendance Nationale in 1962 and joined the Parti Québécois after the former party wound down in 1968.[3] He ran unsuccessfully as a PQ candidate in Labelle in the 1970 and 1973 provincial elections. The PQ won a historic majority government in the 1976 provincial election, and Léonard was elected on his third attempt in Labelle over one-term Liberal incumbent Roger Lapointe.

Legislator (1976–85)

Cabinet minister (1976–84)

Planning

Léonard was named to René Lévesque's first cabinet on November 26, 1976, as the

vice-president of the treasury board.[5]

In May 1979, Léonard was a signatory to a deal that saw the governments of Quebec and Canada invest one hundred and fifty million dollars in Quebec's pulp and paper industry.[6]

Municipal affairs

Léonard was reassigned as

municipal affairs minister on November 6, 1980, exchanging portfolios with Guy Tardif.[7] Shortly after his appointment, he ordered the municipal government of Aylmer to focus on basic administration after receiving a troubling audit of the city's finances.[8]

In 1981, a representative of

shopping centres, arguing that they often destroy traditional city centres. Léonard responded that he was reluctant to intervene, particularly as municipalities already had the power to impose a freeze themselves.[9]

Léonard was re-elected in the 1981 general election, in which the Lévesque government was returned with a second consecutive majority, and was kept in the municipal affairs portfolio.[10] He sought to restructure Montreal's municipal government in 1982, giving the smaller suburban communities more power in relation to the city. He faced opposition to this measure from long-standing Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau, whose power was threatened by the reform.[11]

In 1983, Léonard attempted to pass legislation permitting the Quebec government to withhold funds from municipalities that accept federal money for job creation purposes.[12] This bill was blocked in the legislature in December 1983, after the opposition Liberal Party threatened a filibuster.[13] The Union des Municipalités du Québec also strongly opposed the measure, and discussions between the two levels of government reached an impasse in early 1984.[14] After Léonard was moved to a different portfolio, the Lévesque government abandoned the legislation.[15]

Transport

Léonard was shifted to the position of

transport minister on March 5, 1984.[16] Two months later, he said that the Quebec government would not make a bid for Nordair (which was then being sold by the federal government) but would oppose any deal under which the company would leave the province.[17]

Opposition member (1984–85)

In late 1984, the Parti Québécois went through an

internal crisis over Premier Lévesque's intention to de-emphasize Quebec sovereignty in the next provincial election. Léonard sided with the hardline indépendantiste wing of the party and resigned from cabinet on November 22.[18] Five days later, he left the PQ caucus to sit as an independent member of the assembly.[19] From the opposition benches, he demanded that Lévesque not make any constitutional agreement with Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney that would result in a weakening of Quebec's Charter of the French Language.[20]

In early 1985, Léonard joined an informal grouping of former PQ MNAs centered around the newly formed Rassemblement démocratique pour l'indépendance.[21] He resigned his seat on May 23, 1985, to become dean of the faculty of education at the Université de Montréal, a position he held until his return to politics in 1989.[2][22]

Legislator (1989–2001)

Opposition member (1989–94)

Léonard returned to the Parti Québécois after

official opposition. For the next five years, he served as his party's finance critic. In 1993, he accused the Bourassa government of taking a laissez-faire approach to the economy and of having no overall vision.[24]

Cabinet minister (1994–2001)

Transport minister

The Parti Québécois won a majority government under Parizeau's leadership in the 1994 general election. Léonard was re-elected to the legislature and rejoined cabinet on September 26, 1994, as minister of transport, ironically the same position he had resigned from ten years earlier.[25] He was also appointed to a second term as vice-president of the treasury board.

After his appointment, Léonard argued that highways are an exclusively provincial jurisdiction and tried to postpone the government of Canada's planned national highway program.[26] He announced increased penalties for persons driving under the influence of alcohol in 1995 and introduced legislation to require photographs on Quebec driving licenses.[27] He also expressed scepticism about mandatory helmet laws for cyclists, saying that safety education was a better approach.[28]

In early 1995, Léonard and

industry minister Daniel Paillé announced a proposal to save the financially troubled MIL Davie Inc. shipyard with a ferry construction contract. Later in the year, he announced that the Parizeau government had no choice but to drop the plan on the grounds it had become too expensive and complex.[29] Following protests from the shipyard workers, the government reversed itself a second time and agreed to a modified sixty-six million dollar construction program over two years.[30]

Treasury Board president

Parizeau announced his resignation as premier after the sovereignty option's narrow defeat in the

finance minister Pauline Marois worked in committee reviewing government expenses and revenues in a bid to reduce public spending.[32]

Léonard was kept in the treasury board portfolio when Lucien Bouchard succeeded Parizeau as premier on January 29, 1996. He was also named to the priorities committee, an "inner cabinet" with significant control over the government's direction, and was named as minister responsible for the Laurentides.[33] Over the next two years, he played a central role in the Bouchard government's ultimately successful effort to eliminate the provincial deficit.

He announced several austerity measures in March 1996, making significant spending cuts in areas such as health, education, and social assistance; the total cuts for the fiscal year amounted to $2.2 billion. In announcing these measures, Léonard said, "We have fallen behind other Canadian provinces in cleaning up public finances. Quebec must act now."

pay equity legislation later in 1996, arguing that it would put a strain on public-sector spending.[35]

In late 1996, Léonard announced that the Bouchard government would try to achieve $1.4 billion in savings from Quebec's public-sector unions, to be achieved by unfreezing pension reserve funds rather than by taking measures that would result in significant job losses.[36] The unions responded with a plan that focused on early retirement and employee buyouts.[37] Negotiations continued into 1997.[38]

Léonard introduced more severe funding cuts, amounting to $2.3 billion, in March 1997. At the same time, however, he noted that the Quebec's financial situation was improving and that no comparable cuts would be needed in the future.[39] He also argued that the Bouchard government's austerity plan would benefit Quebec sovereignty in the long term, saying "once Quebec is much more financially solid, Quebecers will look at the future with much more confidence in themselves and their state."[40] Ultimately, an unexpectedly high rate of voluntary retirement in the public sector allowed the government to reach its goals without difficulty.[41] Léonard announced further cuts of one billion dollars in 1998 and noted that the province would be out of debt the following year.[42]

Re-elected in the 1998 general election, Léonard was kept in the treasury board portfolio in Bouchard's post-election cabinet shuffle. In January 1999, he began a new round of negotiations with public-sector workers on collective agreements. After protracted discussions, the two sides agreed on a nine per cent wage increase over four years.[43]

After years of cutbacks, Léonard projected a $1.1 billion budget surplus in March 1999 and announced new public spending in areas such as health, education, and information technology.[44] He also introduced new hiring in the public service, with a particular focus on minority communities.[45] The same financial trend continued the following year, and Léonard introduced more new program funding in 2000.[46]

Lucien Bouchard resigned as premier on March 8, 2001, and was succeeded by Bernard Landry. Léonard used the occasion to announce his own resignation from both cabinet and the legislature, saying "You are witnessing a changing of the guard. My decision will allow one more young person to be promoted to cabinet."[47] He returned to accountancy work and, in 2002, became a professor of political science at the Université du Québec à Montréal.[2] He joined the board of governors of the Conseil de la Souveraineté du Québec in early 2003.[48]

Federal politics

In 2003–04, Léonard led a Bloc Québécois review of Canadian federal spending practices. He concluded that there had been sharp increases in some areas, including opinion polls, office furniture, and the office of the privacy commissioner of Canada.[49]

Léonard ran as a Bloc Québécois candidate in the Montreal division of Outremont in the 2006 federal election and finished a close second against incumbent Liberal cabinet minister Jean Lapierre. Léonard later served as the Bloc's vice-president and worked on the party's campaign in the 2008 federal election.[50]

Electoral record

Federal
2006 Canadian federal election: Outremont
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal Jean Lapierre 14,282 35.18 −5.76 $69,816
Bloc Québécois Jacques Léonard 11,778 29.01 −4.24 $63,590
New Democratic Léo-Paul Lauzon 6,984 17.20 +3.14 $26,625
Conservative Daniel Fournier 5,168 12.73 +6.76 $73,991
Green François Pilon 1,957 4.82 +0.53 $425
Independent
Eric Roach Denis
 101 0.25 $431
Progressive Canadian Philip Paynter 94 0.23 none listed
Marxist–Leninist Linda Sullivan 88 0.22 −0.09 none listed
Independent Yan Lacombe 85 0.21 none listed
Independent Xavier Rochon 34 0.08 $572
Independent Régent Millette 22 0.05 none listed
Total valid votes 40,593 100.00
Total rejected ballots 282 0.69
Turnout 40,875 60.78 −4.65
Electors on the lists 67,253

Sources: Official Results, Elections Canada and Financial Returns, Elections Canada.

Provincial
1998 Quebec general election: Labelle
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Parti Québécois Jacques Léonard 17,023 58.61 −7.17
Liberal
Raymond Laporte
 9,024 31.07 −0.61
Action démocratique
Pierre Gauthier
 2,781 9.57
 
Socialist Democracy
Nicole Vallée
 218 0.75
Total valid votes 29,046 100.00
Rejected and declined votes 397
Turnout 29,443 76.01 −2.26
Electors on the lists 38,734

Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec[permanent dead link].


1994 Quebec general election: Labelle
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Parti Québécois Jacques Léonard 17,638 65.78
Liberal
Marcel Lafleur
 8,494 31.68
Lemon
Bruno Fortier
 342 1.28 –
Natural Law
Michele Turbide
 340 1.27
Total valid votes 26,814 100.00
Rejected and declined votes 566
Turnout 27,380 78.27
Electors on the lists 34,980

Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec[permanent dead link].


1989 Quebec general election: Labelle
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Parti Québécois Jacques Léonard 16,897 54.80
Liberal Damien Hétu 13,938 45.20
Total valid votes 30,835 100.00
Rejected and declined votes 971
Turnout 31,806 74.07
Electors on the lists 42,938

Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec.


1981 Quebec general election: Labelle
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Parti Québécois Jacques Léonard 17,596 57.70
Liberal Damien Hétu 11,822 38.76
Union Nationale
Roger Labonté
 1,079 3.54 –
Total valid votes 30,497 100.00
Rejected and declined votes 246
Turnout 30,743 79.93
Electors on the lists 38,460

Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec[permanent dead link].


1976 Quebec general election: Laurentides-Labelle
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Parti Québécois Jacques Léonard 13,794 49.25 +17.48
Liberal Roger Lapointe 9,725 34.72 −7.01
Union Nationale
Laurent Jetté
 2,992 10.68 −1.27
Ralliement créditiste
Antonio Lemire
 1,499 5.35 −9.20
Total valid votes 28,010 100.00
Rejected and declined votes 374
Turnout 28,384 83.32 +2.62
Electors on the lists 34,066

Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec[permanent dead link].


1973 Quebec general election: Laurentides-Labelle
Party Candidate Votes %
Liberal Roger Lapointe 10,000 41.73
Parti Québécois Jacques Léonard 7,612 31.77
Ralliement créditiste
Jean-Guy Sabourin
 3,486 14.55
Union Nationale Fernand Lafontaine 2,864 11.95
Total valid votes 23,962 100.00
Rejected and declined votes 275
Turnout 24,237 80.70
Electors on the lists 30,035

Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec.


1970 Quebec general election: Labelle
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Union Nationale Fernand Lafontaine 6,263 46.41
Liberal
Benoît Robidoux
 2,922 21.65
Parti Québécois Jacques Léonard 2,724 20.19
Ralliement créditiste
Eugène Caraghiaur
 1,585 11.75
Total valid votes 13,494 100,00
Total rejected ballots 134 0,98
Turnout 13,628 84.83
Eligible voters 16,066

Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec.

References

  1. ^ Hélène Robert was designated as the regional delegate for the Laurentides in the government of Jacques Parizeau and was not a government minister.
  2. ^ a b c "Biography". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). National Assembly of Quebec.
  3. ^ Jennifer Robinson, "Leonard quits political life for university post," Montreal Gazette, May 2, 1985, A6; Robert McKenzie, "Queen's last Quebec visit spawned tensions," Toronto Star, October 19, 1987, A8.
  4. ministry responsible for the Quebec Planning and Development Bureau on February 2, 1977, after enabling legislation was passed. Graham Fraser
    , PQ: René Lévesque & the Parti Québécois in Power, (Toronto: MacMillan of Canada), 1984, p. 380. Other sources do not mention this, and Léonard was still generally described as the minister of planning after this time.
  5. ^ "Leonard selected as vice-president of Quebec's Treasury Board," Globe and Mail, March 3, 1978, p. 9.
  6. ^ "Quebec agreement," Globe and Mail, May 16, 1979, B6. See also "New pulp mill," Globe and Mail, January 26, 1980, p. 2.
  7. William Johnson
    , "Cautious Cabinet moves pick up a good pair," Globe and Mail, November 7, 1980, p. 8.
  8. ^ "Aylmer probe triggers call for details of civic spending," Globe and Mail, December 22, 1980, p. 4; "Aylmer group seeking probe of city finances," Globe and Mail, April 29, 1981, p. 11; "Get mayor a job or he'll never quit, council counselled," Globe and Mail, July 4, 1981, p. 13.
  9. ^ Margot Gibb-Clark, "Halt shopping centres to prop up city cores, politician-retailer says," Globe and Mail, April 24, 1981, p. 9.
  10. ^ "Levesque ignores two anglophones in Cabinet shuffle," Globe and Mail, May 1, 1981, p. 8.
  11. ^ John Cruickshank, "Drapeau fights to contain suburban role on council," Montreal Gazette, p. 11.
  12. ^ Margot Gibb-Clark, "Liberals in scramble to block PQ control over federal grants," Globe and Mail, December 21, 1983, p. 10.
  13. ^ Margot Gibb-Clark, "Error in Quebec House leaves Liberals gleeful," Globe and Mail, December 21, 1983, p. 10; Margot Gibb-Clark, "Quebec Liberals force delay in bill against federal grants," Globe and Mail, December 22, 1983, p. 14.
  14. ^ Margot Gibb-Clark, "Musical chairs deftly played," Globe and Mail, March 12, 1984, p. 4.
  15. ^ Fraser, PQ, p. 345.
  16. ^ Margot Gibb-Clark, "Quebec deputy premier resigns before major Cabinet shuffle," Globe and Mail, March 6, 1984, p. 4.
  17. ^ "Quebec plans no Nordair bid," Globe and Mail, May 8, 1984, B4; "Quebec reaction," Globe and Mail, May 31, 1984, B5.
  18. ^ Margot Gibb-Clark, "2 Levesque ministers quit, 3 more may go," Globe and Mail, November 23, 1984, p. 1. Léonard was the second cabinet minister to quit, following Jacques Parizeau.
  19. ^ "Changes in PQ Government," Globe and Mail, November 28, 1984, p. 4.
  20. ^ Graham Fraser, "Levesque takes role in constitutional talks," Globe and Mail, March 13, 1985, p. 3.
  21. ^ "Quebec movement using caution," Globe and Mail, May 7, 1985, p. 4.
  22. ^ "Left PQ last year, Leonard quits seat," Globe and Mail, May 24, 1985, p. 3
  23. ^ Robert McKenzie, "Bourassa wins in Quebec PQ, anglophones cut in to Liberal majority," Toronto Star, September 26, 1989, A1.
  24. ^ Rheal Seguin, "Quebec forecasts tiny increase in spending for 1993-1994," Globe and Mail, March 25, 1993, A2.
  25. ^ Kevin Dougherty, "Former Caisse executives get plum PQ cabinet posts," Financial Post, September 27, 1994, p. 10.
  26. ^ "9 provinces agree to help fix highways," Kitchener-Waterloo Record, October 6, 1994, B5.
  27. ^ "Compendium Drunk drivers beware," Globe and Mail, April 21, 1995, A2; Andy Riga, "Quebec driver's licenses to get photos next year," Montreal Gazette, December 20, 1994, A1.
  28. ^ James Mennie, "Minister cool to mandatory-helmet law," Montreal Gazette, June 9, 1995, A3.
  29. ^ "Quebec drops plan to help MIL Davie," Globe and Mail, July 6, 1995, B3.
  30. ^ Ann Gibbon, "Quebec throws MIL Davie $66-million rescue line," Globe and Mail, July 21, 1995, B1.
  31. ^ Rheal Seguin, "Parizeau rearranges Quebec," Globe and Mail, November 4, 1995, A11.
  32. ^ "Quebecers told to brace for 'painful sacrifices'," Hamilton Spectator, November 25, 1995, A4.
  33. ^ Philip Authier, "Bouchard's super-ministry system raises some eyebrows," Montreal Gazette, February 24, 1996, B3.
  34. ^ "New Separatist Government Slashes Quebec Spending," Associated Press, March 27, 1996.
  35. ^ Lysiane Gagnon, "Pay equity shakes up the Bouchard government," Globe and Mail, June 8, 1996, D3; Konrad Yakabuski, "Quebec employers battle pay equity bill," Globe and Mail, July 23, 1996, B1.
  36. ^ "Quebec to ask unions for rollback," Globe and Mail, November 13, 1996, A9; Rheal Seguin, "Quebec civil servants reject wage restraints," Globe and Mail, November 16, 1996, A10.
  37. ^ Rheal Seguin and Tu Thanh Ha, "Quebec unions threaten chaos," Globe and Mail, December 10, 1996, A1.
  38. ^ Karen Unland, "Quebec's proposed cuts face more opposition," December 17, 1996, A4.
  39. ^ Rheal Seguin, "Quebec's cuts draw angry response," Globe and Mail, March 19, 1997, A9.
  40. ^ Robert McKenzie, "PQ says spending cuts will help sovereignty," Toronto Star, March 19, 1997, A25.
  41. ^ "Quebec says on deficit target track with job cuts," Reuters News, July 3, 1997; "Stampede! 25,400 grab Quebec offer for early retirement," Toronto Star, July 4, 1997, A14.
  42. ^ "Quebec deficit reduction on track," Globe and Mail, March 26, 1998, A11.
  43. ^ Patrick White, "Quebec kicks off public sector contract talks," Reuters News, January 28, 1999, 12:31; "Quebec negotiates settlement with unions," Toronto Star, December 19, 1999, p. 1; "Higher salaries for public-sector workers will make it tougher to control government spending, says Jacques Leonard, president of the Quebec Treasury Board," Canadian Press Newswire, January 26, 2000.
  44. ^ "Quebec sees rise in 1999/2000 program spending," Reuters News, March 25, 1999, 14:26; "Press Release No. 1 - Tabling of the 1999-2000 Expenditure Budget - ``The 1999-2000 Expenditure Budget: $1.1 Billion More for Government Priorities - Jacques Leonard," Canada NewsWire, March 25, 1999, 14:43; "Press Release No. 3 - Tabling of the 1999-2000 Expenditure Budget - ``The Public Administration's Performance Must Also Be Associated With a State That Is Wired - Jacques Leonard," Canada NewsWire, March 25, 1999, 14:45.
  45. ^ Robert McKenzie, "Quebec seeks to hire minorities," Toronto Star, May 14, 1999, p. 1.
  46. ^ "PRESS RELEASE NO 1 - 2000-2001 Expenditure Budget - ``Rigorous management of public finances and good economic performance have provided Quebec with the means to invest in its priorities - Jacques Leonard," Canada NewsWire, March 28, 2000, 15:18; "PRESS RELEASE NO 2 - 2000-2001 Expenditure Budget - ``Quebecers can now enjoy the benefits of their efforts - Jacques Leonard," Canada NewsWire, March 28, 2000, 15:20.
  47. ^ Rheal Seguin, "Ministers' resignations signal new Quebec guard," Globe and Mail, March 6, 2001, A4.
  48. ^ Kevin Dougherty, "Quebec premier sees charity breaks for separatist group," Calgary Herald, December 1, 2002, A5; Philip Authier, "Sovereignty council is just the start," Montreal Gazette, December 2, 2002, A10.
  49. ^ Elizabeth Thompson, "Ottawa's bill for furniture soars 215%, Bloc says in cost study," National Post, January 15, 2004, A4.
  50. ^ Layton welcomes sovereigntist's NDP-Bloc comparison, CTV, September 10, 2008.
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