Pierre Juneau
Pierre Juneau Chairman of the CRTC | |
|---|---|
| In office 1968–1975 | |
| Succeeded by | Harry J. Boyle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 17, 1922 Verdun, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | February 21, 2012 (aged 89) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Canada |
| Alma mater | Université de Montréal University of Paris |
| Occupation | broadcast executive |
Pierre Juneau
Early life
He was born in Verdun, now part of Montreal, to a working-class family. After graduating from the Université de Montréal, he studied at the University of Paris where he met Pierre Trudeau, with whom he co-founded the dissident political magazine Cité Libre upon returning to Montreal.
He was the Jeunesse Étudiante Chrétienne (JEC) Canadian representative at the International Young Catholic Students (IYCS) Centre for International Documentation and Information (CIDI) in 1947–49. He is considered as one of the key men behind the creation of IYCS which today is present in over 80 countries with millions of members.
National Film Board of Canada
Juneau joined the National Film Board of Canada in 1949.[3] Hired as the NFB's French Advisor by commissioner Albert Trueman to see how the NFB could better meet the needs of francophone filmmakers and contemporary Quebec society, Juneau was one of the original proponents for the creation of a French-language production branch at the NFB.[4]
In the 1950s, he was the NFB's assistant regional supervisor in Quebec, and then became the chief of international distribution, the assistant head of the European office, and the NFB's secretary. In 1964, he became the board's Director of French-language production.
Film festival founder
In 1959, Juneau was a co-founder of the Montreal International Film Festival, and served as its president until 1968.[5]
CRTC
In 1966, Juneau was appointed vice-chairman of the Bureau of Broadcast Governors and the last Chairman in March 1968. When the BBG became the
Political career
In 1975, Juneau left the CRTC to accept an appointment by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to the cabinet as Minister of Communications. Since Juneau did not have a seat in the House of Commons of Canada, he attempted to enter parliament through a by-election, but was defeated in the Montreal riding of Hochelaga by the Progressive Conservative candidate, Jacques Lavoie. Following constitutional convention which requires that a cabinet minister have or obtain a seat in parliament shortly after his appointment, he resigned from cabinet.[3][5]
Civil service
He was subsequently appointed to the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
In 1982, he became president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.[3][5] As Juneau was closely identified with the Liberal Party, he was viewed with hostility by the Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney that came to power in the 1984 election. He clashed with the Mulroney government over budget cuts and its reorganization of the CBC but nevertheless completed his seven-year term.[5]
Despite financial pressures, during his term as CBC president, Juneau inaugurated a new cable service,
Later life
After retiring from the CBC, he founded the World Radio and Television Council, a non-government organization supported by UNESCO. He also taught in the communications department of the Université de Montréal.[6]
Electoral record
| Canadian federal by-election, 14 October 1975: Hochelaga | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Pelletier resigned, 29 August 1975 | ||||||||
| Progressive Conservative | Jacques Lavoie | 8,236 | 48.58 | +18.19 | ||||
| Liberal | Pierre Juneau | 5,649 | 33.32 | -16.54 | ||||
| Social Credit | Gilles Caouette | 1,729 | 10.20 | -0.46 | ||||
| New Democratic | Onias Synnott | 675 | 3.98 | -2.92 | ||||
| Independent | Gérard Contant | 396 | 2.34 | |||||
| Independent | Louise Ouimet | 169 | 1.00 | |||||
| Independent | Daniel Charlebois | 101 | 0.60 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 16,955 | 100.00 | ||||||
Honours
In 1975, he was made an officer of the Order of Canada[5] and was elected a member of the Royal Society of Canada. He received honorary doctorates from York University, Ryerson Polytechnic University, Trent University and Université de Moncton.[6]
Death
Juneau died in Montreal from heart failure on February 21, 2012.[7] He was 89.[3][5] He was entombed at the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery in Montreal.[8]
References
- Billboard Magazine. Archived from the originalon December 31, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
- Canadian Press. Castanet. March 21, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Canadian Press (February 21, 2012). "Pierre Juneau, ex-CBC president, dies at 89". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
- ISBN 0-8020-2784-9. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
Jacques Bobet.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Pierre Juneau, former CRTC and CBC chief, dies". CBC News. February 21, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
- ^ a b Kelly, Brendan (February 21, 2012). "Pierre Juneau, stuanch defender of Canadian culture, dead at 89". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved February 21, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
- ^ Répertoire des personnages inhumés au cimetière ayant marqué l'histoire de notre société (in French). Montreal: Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery.
