Robert Burns (Quebec politician)
Robert Burns (September 5, 1936 – May 15, 2014) was a politician, attorney and union activist from Quebec, Canada.[1]
Background
He was born on September 5, 1936, in
Initially a federalist, Burns became a nationalist as a result of his experiences representing francophone workers against English bosses and was persuaded to stand as a Parti Québécois candidate in 1970.[2]
Member of the legislature
Burns won a seat to the
He was re-elected in 1973 and 1976. Burns was the informal leader of the left-wing faction of the PQ and often clashed with the more moderate PQ leader René Lévesque, particularly over labour disputes, and criticised Levesque's position during the La Presse strike in 1971 with such vigour that when he left a meeting with Levesque, he slammed the door and shattered its glass pane.[2][3]
He was passed over by Lévesque after the 1973 election, when
His relationship with his party was at times uneasy. In 1979, he told reporters “I am a socialist and the Parti Québécois is not always socialist."[2]
Cabinet Member
In 1977, Burns was appointed to Premier René Lévesque's Cabinet and became a key architect of the government's drive for Quebec independence.[2] He served as Minister responsible for Electoral Reform and introduced the province's law banning corporate and union donations to political parties and limiting donations to $100 per person and also wrote Quebec's referendum law that funded both sides equally and required each side to have umbrella committees that included all proponents.[2] Burns was also instrumental in Quebec's introduction of anti-scab legislation that banned companies from hiring strikebreakers during strikes.[4] Burns also issued a white paper favouring proportional representation but the idea was not popular with his colleagues.[2]
His health weakened, Burns resigned his seat and retired from politics in 1979 and was appointed a labour court judge in 1980,[4] Burns again clashed with Lévesque, predicting the government's defeat in the 1980 sovereignty referendum and in the subsequent election.[3]
Later years and death
Burns remained on the Labour Court for two decades, retiring in 2001.[3]
During the 2012 Quebec student protests he urged Premier Jean Charest to negotiate with students demanding a tuition freeze. He also commented on the Charbonneau Commission inquiry into corruption saying he was "disgusted" by allegations that construction and engineering companies flouted his electoral financing law by making illegal donations to political parties.[2]
Burns died on May 15, 2014, aged 77.[5]
Footnotes
- ^ "Biography". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). National Assembly of Quebec.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Former PQ cabinet minister Robert Burns was a key sovereignty player". Globe and Mail. June 17, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Earliest-elected PQ MNA Robert Burns dead at 77". May 16, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
- ^ a b "Former Parti Quebecois cabinet minister Robert Burns dead at 77". Edmonton Journal. May 16, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
- ^ Décès de Robert Burns (in French)
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