Daniel Fournier
Encyclopedia
Daniel Fournier is a businessperson and politician in the Canadian
province of Quebec
. Known as a successful real estate
investor, he has been the president of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
's real estate group since June 2010. He has also run for the Canadian House of Commons
and written on Canadian federalism
.
, a lower middle class
community that was amalgamated into the City of Montreal in 2002. He has a Bachelor of Arts
degree in History from Princeton University
and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jurisprudence from Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. While studying at Oxford, he took a term off to play for the Ottawa Rough Riders
football
team. He returned to Canada after graduating and became a successful figure in Montreal's real estate sector.
entrepreneurs who challenged the city's traditional anglophone
economic dominance. His group owned both the Ogilvy
store and the Ritz-Carlton Montreal
in this period. He later became president of the firm Capital and the vice-president of Candarel.
He was named executive vice-president and chief investment officer of SITQ, which is primarily owned by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, in July 2008. He left after one year, but returned in June 2010 as executive vice-president and president of the Caisse's real estate group.
in 1990, although he was not a supporter of party leader Jean Chrétien
. He later joined the Conservatives, arguing that he wanted to promote a more decentralized version of Canadian federalism
. He added that he was not a social conservative and did not believe the government should legislate personal morality.
Before running for office, Fournier discussed his party's direction and future prospects with several prominent Conservatives across Canada, including Peter Lougheed
, John Tory
, Preston Manning
, Tony Clement
, Pat Binns
, and Jim Dinning
. He was considered a star candidate
for his party in the 2006 election and was featured in its television advertisements. He received 5,168 votes (12.73%), finishing fourth against incumbent Liberal Party
cabinet minister Jean Lapierre
.
The Conservative Party formed a minority government
after the election, and new prime minister Stephen Harper
intended to appoint Fournier to the Senate of Canada and the Canadian cabinet, where he would have been a regional representative for Montreal. Fournier declined the offer, however, and Harper appointed Michael Fortier
in his place.
In 2007, Fournier contributed a chapter to Reconquerir le Canada: Un nouveau projet pour la nation quebecoise, a book defending Canadian federalism
within Quebec.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. Known as a successful real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
investor, he has been the president of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec manages public pension plans in the Canadian province of Quebec. It was founded in 1965 by an act of the National Assembly...
's real estate group since June 2010. He has also run for the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
and written on Canadian federalism
Canadian federalism
Canada is a federation with two distinct jurisdictions of political authority: the country-wide federal government and the ten regionally-based provincial governments. It also has three territorial governments in the far north, though these are subject to the federal government...
.
Early life and education
Fournier was born in PierrefondsPierrefonds, Quebec
Pierrefonds was a city on the Island of Montreal. It ceased to exist on January 1, 2002. The city was located along the Rivière des Prairies at the western end of the island...
, a lower middle class
Lower middle class
In developed nations across the world, the lower middle class is a sub-division of the greater middle class. Universally the term refers to the group of middle class households or individuals who have not attained the status of the upper middle class associated with the higher realms of the middle...
community that was amalgamated into the City of Montreal in 2002. He has a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in History from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jurisprudence from Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. While studying at Oxford, he took a term off to play for the Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
team. He returned to Canada after graduating and became a successful figure in Montreal's real estate sector.
Private career
During the 1980s, Fournier was prominent among a group of young French CanadianFrench Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
entrepreneurs who challenged the city's traditional anglophone
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
economic dominance. His group owned both the Ogilvy
Ogilvy (Montreal)
La Maison Ogilvy, commonly known as Ogilvy's , is a prominent department store in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where its store at 1307 Saint Catherine Street West is a retail landmark...
store and the Ritz-Carlton Montreal
Ritz-Carlton Montreal
The Ritz-Carlton Montréal is a 229 room luxury hotel situated at 1228 Sherbrooke Street West in Montréal, Quebec. This Montreal property is not part of the widely-known Ritz-Carlton hotel chain. It has forty-eight suites including a "Royal Suite" and a "Presidential Suite"...
in this period. He later became president of the firm Capital and the vice-president of Candarel.
He was named executive vice-president and chief investment officer of SITQ, which is primarily owned by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, in July 2008. He left after one year, but returned in June 2010 as executive vice-president and president of the Caisse's real estate group.
Political career
Fournier was a member of the Liberal Party of CanadaLiberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
in 1990, although he was not a supporter of party leader Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
. He later joined the Conservatives, arguing that he wanted to promote a more decentralized version of Canadian federalism
Canadian federalism
Canada is a federation with two distinct jurisdictions of political authority: the country-wide federal government and the ten regionally-based provincial governments. It also has three territorial governments in the far north, though these are subject to the federal government...
. He added that he was not a social conservative and did not believe the government should legislate personal morality.
Before running for office, Fournier discussed his party's direction and future prospects with several prominent Conservatives across Canada, including Peter Lougheed
Peter Lougheed
Edgar Peter Lougheed, PC, CC, AOE, QC, is a Canadian lawyer, and a former politician and Canadian Football League player. He served as the tenth Premier of Alberta from 1971 to 1985....
, John Tory
John Tory
John Howard Tory is a Canadian businessman, political activist, former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, former Member of Provincial Parliament and broadcaster...
, Preston Manning
Preston Manning
Ernest Preston Manning, CC is a Canadian politician. He was the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance...
, Tony Clement
Tony Clement
Tony Peter Clement, PC, MP is a Canadian federal politician, President of the Treasury Board, Minister for the Federal Economic Initiative for Northern Ontario and member of the Conservative Party of Canada....
, Pat Binns
Pat Binns
Patrick George Binns , is a Canadian diplomat who was named Ambassador to Ireland on August 30, 2007.Binns has a long history of public service, most notably being the 30th Premier of Prince Edward Island, holding office from 1996 to 2007, during which time he was the leader of the Prince Edward...
, and Jim Dinning
Jim Dinning
Jim Dinning is a Canadian Progressive Conservative politician and businessman. He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta , and now serves on the board of directors of a variety of Canadian companies. Dinning ran for the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservatives to replace...
. He was considered a star candidate
Star candidate
A star candidate refers to a high profile individual who has been recruited as a candidate by a political party. Star candidates have usually excelled in fields outside of politics such as academia, business, the media, journalism and/or sports...
for his party in the 2006 election and was featured in its television advertisements. He received 5,168 votes (12.73%), finishing fourth against incumbent Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
cabinet minister Jean Lapierre
Jean Lapierre
Jean-Charles Lapierre, PC is a Canadian television broadcaster and a former federal politician.He was Paul Martin's Quebec lieutenant during the period of the Martin government. He returned to the Canadian House of Commons after an eleven year absence when he won a seat in the 2004 federal...
.
The Conservative Party formed a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
after the election, and new prime minister Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
intended to appoint Fournier to the Senate of Canada and the Canadian cabinet, where he would have been a regional representative for Montreal. Fournier declined the offer, however, and Harper appointed Michael Fortier
Michael Fortier
Michael M. Fortier, PC is a former Canadian Minister of International Trade and a former Conservative senator from Quebec...
in his place.
In 2007, Fournier contributed a chapter to Reconquerir le Canada: Un nouveau projet pour la nation quebecoise, a book defending Canadian federalism
Canadian federalism
Canada is a federation with two distinct jurisdictions of political authority: the country-wide federal government and the ten regionally-based provincial governments. It also has three territorial governments in the far north, though these are subject to the federal government...
within Quebec.