Denis Vaugeois
Encyclopedia
Denis Vaugeois is a renowned French-speaking
author, publisher and historian from Quebec
, Canada
. He also served as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA)
from 1976
to 1985.
, Mauricie
and got degrees from Université de Montréal
and Université Laval
. He obtained his PhD
in 1975.
From 1955 to 1965, he was a teacher and a lecturer. Eventually he entered the provincial Civil Service as Director of the History Curriculum for the Education Department.
Vaugeois has also been a publisher.
candidate in the district of Trois-Rivières
in 1976
, defeating Liberal incumbent
Guy Bacon
. He served as a Parliamentary Assistant
to Intergovernmental Affairs Minister
Claude Morin
from 1976
to 1978. He was promoted to the Cabinet and served as Minister of Cultural Affairs from 1978 to 1981
.
, but was dropped from the Cabinet after the election. He ran for Mayor
of Trois-Rivières
in 1982, but lost against incumbent Gilles Beaudoin
. He remained in politics until early 1985 and resigned several months before the election that was held in that year
. He was succeeded by Liberal Paul Philibert
.
' poor electoral performance in the Greater Quebec area
in 2006
and 2007
. His most severe comments concern the province-wide Municipal Merger of 2001-2002
. He considers that the PQ has been insensitive the population's local identity. He believes that the PQ has a future, only if it changes its ways and reconnects with people.
He also condemns the Liberals for the way they handled the aftermath of the merger.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
author, publisher and historian from 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....
, Canada
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...
. He also served as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA)
National Assembly of Quebec
The National Assembly of Quebec is the legislative body of the Province of Quebec. The Lieutenant Governor and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other British-style parliamentary systems.The National Assembly was formerly the...
from 1976
Quebec general election, 1976
The Quebec general election of 1976 was held on November 15, 1976 to elect members to National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. It was one of the most significant elections in Quebec history, rivalled only by the 1960 general election, and caused major repercussions in the rest of Canada...
to 1985.
Early life and career
He was born on September 7, 1935 in Saint-TiteSaint-Tite, Quebec
Saint-Tite is a town in Quebec province, Canada, north of Trois-Rivières; its name is the French name for Saint Titus. Its chief industries are forestry and leather production. It is best known, though, for the Festival Western de Saint-Tite, which developed from a rodeo inaugurated in 1967 to...
, Mauricie
Mauricie
Mauricie is a traditional and current administrative region of Quebec. La Mauricie National Park is contained within the region, making it a prime tourist location. The region has a land area of 35,855.22 km² and a 2006 census population of 258,928 residents...
and got degrees from Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
and Université Laval
Université Laval
Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...
. He obtained his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1975.
From 1955 to 1965, he was a teacher and a lecturer. Eventually he entered the provincial Civil Service as Director of the History Curriculum for the Education Department.
Vaugeois has also been a publisher.
Political Rise
He successfully ran as a Parti Québécois (PQ)Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
candidate in the district of Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières (provincial electoral district)
Trois-Rivières is a provincial electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada. Located in the Mauricie region and including a large portion of the city of Trois-Rivières west of Saint-Maurice River, the riding was created in 1792 as the Ville-des-Trois-Rivières riding.-Members of the...
in 1976
Quebec general election, 1976
The Quebec general election of 1976 was held on November 15, 1976 to elect members to National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. It was one of the most significant elections in Quebec history, rivalled only by the 1960 general election, and caused major repercussions in the rest of Canada...
, defeating Liberal incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Guy Bacon
Guy Bacon
Guy Bacon was a politician in Quebec, Canada. He was a Member of the National Assembly .-Background:He was born on February 13, 1936 in Trois-Rivières, Mauricie and he is the brother of Senator Lise Bacon.-Political career:...
. He served as a Parliamentary Assistant
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to Intergovernmental Affairs Minister
Executive Council of Quebec
The Executive Council of Quebec is the cabinet of the government of Quebec, Canada....
Claude Morin
Claude Morin (PQ)
Claude Morin is a politician from Quebec, Canada and was the Parti Québécois Member of the National Assembly for the electoral district of Louis-Hébert, from 1976 until his resignation in 1981....
from 1976
Quebec general election, 1976
The Quebec general election of 1976 was held on November 15, 1976 to elect members to National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. It was one of the most significant elections in Quebec history, rivalled only by the 1960 general election, and caused major repercussions in the rest of Canada...
to 1978. He was promoted to the Cabinet and served as Minister of Cultural Affairs from 1978 to 1981
Quebec general election, 1981
The Quebec general election of 1981 was held on April 13, 1981, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Claude Ryan.The PQ won re-election despite...
.
Political Misfortune
Vaugeois was re-elected in 1981Quebec general election, 1981
The Quebec general election of 1981 was held on April 13, 1981, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Claude Ryan.The PQ won re-election despite...
, but was dropped from the Cabinet after the election. He ran for Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...
in 1982, but lost against incumbent Gilles Beaudoin
Gilles Beaudoin
Gilles Beaudoin was a Canadian politician and a former Mayor of Trois-Rivières.-Background:He was born on October 12, 1919. He owned and managed a furniture store located on rue Champflour. He was married to Dolorès Blais since 1943 and was the father of five children. -Political career:Beaudoin...
. He remained in politics until early 1985 and resigned several months before the election that was held in that year
Quebec general election, 1981
The Quebec general election of 1981 was held on April 13, 1981, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Claude Ryan.The PQ won re-election despite...
. He was succeeded by Liberal Paul Philibert
Paul Philibert
Paul Philibert was a politician was Quebec, Canada. He served as a Member of the National Assembly from 1985 to 1994. -Background:He was born on September 10, 1944 in Saint-Élie, Mauricie.-Political career:...
.
Criticism of PQ Policies
Over the last few years, Vaugeois has been very critical of the PQ's managements style, which he claims is to be blamed for the SovereigntistsQuebec sovereignty movement
The Quebec sovereignty movement refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada...
' poor electoral performance in the Greater Quebec area
Capitale-Nationale
Capitale-Nationale is one of 17 administrative regions of Quebec, Canada. Quebec City, Quebec's centre of government, is located in this region. It has a land area of 18,638.7 km2...
in 2006
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
and 2007
Quebec general election, 2007
The Quebec general election of 2007 was held in the Canadian province of Quebec on March 26, 2007 to elect members of the 38th National Assembly of Quebec. The Quebec Liberal Party led by Jean Charest managed to win a plurality of seats, but were reduced to a minority government, Quebec's first in...
. His most severe comments concern the province-wide Municipal Merger of 2001-2002
Municipal reorganization in Quebec
The most recent episode of municipal reorganization in Quebec, Canada, was undertaken in 2002 by the Parti Québécois Government of Quebec, headed by Premier Lucien Bouchard and his successor Bernard Landry....
. He considers that the PQ has been insensitive the population's local identity. He believes that the PQ has a future, only if it changes its ways and reconnects with people.
He also condemns the Liberals for the way they handled the aftermath of the merger.
Published books
During his career Vaugeois has authored many books, including:- Introduction à une méthodologie de l'histoire, 1959
- L'Union des deux Canadas, nouvelle conquête?, 1962
- Les Juifs et la Nouvelle-France, 1968
- Histoire 1534-1968, 1968
- Canada-Québec, synthèse historique, 1969
- Québec 1792, les acteurs, les institutions et les frontières, 1992
- L'indien généreux, 1992
- La fin des alliances franco-indiennes. Enquête sur un sauf-conduit de 1760 devenu traité en 1990, 1995