Denise Bombardier
Encyclopedia
Denise Bombardier, CQ
(born January 18, 1941 in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
) is an esteemed yet controversial journalist
, novel
ist, essay
ist, producer, and media personality who worked for the French-language television station Radio Canada for over 30 years.
Bombardier is noted for her standard French
, in particular her educated, European-norm pronunciation
. She is a defender of the international Francophonie
and has often been invited by Bernard Pivot
to discuss the psyche
of the French
and the situation of the French language in France
. Despite her established reputation for clear writing and outstanding reporting, she has been accused of displaying certain contradictions between her professional ethics
and her purported personal value
s.
in political science
from the Université de Montréal
in 1971 and a doctorate
in sociology
three years later from the Sorbonne
.
She began her professional career as a research assistant
on the Radio-Canada television program Aujourd'hui. Starting in 1975 she hosted a number of programs such as Présent international, Hebdo-dimanche, Noir sur blanc (1979–1983), Le Point and Entre les lignes. She hosted Trait-d'union from 1987 to 1988, and participated on Aujourd'hui dimanche (1988–1991) and L'Envers de la médaille.
Noir sur blanc, was the first public affairs program to be hosted by a woman in Quebec. There Bombardier interviewed Prime Minister of Canada
Pierre Trudeau
, novelist Georges Simenon
, Prime Minister of Israel
Golda Meir
, President of France Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
and his successor François Mitterrand
.
In 1999, she hosted and produced the science program Les Années lumières on Radio-Canada radio.
She has written a number of articles in the press, some of which have been controversial. Her articles have appeared in Le Monde
, Le Devoir
, L'Express de Toronto, Châtelaine
, Le Point
and L'Actualité
.
She has written La Voix de la France (1975), Une enfance à l'eau bénite (1985), Aimez-moi les uns les autres (1999), Nos chères amies (2008), or more recently L'énigmatique Céline Dion (2009).
In 2005, she was fired via e-mail from the public television network Radio-Canada for engaging in a debate on same-sex marriage
against Louis Godbout, spokesperson for the Quebec Gay Archives
, during an interview-format segment of Le Point an evening information show. She has been scathing about reality television
programs, especially Quebec's Star Académie
.
In 2007, Denise Bombardier wrote the song La Diva for Celine Dion
, included on the album D'Elles
. She also followed Celine Dion during all of her Taking Chances World Tour as research for her book L'énigmatique Céline Dion.
(translation of Prochain épisode by Sheila Fischman
) in Canada Reads 2003
. In the 2007 edition of Canada Reads, an "all-star" competition pitting the five winning advocates from previous years against each other, Bombardier returned to champion Gabrielle Roy
's novel Children of My Heart
.
National Order of Quebec
The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as l'Ordre national du Québec, and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec...
(born January 18, 1941 in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, 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...
) is an esteemed yet controversial journalist
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist, essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
ist, producer, and media personality who worked for the French-language television station Radio Canada for over 30 years.
Bombardier is noted for her standard French
Standard French
Standard French is an unofficial term for a standard variety of the French language...
, in particular her educated, European-norm pronunciation
Pronunciation
Pronunciation refers to the way a word or a language is spoken, or the manner in which someone utters a word. If one is said to have "correct pronunciation", then it refers to both within a particular dialect....
. She is a defender of the international Francophonie
La Francophonie
Francophonie is an international organization of politics and governments with French as the mother or customary language, where a significant proportion of people are francophones , or where there is a notable affiliation with the French language or culture.Formally known as the Organisation...
and has often been invited by Bernard Pivot
Bernard Pivot
Bernard Pivot, OC, CQ is a journalist, interviewer and host of French cultural television programmes. He is a member of the Académie Goncourt.-Biography:Pivot was born in Lyon, the son of grocers...
to discuss the psyche
Psyche (psychology)
The word psyche has a long history of use in psychology and philosophy, dating back to ancient times, and has been one of the fundamental concepts for understanding human nature from a scientific point of view. The English word soul is sometimes used synonymously, especially in older...
of the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
and the situation of the French language in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Despite her established reputation for clear writing and outstanding reporting, she has been accused of displaying certain contradictions between her professional ethics
Professional ethics
Professional ethics encompass the personal and corporate standards of behaviour expected of professionals.- Professional ethics :Professional people and those working in acknowledged professions exercise specialist knowledge and skill...
and her purported personal value
Value (personal and cultural)
A personal or cultural value is an absolute or relative ethical value, the assumption of which can be the basis for ethical action. A value system is a set of consistent values and measures. A principle value is a foundation upon which other values and measures of integrity are based...
s.
Biography
Bombardier obtained a master's degreeMaster's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from the 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...
in 1971 and a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
three years later from the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
.
She began her professional career as a research assistant
Research assistant
A research assistant is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract, by a university or a research institute, for the purpose of assisting in academic research...
on the Radio-Canada television program Aujourd'hui. Starting in 1975 she hosted a number of programs such as Présent international, Hebdo-dimanche, Noir sur blanc (1979–1983), Le Point and Entre les lignes. She hosted Trait-d'union from 1987 to 1988, and participated on Aujourd'hui dimanche (1988–1991) and L'Envers de la médaille.
Noir sur blanc, was the first public affairs program to be hosted by a woman in Quebec. There Bombardier interviewed Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
, novelist Georges Simenon
Georges Simenon
Georges Joseph Christian Simenon was a Belgian writer. A prolific author who published nearly 200 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known for the creation of the fictional detective Maigret.-Early life and education:...
, Prime Minister of Israel
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
Golda Meir
Golda Meir
Golda Meir ; May 3, 1898 – December 8, 1978) was a teacher, kibbutznik and politician who became the fourth Prime Minister of the State of Israel....
, President of France Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
and his successor François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
.
In 1999, she hosted and produced the science program Les Années lumières on Radio-Canada radio.
She has written a number of articles in the press, some of which have been controversial. Her articles have appeared in Le Monde
Le Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
, Le Devoir
Le Devoir
Le Devoir is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and the rest of Canada. It was founded by journalist, politician, and nationalist Henri Bourassa in 1910....
, L'Express de Toronto, Châtelaine
Châtelaine
Châtelaine is a French-language magazine of women's lifestyles, published monthly in Quebec by Rogers Media, Inc., a division of Rogers Communications, Inc. It was first published in 1960 by Maclean Publishing. The magazine covers issues and interests of real concern to women, including food,...
, Le Point
Le Point
Le Point is a French weekly news magazine. It was founded in 1972 by a group of journalists who had, one year earlier, left the editorial team of L'Express, which was then owned by Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, a député of the Parti Radical...
and L'Actualité
L'actualité
L'actualité is a Canadian French-language news and general interest magazine published in Montreal by Les Éditions Rogers, which is owned by Rogers Communications. The magazine has over a million readers, according to Canada's Print Measurement Bureau, from its circulation which is mainly...
.
She has written La Voix de la France (1975), Une enfance à l'eau bénite (1985), Aimez-moi les uns les autres (1999), Nos chères amies (2008), or more recently L'énigmatique Céline Dion (2009).
In 2005, she was fired via e-mail from the public television network Radio-Canada for engaging in a debate on same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
against Louis Godbout, spokesperson for the Quebec Gay Archives
Quebec Gay Archives
The Quebec Gay Archives is a nonprofit organization dedicated to documenting the history of the gay and lesbian communities of Quebec. Founded in 1983 and located in Montreal, the QGA maintains collections of periodicals, newspapers, press clippings, book, videocassettes, DVDs, poster, photos...
, during an interview-format segment of Le Point an evening information show. She has been scathing about reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
programs, especially Quebec's Star Académie
Star Académie
Star Académie is a Canadian reality TV series started in 2003, aimed primarily at the Quebec television audience, featuring an array of competing young women and men for the title of the best singer...
.
In 2007, Denise Bombardier wrote the song La Diva for Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, included on the album D'Elles
D'elles
D'elles is the title of Céline Dion's French-language album, released between May 18 and June 1, 2007 in certain European countries, on May 22, 2007 in Canada, and February 27, 2008 in Japan. It is her 23rd French album and 35th if counting all longplays...
. She also followed Celine Dion during all of her Taking Chances World Tour as research for her book L'énigmatique Céline Dion.
Selected filmography
- Présent international
- Hebdo-dimanche
- Noir sur blanc
- Point
- Entre les lignes.
- Trait-d'union (1987–1988)
- Aujourd'hui dimanche (1988–1991)
- L'Envers de la médaille
- Parlez-moi des hommes, parlez-moi des femmes (2001–2002)
Awards and recognition
- In 1993 she was made a Knight of the Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
. - In 2000 she was made a Knight of the National Order of QuebecNational Order of QuebecThe National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as l'Ordre national du Québec, and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec...
.
In media
Bombardier championed Next Episode by Hubert AquinHubert Aquin
Hubert Aquin was a novelist, political activist, essayist, filmmaker and editor....
(translation of Prochain épisode by Sheila Fischman
Sheila Fischman
Sheila Leah Fischman, CM is a Canadian translator who specializes in the translation of works of contemporary Quebec literature....
) in Canada Reads 2003
Canada Reads
Canada Reads is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC.-Overview:During Canada Reads, five personalities champion five different books, each champion extolling the merits of one of the titles. The debate is broadcast over a series...
. In the 2007 edition of Canada Reads, an "all-star" competition pitting the five winning advocates from previous years against each other, Bombardier returned to champion Gabrielle Roy
Gabrielle Roy
Gabrielle Roy, CC, FRSC was a French Canadian author.- Biography :Born in Saint Boniface , Manitoba, Roy was educated at Saint Joseph's Academy...
's novel Children of My Heart
Children of My Heart
Children of My Heart is a novel by Gabrielle Roy, published in 1977. The novel, Roy's last published work of fiction, was originally published in French as Ces enfants de ma vie....
.