Gaétan Nadeau
Encyclopedia
Gaétan Nadeau is a politician and author in the Canadian
province of Quebec
. He led the New Democratic Party of Quebec from April to September 1989 and helped bring about its autonomy from the New Democratic Party
of Canada.
(PQ) activist before joining the New Democratic Party and served as an executive assistant to legislator Guy Chevrette
. He was also a supporter of the municipal Montreal Citizens' Movement
(MCM) and served on its economy committee. In 1988, he criticized the party's pro-business direction in government.
He ran for the Canadian House of Commons
as the New Democratic Party candidate for Hochelaga—Maisonneuve
in the 1988 federal election
. He criticized the proposed Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement
on the grounds that it would hurt manufacturing jobs in his riding. Nadeau was considered one of the party's strongest candidates in Quebec, and some party insiders believed he had a chance for an upset victory. In the event, he finished third against Progressive Conservative
candidate Allan Koury
.
Shortly before election day, Nadeau and six other NDP candidates with Quebec nationalist views held a press conference to denounce Canada's policies on bilingualism
.
. The Quebec party supported the province's Charter of the French Language
, opposed the Meech Lake Accord
, and were sceptical toward the Canadian constitution because it was approved without Quebec's support. Nadeau favoured the creation of a separate provincial party, while Morin initially opposed it before declaring his neutrality.
Nadeau, who was thirty-five years old at the time, also highlighted the generational divide between himself and the fifty-seven-year-old Morin. He said, "The leadership choice is clearly between a democratic socialist who has a vision for the '90s and one who is clinging to the outdated notions of the '70s." For his part, Morin described Nadeau as a single-issue candidate focused only on the environment
. Nadeau defeated Morin at a party convention held on April 30, 1989, as the party also voted to separate from the federal organization and become a completely distinct entity.
The NDP ran fifty-five candidates in the 1989 election. Its campaign began in confusion, when the party executive approved an election platform that Nadeau derided as "naive Marxism
." He initially threatened to resign as party leader, but refrained when the executive agreed to withdraw the offending document. Nadeau later described the platform as having resulted from the "fertile imagination" of a single party worker who misunderstood the instructions of its policy committee.
Nadeau secured a more prominent place for environmental issues in the party's revised platform, but he could not prevent party activists from adding a focus on Quebec nationalism. Nadeau opposed the this on strategic grounds, arguing that it would not help the party build support. Others argued that it prevented the party from winning support among anglophone Liberals who were disgruntled with the nationalist policies of premier
Robert Bourassa
.
Close to election day, Nadeau acknowledged that his party would not win any seats in the legislature
. The NDP received about one per cent of the popular vote, and Nadeau received only 437 votes for a distant fourth-place finish in the Montreal
division of Dorion
. He resigned as party leader on September 26, 1989, one day after the election, saying that the Quebec NDP would never be able to succeed because of a "hard core of Marxists" hindering its development.
in Law from the Université de Montréal
and as of 2009 was completing a Ph.D.
in regional development from the Université du Québec à Rimouski
. In 2009, he completed a book entitled Angus: Du grand capital à l'économie sociale.
There is a town councillor named Gaétan Nadeau in Sainte-Henedine, Quebec
, but it is not clear if this is the same person.
Sources: Report of the Chief Electoral Officer, Thirty-fourth General Election, 1988; Report of the Chief Electoral Officer Respecting Election Expenses, 1988.
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....
. He led the New Democratic Party of Quebec from April to September 1989 and helped bring about its autonomy from the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
of Canada.
Early life and political career before 1989
Nadeau was born in Joliette in 1953. He was a Parti QuébécoisParti 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...
(PQ) activist before joining the New Democratic Party and served as an executive assistant to legislator Guy Chevrette
Guy Chevrette
Guy Chevrette served as Parti Québécois leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada, from 1987 to 1989...
. He was also a supporter of the municipal Montreal Citizens' Movement
Montreal Citizens' Movement
The Montreal Citizens' Movement was a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It existed from 1973 to 2001.-Origins:...
(MCM) and served on its economy committee. In 1988, he criticized the party's pro-business direction in government.
He ran 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...
as the New Democratic Party candidate for Hochelaga—Maisonneuve
Hochelaga—Maisonneuve
Hochelaga—Maisonneuve was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 2004....
in the 1988 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1988
The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....
. He criticized the proposed Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement
Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement
The Free Trade Agreement was a trade agreement signed by Canada and the United States on October 4, 1988. The agreement, finalized by October 1987, removed several trade restrictions in stages over a ten year period, and resulted in a great increase in cross-border trade...
on the grounds that it would hurt manufacturing jobs in his riding. Nadeau was considered one of the party's strongest candidates in Quebec, and some party insiders believed he had a chance for an upset victory. In the event, he finished third against Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
candidate Allan Koury
Allan Koury
Allan Koury was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 1993. He was proprietor of business Mercerie Allan for 55 years, and created the Societes d'initiatives et de développement d'arteres commerciales , an association dedicated to commercial development.Koury was born in...
.
Shortly before election day, Nadeau and six other NDP candidates with Quebec nationalist views held a press conference to denounce Canada's policies on bilingualism
Bilingualism in Canada
The official languages of Canada are English and French, which "have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions of the Parliament and Government of Canada" according to Canada's constitution...
.
New Democratic Party leader
Nadeau was elected to lead the Quebec New Democratic Party in April 1989, defeating incumbent leader Roland Morin. The election contest was centred around the Quebec NDP's relationship with the federal party. At the time, the NDP had a single party organization in Quebec that was responsible for both federal and provincial matters. Several members of the Quebec NDP opposed its links to the federal party, particularly in light of ideological divisions on issues relating to Quebec nationalismQuebec nationalism
Quebec nationalism is a nationalist movement in the Canadian province of Quebec .-1534–1774:Canada was first a french colony. Jacques Cartier claimed it for France in 1534, and permanent French settlement began in 1608. It was part of New France, which constituted all French colonies in North America...
. The Quebec party supported the province's Charter of the French Language
Charter of the French Language
The Charter of the French Language , also known as Bill 101 and Loi 101, is a law in the province of Quebec in Canada defining French, the language of the majority of the population, as the only official language of Quebec, and framing fundamental language rights for everyone in the province...
, opposed the Meech Lake Accord
Meech Lake Accord
The Meech Lake Accord was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated in 1987 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and ten provincial premiers. It was intended to persuade the government of the Province of Quebec to endorse the 1982 Canadian Constitution and increase...
, and were sceptical toward the Canadian constitution because it was approved without Quebec's support. Nadeau favoured the creation of a separate provincial party, while Morin initially opposed it before declaring his neutrality.
Nadeau, who was thirty-five years old at the time, also highlighted the generational divide between himself and the fifty-seven-year-old Morin. He said, "The leadership choice is clearly between a democratic socialist who has a vision for the '90s and one who is clinging to the outdated notions of the '70s." For his part, Morin described Nadeau as a single-issue candidate focused only on the environment
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
. Nadeau defeated Morin at a party convention held on April 30, 1989, as the party also voted to separate from the federal organization and become a completely distinct entity.
The NDP ran fifty-five candidates in the 1989 election. Its campaign began in confusion, when the party executive approved an election platform that Nadeau derided as "naive Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
." He initially threatened to resign as party leader, but refrained when the executive agreed to withdraw the offending document. Nadeau later described the platform as having resulted from the "fertile imagination" of a single party worker who misunderstood the instructions of its policy committee.
Nadeau secured a more prominent place for environmental issues in the party's revised platform, but he could not prevent party activists from adding a focus on Quebec nationalism. Nadeau opposed the this on strategic grounds, arguing that it would not help the party build support. Others argued that it prevented the party from winning support among anglophone Liberals who were disgruntled with the nationalist policies of premier
Premier of Quebec
The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
Robert Bourassa
Robert Bourassa
Jean-Robert Bourassa, was a politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 22nd Premier of Quebec in two different mandates, first from May 12, 1970, to November 25, 1976, and then from December 12, 1985, to January 11, 1994, serving a total of just under 15 years as Provincial Premier.-Early...
.
Close to election day, Nadeau acknowledged that his party would not win any seats in the legislature
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...
. The NDP received about one per cent of the popular vote, and Nadeau received only 437 votes for a distant fourth-place finish in the 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...
division of Dorion
Dorion (provincial electoral district)
Dorion was a provincial electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada. Located in the Montreal region, the riding was formed in 1966 from parts of Montreal-Jeanne-Mance. In 1994, it became part of the new Laurier-Dorion...
. He resigned as party leader on September 26, 1989, one day after the election, saying that the Quebec NDP would never be able to succeed because of a "hard core of Marxists" hindering its development.
Since 1989
Nadeau was a researcher for the municipal Democratic Coalition party in the early 1990s. He holds 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 Law 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...
and as of 2009 was completing a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in regional development from the Université du Québec à Rimouski
Université du Québec à Rimouski
The Université du Québec à Rimouski is a branch of the Université du Québec in Rimouski, Quebec. There is also a campus of the university in Lévis, Quebec, recently moved to a newly constructed building. Founded in 1969, UQAR is one of the most modern in Quebec.This university is well-known for its...
. In 2009, he completed a book entitled Angus: Du grand capital à l'économie sociale.
There is a town councillor named Gaétan Nadeau in Sainte-Henedine, Quebec
Sainte-Hénédine, Quebec
Sainte-Hénédine is a parish in the Municipalité régionale de comté de la Nouvelle-Beauce in Quebec, Canada. It is part of the Chaudière-Appalaches region and the population is 1,061 as of 2009. It is named after Catherine-Hénédine Dionne, widow of Pierre-Elzéar Taschereau, who owned the two...
, but it is not clear if this is the same person.
Electoral record
Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec.Sources: Report of the Chief Electoral Officer, Thirty-fourth General Election, 1988; Report of the Chief Electoral Officer Respecting Election Expenses, 1988.