Lucien Lessard
Encyclopedia
Background
He was born on February 22, 1938 in Grandes-Bergeronnes. He has a Master degree from Université LavalUniversité 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...
and was an educator and a union activist.
Member of the legislature
Lessard unsuccessfully ran as a Ralliement nationalRalliement national
Ralliement national was a political party that advocated the political independence of Quebec from Canada in the 1960s.It was led by former créditiste Gilles Grégoire...
candidate to the National Assembly of Quebec
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...
in the district of Saguenay
Saguenay (provincial electoral district)
Saguenay was a provincial electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada. The Saguenay district proper was created in 1948 after a split of the district of Charlevoix-Saguenay that existed from 1912 to 1944. located in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, Saguenay was also part of...
in 1966
Quebec general election, 1966
The Quebec general election of 1966 was held on June 5, 1966, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The Union Nationale , led by Daniel Johnson, Sr, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Lesage....
, finishing third with 11% of the vote.
He ran as a Parti Québécois
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 and defeated Liberal incumbent Pierre-Willie Maltais in 1970
Quebec general election, 1970
The Quebec general election of 1970 was held on April 29, 1970 to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The former Legislative Assembly had been renamed the "National Assembly" in 1968...
. He was re-elected in 1973
Quebec general election, 1973
The Quebec general election of 1973 was held on October 29, 1973 to elect members to National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Robert Bourassa, won re-election, defeating the Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, and the Union Nationale .The Liberals won a...
, 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...
and 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...
.
Cabinet Member
In 1976Quebec 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...
, Lessard was appointed to 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....
René Lévesque
René Lévesque
René Lévesque was a reporter, a minister of the government of Quebec, , the founder of the Parti Québécois political party and the 23rd Premier of Quebec...
's Cabinet
Executive Council of Quebec
The Executive Council of Quebec is the cabinet of the government of Quebec, Canada....
. He served as Minister of Public Works until 1977, Minister of Transportation until 1979 and Minister of Recreation, Hunting and Fishing from 1979 to 1982, during which he helped trigger a series of controversial police raids on the Mi'gmaq community of Restigouche, a role he discussed with Alanis Obomsawin
Alanis Obomsawin
Alanis Obomsawin, OC is a Canadian filmmaker of Abenaki descent. Born in New Hampshire, and raised primarily in Quebec, she has produced and directed many National Film Board of Canada documentaries on First Nations culture and history...
in her 1984 film Incident at Restigouche
Incident at Restigouche
Incident at Restigouche is a 1984 documentary film by Alanis Obomsawin, chronicling a series of two raids on the Listuguj Mi'gmaq First Nation by the Sûreté du Québec in 1981, as part of the efforts of the Quebec government to impose new restrictions on Native salmon fishermen.-Production...
. Lessard resigned his seat and retired from politics in 1982.
Retirement
He was the general managerGeneral manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
of the Forestville, Quebec
Forestville, Quebec
Forestville is a town in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River along Route 138, approximately southwest of Baie-Comeau. There is a vehicle and passenger ferry service from Forestville to Rimouski, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence...
CLSC (health unit)
CLSC
CLSCs in Quebec are free clinics which are run and maintained by the provincial government...
from 1983 to 2000.