Marcel Masse
Encyclopedia
Marcel Masse, is a Canadian
politician. He served as a Quebec MLA, federal MP, federal cabinet minister. Despite being a federal Progressive Conservative, Masse was aligned with Quebec
separatistism (as an Union Nationale MLA and a provincial advisor to a separatist PQ government.
and pursued graduate work in Paris
. He worked as a high school teacher in Joliette, Quebec
from 1962 to 1966.
, he was elected to the Quebec legislative assembly in the riding of Montcalm
as a member of the Union Nationale (UN), a conservative political party. He served as a minister in the governments of Quebec premiers
Daniel Johnson
(1966–1968) and Jean-Jacques Bertrand
(1968–1970).
Masse was re-elected in 1970
. He was a leadership candidate at the party convention of 1971, but lost by 21 votes. He left the Union Nationale to sit as an independent until his term expired in 1973
. In 1974, Masse was hired by the engineering firm Lavalin
as an administrator.
as a Progressive Conservative
candidate, but was defeated in the 1974
and 1980 federal elections
. He was elected as Member of Parliament
for Frontenac
in the 1984 election
that brought Brian Mulroney
and the Tories to power.
Prime Minister
Mulroney appointed Masse to the position of Minister of Communications
. Masse resigned from the Canadian Cabinet on September 25, 1985, during an investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
of alleged overspending during his election campaign. He returned to Cabinet on November 30 after being cleared of any wrongdoing.
As Communications Minister, Masse was responsible for Canada's cultural policy. He argued against measures that would undermine the country's cultural sovereignty during negotiations leading to the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. He was moved out of the Communications portfolio to that of Minister of Energy
in 1986 when it appeared to Mulroney that Masse might be an obstacle to the free trade
negotiations. Masse was moved back to Communications following the 1988 election
and the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement.
In 1991, Masse became Minister of National Defence
. He resigned from cabinet in January 1993 along with a number of other ministers who were not intending to run in the 1993 election
.
, has served in a number of positions under the Parti Québécois
governments of Jacques Parizeau
and Lucien Bouchard
. He was head of one of fourteen regional committees that held public hearings on Quebec independence
in 1995 in the run up to the 1995 Quebec referendum
on sovereignty. He served as president of the Conseil de la langue française du Québec in 1995, and as Quebec's delegate-general in France
from 1996 to 1997. He has also served as chair of the Commission des biens culturels du Québec.
In 1995, he was made an Officer of the National Order of 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...
politician. He served as a Quebec MLA, federal MP, federal cabinet minister. Despite being a federal Progressive Conservative, Masse was aligned with 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....
separatistism (as an Union Nationale MLA and a provincial advisor to a separatist PQ government.
Background
Masse was educated at the Université de MontréalUniversité 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 pursued graduate work in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He worked as a high school teacher in Joliette, 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....
from 1962 to 1966.
Provincial Politics
In the 1966 Quebec provincial electionQuebec 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....
, he was elected to the Quebec legislative assembly in the riding of Montcalm
Montcalm (provincial electoral district)
Montcalm was a provincial electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada. Located in the Lanaudière region, Montcalm was formed in 1867 before being merged with Joliette in 1972 to form Joliette-Montcalm....
as a member of the Union Nationale (UN), a conservative political party. He served as a minister in the governments of Quebec premiers
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....
Daniel Johnson
Daniel Johnson, Sr
Francis Daniel Johnson, Sr., PC was a Quebec politician and the 20th Premier of Quebec from 1966 until his death in 1968.-Background:...
(1966–1968) and Jean-Jacques Bertrand
Jean-Jacques Bertrand
Jean-Jacques Bertrand was the 21st Premier of Quebec, Canada, from October 2, 1968 to May 12, 1970. He led the Union Nationale party.-Member of the legislature:...
(1968–1970).
Masse was re-elected 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 a leadership candidate at the party convention of 1971, but lost by 21 votes. He left the Union Nationale to sit as an independent until his term expired 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...
. In 1974, Masse was hired by the engineering firm Lavalin
Lavalin
Lavalin was a Canadian civil engineering firm located in Montreal, Quebec. After a major expansion program in the 1980s that led to financial difficulties, in 1991 Lavalin merged with its long-time competitor to become today's SNC-Lavalin, forming one of the ten largest engineering firms in the...
as an administrator.
Federal Level
He attempted to win a seat in the Canadian House of CommonsCanadian 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 a 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, but was defeated in the 1974
Canadian federal election, 1974
The Canadian federal election of 1974 was held on July 8, 1974 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 30th Parliament of Canada. The governing Liberal Party won its first majority government since 1968, and gave Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau his third term...
and 1980 federal elections
Canadian federal election, 1980
The Canadian federal election of 1980 was held on February 18, 1980 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 32nd Parliament of Canada...
. He was elected as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Frontenac
Frontenac (Quebec electoral district)
Frontenac was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1968 to 1997.This riding was created in 1966 from parts of Lotbinière and Mégantic ridings...
in the 1984 election
Canadian federal election, 1984
The Canadian federal election of 1984 was held on September 4 of that year to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 33rd Parliament of Canada...
that brought Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
and the Tories to power.
Prime Minister
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...
Mulroney appointed Masse to the position of Minister of Communications
Minister of Communications (Canada)
The Minister of Communications of Canada is a now-defunct cabinet post which existed from 1969 to 1996, when it was abolished. Its telecommunications policy functions were transferred to Industry Canada and its cultural role was assumed by the Minister of Canadian Heritage.The post was...
. Masse resigned from the Canadian Cabinet on September 25, 1985, during an investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
of alleged overspending during his election campaign. He returned to Cabinet on November 30 after being cleared of any wrongdoing.
As Communications Minister, Masse was responsible for Canada's cultural policy. He argued against measures that would undermine the country's cultural sovereignty during negotiations leading to the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. He was moved out of the Communications portfolio to that of Minister of Energy
Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources (Canada)
The Minister of Energy, Mines, and Resources was a member of the Cabinet of Canada from 1966 to 1995.-Ministers:The office of Minister of Mines and Technical Surveys was abolished and the office of the Ministers of Energy, Mines and Resources created by statute 14-15 Eliz. II, c...
in 1986 when it appeared to Mulroney that Masse might be an obstacle to the free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
negotiations. Masse was moved back to Communications following the 1988 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 ....
and the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement.
In 1991, Masse became Minister of National Defence
Minister of National Defence (Canada)
The Minister of National Defence is a Minister of the Crown; the Canadian politician within the Cabinet of Canada responsible for the Department of National Defence which oversees the Canadian Forces....
. He resigned from cabinet in January 1993 along with a number of other ministers who were not intending to run in the 1993 election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
.
Retirement
Since leaving federal politics Masse, a moderate Quebec nationalistQuebec 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...
, has served in a number of positions under the 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...
governments of Jacques Parizeau
Jacques Parizeau
Jacques Parizeau, is an economist and noted Quebec sovereignist who was the 26th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from September 26, 1994 to January 29, 1996.-Early life and career:...
and Lucien Bouchard
Lucien Bouchard
Lucien Bouchard, is a Canadian lawyer, diplomat, politician and former Minister of the Environment of the Canadian Federal Government. He was the Leader of Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons from 1993 to 1996, and the 27th Premier of Quebec from January 29, 1996 to March 8, 2001...
. He was head of one of fourteen regional committees that held public hearings on Quebec independence
Quebec 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...
in 1995 in the run up to the 1995 Quebec referendum
1995 Quebec referendum
The 1995 Quebec referendum was the second referendum to ask voters in the Canadian province of Quebec whether Quebec should secede from Canada and become an independent state, through the question:...
on sovereignty. He served as president of the Conseil de la langue française du Québec in 1995, and as Quebec's delegate-general 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...
from 1996 to 1997. He has also served as chair of the Commission des biens culturels du Québec.
In 1995, he was made an Officer of the National Order of Quebec
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...
.
External links
- Marcel MASSE at Assemblée nationale du Québec