Michel Pagé
Encyclopedia
Michel Pagé is a businessman and former politician in the Canadian
province of Quebec
. He served in the National Assembly of Quebec
from 1973 to 1992 as a Liberal and was a cabinet minister in the government of Robert Bourassa
.
He is not to be confused with another Michel Pagé who has written about the linguistic integration of immigrants in Quebec.
degree from Université Laval
in 1973, was called to the Quebec Bar in 1974, and practiced law from 1974 to 1985.
, defeating one-term Créditiste
incumbent Antoine Drolet
in the division of Portneuf
, near Quebec City
. He was only twenty-three years old at the time. The Liberals won a landslide majority government
in this election, and Pagé served as a backbench supporter of Robert Bourassa
's administration.
The Liberals lost to the Parti Québécois
in the 1976 provincial election
, although Pagé kept his seat by a reduced margin. After the election, he served as his party's critic for tourism. He supported Raymond Garneau
's unsuccessful bid for the party leadership in 1978.
Pagé fought for the "non" side in Quebec's 1980 referendum on sovereignty and was at the time considered a strong supporter of Canadian federalism
. After the "non" side's victory, he introduced a unsuccessful motion to have the Canadian flag permanently displayed in the national assembly.
He was re-elected again in 1981
and served as chief opposition whip
and caucus chair for the next four years. He was neutral in the Liberal Party's 1983 leadership contest, citing the responsibilities of his office.
In 1981, Pagé alleged that pornographic
videotapes had been made in the legislature using provincial television equipment. An investigation found there was no substance to the charge and that no such tapes were made.
The Liberal Party returned to power under Robert Bourassa
's leadership in the 1985 provincial election
. When Bourassa formed his first cabinet in December 1985, he named Pagé as his minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
. After the 1989 provincial election
, Pagé received additional responsibilities as government house leader
.
Pagé supported the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement
in October 1987, saying that it would not affect Quebec's agricultural programs. The deal later met with opposition from some in the agricultural sector, and Pagé called on the federal government
to ensure that guarantees over import restrictions were included in the final settlement.
Pagé announced changes to Quebec's milk distribution program in 1986, introducing a new program for low-income pregnant mothers and reducing the distribution of free milk to elementary school children from five days per week to three. The Parti Québécois alleged that the latter change would hurt low-income Quebecers, though Pagé disagreed with this conclusion. Following criticism, Pagé agreed to restore free milk on a daily basis. In 1989, he announced that Quebec would become the first jurisdiction to ban dioxins
and furan
s from Quebec milk cartons.
In 1987, Pagé led cabinet in passing an order in council that required margarine
produced in Quebec to be a different colour from butter
. The intent of the legislation was to support dairy production and to make consumers aware of the difference between "a natural product and a synthetic one." Margarine producers strongly opposed the change.
Pagé announced an aid package for Quebec's horse breeding sector in 1987. He later reached an agreement to save the financially troubled Blue Bonnets harness raceway in early 1988.
In 1989, Pagé recommended that cabinet transfer its authority over agricultural rezoning to a quasi-judicial commission. (This followed a controversy over a proposed land sale that would have resulted in financial gain for some prominent donors to the Quebec Liberal Party; Pagé postponed the sale following the revelations.) The Bourassa government imposed a rezoning moratorium and commissioned a task force to find ways of ending speculation on such property.
Pagé supported the Bourassa's government's shift toward Quebec nationalism
after the failure of the Meech Lake Accord
on reforms to the Canadian constitution in June 1990. Among other things, the accord would have recognized Quebec as a "distinct society
" within Canada; after its collapse, Pagé said that Quebec's future would be determined only by Quebecers. He boycotted all but one event at a policy conference for Canada's agriculture ministers later in the year.
Pagé was the acting Public Security minister when the Oka crisis
first broke out in 1990. He has said that he did not authorize the police assault on a Mohawk
barricade that resulted in the death of a Quebec officer. The government later stated that an assistant to regular minister Sam Elkas knew of the raid, but did not inform either Elkas or Pagé.
Education Minister
In 1990, Pagé was transferred from the Agriculture portfolio to Education. He retained his position as government house leader.
Pagé ended Quebec's involvement with a national Canadian task force on education in November 1990, citing the failure of the Meech Lake Accord and noting that education was largely a provincial responsibility. His decision effectively stopped the task force's work. He later opposed a federal literacy and training strategy as an encroachment into the province's jurisdiction.
In May 1991, Pagé rejected a Parti Québécois suggestion to bus non-francophone immigrant students to schools in predominantly francophone neighbourhoods. He considered, but ultimately did not accept, changes to a clause in Quebec's Charter of the French Language
that required all immigrant students to attend French-language schools. In September 1991, he announced a five-year program to reduce Quebec's high dropout rate, added more school days, and provide greater flexibility for the province's education providers.
Pagé announced in May 1991 that several schools in low-income neighbourhoods would serve free breakfasts to students at the start of each day. The following year, he again introduced cutbacks to Quebec's free milk program (after the program was transferred from the Agriculture ministry to Education).
Government House Leader
In May 1991, Pagé blocked an effort by the Equality Party
to have the Canadian flag permanently displayed in the national assembly. He acknowledged that he had introduced an identical motion eleven years earlier, though he said his purpose (like that of the Equality Party) was simply to embarrass the government of the day. As a compromise, the Liberals agreed to bring out the Canadian flag on special occasions.
Pagé oversaw legislation for a provincial referendum in late 1992. The Bourassa government's original intent was to have a vote on Quebec sovereignty, but it later changed the referendum to a vote on the Charlottetown Accord
, a post-Meech Lake effort at constitutional reform. The accord was defeated in Quebec and in a national vote across Canada. Following the vote, Pagé said that Canadians could no longer live happily together and that sovereignty-association could be an interesting concept for Quebec's future. (Several years later, Pagé said that he made these comments in the emotion of the moment and that they were not representative of his beliefs.)
He resigned from cabinet in October 1992 and formally resigned from the legislature a month later.
, from October 1992 until his sudden resignation in August 1994. He announced in March 1993 that the company would post a profit after two years of losses, due in large part to rising lumber prices. He was named as the honorary chairman of Lithos Corp. in October 1995.
He made a guest appearance at a Bloc Québécois
policy convention in 1995, although he said that his intent was to discuss non-partisan issues and that he had not become a Quebec sovereigntist. He later said that he voted against sovereignty in the province's 1995 referendum.
Pagé was appointed as interim president of the educational channel Radio-Quebec on December 17, 1995, following the death of Jean Fortier. His first responsibility was to oversee a restructuring plan that had been approved by the previous leadership, involving several layoffs. In June 1996, he agreed to a program exchange with Radio-Canada.
In March 1998, he was nominated to the board of Searchgold Resources Inc. He led a group of investors in purchasing the Montreal
-based airline firm Inter-Canadien
later in the same year, and he later served as the company's vice-present. Inter-Canadien suspended operations in December 1999 and declared bankruptcy the following year.
Pagé tried to purchase the International Hockey League's Quebec Rafales
in 1998, but was not successful.
Pagé was president of the Commission canadienne du lait in 2001–02. In this capacity, he announced a support price increase for skim milk powder and butter in late December 2001 that was criticized by both producers and consumers. He later promised producers a more significant price increase, but was forced to withdraw this pledge after meeting with opposition from the Canadian government.
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 served in 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...
from 1973 to 1992 as a Liberal and was a cabinet minister in the government of 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...
.
He is not to be confused with another Michel Pagé who has written about the linguistic integration of immigrants in Quebec.
Early life and career
Pagé was born in Saint-Basile, Quebec. He received a Bachelor of LawsBachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
degree from 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...
in 1973, was called to the Quebec Bar in 1974, and practiced law from 1974 to 1985.
Legislator
Pagé was first elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in the 1973 provincial electionQuebec 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...
, defeating one-term Créditiste
Ralliement créditiste du Québec
The Ralliement créditiste du Québec was a provincial political party in Quebec, Canada that operated from 1970 to 1978. It promoted social credit theories of monetary reform, and acted as an outlet for the expression of rural...
incumbent Antoine Drolet
Antoine Drolet
Antoine Drolet was a politician in Quebec, Canada and a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec .-Background:He was born in Donnacona, Quebec on March 26, 1940 and was a Social Credit activist in the 1960s.-Political career:...
in the division of Portneuf
Portneuf (provincial electoral district)
Portneuf is a provincial electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada. Located in the Capitale-Nationale region, the riding was formed in 1829...
, near Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
. He was only twenty-three years old at the time. The Liberals won a landslide majority government
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
in this election, and Pagé served as a backbench supporter of 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...
's administration.
The Liberals lost to 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...
in the 1976 provincial election
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...
, although Pagé kept his seat by a reduced margin. After the election, he served as his party's critic for tourism. He supported Raymond Garneau
Raymond Garneau
Raymond Garneau, OC is a Canadian businessman and politician.-Early life:Born in Plessisville, Quebec , the son of Daniel Garneau and Valérie Gosselin, he received a Master's degree in Commercial Sciences from Université Laval in 1958 and a licence in economics from the University of Geneva in...
's unsuccessful bid for the party leadership in 1978.
Pagé fought for the "non" side in Quebec's 1980 referendum on sovereignty and was at the time considered a strong supporter of Canadian federalism
Canadian federalism
Canada is a federation with two distinct jurisdictions of political authority: the country-wide federal government and the ten regionally-based provincial governments. It also has three territorial governments in the far north, though these are subject to the federal government...
. After the "non" side's victory, he introduced a unsuccessful motion to have the Canadian flag permanently displayed in the national assembly.
He was re-elected again in 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...
and served as chief opposition whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
and caucus chair for the next four years. He was neutral in the Liberal Party's 1983 leadership contest, citing the responsibilities of his office.
In 1981, Pagé alleged that pornographic
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
videotapes had been made in the legislature using provincial television equipment. An investigation found there was no substance to the charge and that no such tapes were made.
Cabinet minister
Agriculture MinisterThe Liberal Party returned to power under 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...
's leadership in the 1985 provincial election
Quebec general election, 1985
The Quebec general election of 1985 was held on December 2, 1985, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Quebec Liberal Party, led by former premier Robert Bourassa, defeated the incumbent Parti Québécois, led by premier Pierre-Marc Johnson.This election...
. When Bourassa formed his first cabinet in December 1985, he named Pagé as his minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Quebec)
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is a government department in the Canadian province of Quebec...
. After the 1989 provincial election
Quebec general election, 1989
The Quebec general election of 1989 was held on September 25, 1989, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada...
, Pagé received additional responsibilities as government house leader
Government House Leader (Quebec)
The Government House Leader is responsible for being leader of the National Assembly of Quebec from the government side....
.
Pagé supported the 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...
in October 1987, saying that it would not affect Quebec's agricultural programs. The deal later met with opposition from some in the agricultural sector, and Pagé called on the federal government
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
to ensure that guarantees over import restrictions were included in the final settlement.
Pagé announced changes to Quebec's milk distribution program in 1986, introducing a new program for low-income pregnant mothers and reducing the distribution of free milk to elementary school children from five days per week to three. The Parti Québécois alleged that the latter change would hurt low-income Quebecers, though Pagé disagreed with this conclusion. Following criticism, Pagé agreed to restore free milk on a daily basis. In 1989, he announced that Quebec would become the first jurisdiction to ban dioxins
Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds
Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds are by-products of various industrial processes, and are commonly regarded as highly toxic compounds that are environmental pollutants and persistent organic pollutants . They include:...
and furan
Furan
Furan is a heterocyclic organic compound, consisting of a five-membered aromatic ring with four carbon atoms and one oxygen. The class of compounds containing such rings are also referred to as furans....
s from Quebec milk cartons.
In 1987, Pagé led cabinet in passing an order in council that required margarine
Margarine
Margarine , as a generic term, can indicate any of a wide range of butter substitutes, typically composed of vegetable oils. In many parts of the world, the market share of margarine and spreads has overtaken that of butter...
produced in Quebec to be a different colour from butter
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
. The intent of the legislation was to support dairy production and to make consumers aware of the difference between "a natural product and a synthetic one." Margarine producers strongly opposed the change.
Pagé announced an aid package for Quebec's horse breeding sector in 1987. He later reached an agreement to save the financially troubled Blue Bonnets harness raceway in early 1988.
In 1989, Pagé recommended that cabinet transfer its authority over agricultural rezoning to a quasi-judicial commission. (This followed a controversy over a proposed land sale that would have resulted in financial gain for some prominent donors to the Quebec Liberal Party; Pagé postponed the sale following the revelations.) The Bourassa government imposed a rezoning moratorium and commissioned a task force to find ways of ending speculation on such property.
Pagé supported the Bourassa's government's shift toward Quebec nationalism
Quebec 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...
after the failure of 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...
on reforms to the Canadian constitution in June 1990. Among other things, the accord would have recognized Quebec as a "distinct society
Distinct society
Distinct society is a political term especially used during constitutional debate in Canada, in the second half of the 1980s and in the early 1990s, and present in the two failed constitutional amendments, the Meech Lake Accord and the Charlottetown Accord...
" within Canada; after its collapse, Pagé said that Quebec's future would be determined only by Quebecers. He boycotted all but one event at a policy conference for Canada's agriculture ministers later in the year.
Pagé was the acting Public Security minister when the Oka crisis
Oka Crisis
The Oka Crisis was a land dispute between a group of Mohawk people and the town of Oka, Quebec, Canada which began on July 11, 1990 and lasted until September 26, 1990. At least one person died as a result...
first broke out in 1990. He has said that he did not authorize the police assault on a Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
barricade that resulted in the death of a Quebec officer. The government later stated that an assistant to regular minister Sam Elkas knew of the raid, but did not inform either Elkas or Pagé.
Education Minister
In 1990, Pagé was transferred from the Agriculture portfolio to Education. He retained his position as government house leader.
Pagé ended Quebec's involvement with a national Canadian task force on education in November 1990, citing the failure of the Meech Lake Accord and noting that education was largely a provincial responsibility. His decision effectively stopped the task force's work. He later opposed a federal literacy and training strategy as an encroachment into the province's jurisdiction.
In May 1991, Pagé rejected a Parti Québécois suggestion to bus non-francophone immigrant students to schools in predominantly francophone neighbourhoods. He considered, but ultimately did not accept, changes to a clause in Quebec'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...
that required all immigrant students to attend French-language schools. In September 1991, he announced a five-year program to reduce Quebec's high dropout rate, added more school days, and provide greater flexibility for the province's education providers.
Pagé announced in May 1991 that several schools in low-income neighbourhoods would serve free breakfasts to students at the start of each day. The following year, he again introduced cutbacks to Quebec's free milk program (after the program was transferred from the Agriculture ministry to Education).
Government House Leader
In May 1991, Pagé blocked an effort by the Equality Party
Equality Party (Quebec)
The Equality Party was a political party in Quebec, Canada, that promoted the use of English in Quebec on an equal basis with French. Four Equality Party members were elected to Quebec's National Assembly in 1989, as part of an anglophone reaction to changes made by the governing Liberals to...
to have the Canadian flag permanently displayed in the national assembly. He acknowledged that he had introduced an identical motion eleven years earlier, though he said his purpose (like that of the Equality Party) was simply to embarrass the government of the day. As a compromise, the Liberals agreed to bring out the Canadian flag on special occasions.
Pagé oversaw legislation for a provincial referendum in late 1992. The Bourassa government's original intent was to have a vote on Quebec sovereignty, but it later changed the referendum to a vote on the Charlottetown Accord
Charlottetown Accord
The Charlottetown Accord was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada, proposed by the Canadian federal and provincial governments in 1992. It was submitted to a public referendum on October 26 of that year, and was defeated.-Background:...
, a post-Meech Lake effort at constitutional reform. The accord was defeated in Quebec and in a national vote across Canada. Following the vote, Pagé said that Canadians could no longer live happily together and that sovereignty-association could be an interesting concept for Quebec's future. (Several years later, Pagé said that he made these comments in the emotion of the moment and that they were not representative of his beliefs.)
He resigned from cabinet in October 1992 and formally resigned from the legislature a month later.
After politics
Pagé was the president and chief executive officer of Donohue Inc., a pulp and newsprint company based in Quebec CityQuebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, from October 1992 until his sudden resignation in August 1994. He announced in March 1993 that the company would post a profit after two years of losses, due in large part to rising lumber prices. He was named as the honorary chairman of Lithos Corp. in October 1995.
He made a guest appearance at a Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
policy convention in 1995, although he said that his intent was to discuss non-partisan issues and that he had not become a Quebec sovereigntist. He later said that he voted against sovereignty in the province's 1995 referendum.
Pagé was appointed as interim president of the educational channel Radio-Quebec on December 17, 1995, following the death of Jean Fortier. His first responsibility was to oversee a restructuring plan that had been approved by the previous leadership, involving several layoffs. In June 1996, he agreed to a program exchange with Radio-Canada.
In March 1998, he was nominated to the board of Searchgold Resources Inc. He led a group of investors in purchasing 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...
-based airline firm Inter-Canadien
Inter-Canadien
Inter-Canadien was a Canadian airline headquartered in Montreal, Quebec.- History :Inter-Canadien traces its roots back to Quebecair, which was founded in 1949. Quebecair grew to become a second tier regional airline, operating BAC One-Eleven jets and Fokker F27 Friendship turboprops on routes...
later in the same year, and he later served as the company's vice-present. Inter-Canadien suspended operations in December 1999 and declared bankruptcy the following year.
Pagé tried to purchase the International Hockey League's Quebec Rafales
Quebec Rafales
The Atlanta Knights were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League from 1992 to 1996. The Knights were based in Atlanta, Georgia, and played at the Omni Coliseum. The team became the Quebec Rafales from 1996 to 1998....
in 1998, but was not successful.
Pagé was president of the Commission canadienne du lait in 2001–02. In this capacity, he announced a support price increase for skim milk powder and butter in late December 2001 that was criticized by both producers and consumers. He later promised producers a more significant price increase, but was forced to withdraw this pledge after meeting with opposition from the Canadian government.
Electoral record
External links
- Biography, National Assembly of Quebec (in French)