Paul Sauvé
Encyclopedia
Joseph-Mignault-Paul Sauvé (March 24, 1907 – January 2, 1960) was a Quebec
lawyer, World War II
veteran and politician. He was the first Quebec Premier
to be born in the 20th century.
, Quebec, Canada
to journalist and parliamentarian Arthur Sauvé
and Marie-Louise Lachaîne. By 1923, his family moved to Saint-Eustache
and he began his studies at the Séminaire de Ste-Thérèse and transferred to the Collège Sainte-Marie de Montréal where he graduated in 1927. Sauvé would go on to study law at the Université de Montréal, being called to the bar
on July 8, 1930.
Arthur Sauvé, his father, had been leader of the Conservative party during the Premiership of Liberal Louis-Alexandre Taschereau
and left the provincial politics when elected to the Canadian Parliament in 1930 and became Postmaster General
in the R. B. Bennett
government. Paul Sauvé then ran as a Conservative for his father's former riding of the comté des Deux-Montagnes
in the Quebec legislature
in 1930, to become to the youngest elected member at the age of 23. He would be defeated in the 1935 election
but re-elected in 1936
. He was then elected as Speaker
to become, at the age of 29, the youngest person elected to that position.
When Canada entered the Second World War in 1939, Paul Sauvé reported to Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal
, the regiment to which he belonged as a reserve officer, and served overseas in the Canadian military for the duration of the Second World War, taking part in the Normandy landings. In 1945, he returned from Europe and resumed his official duties with the Quebec government. In 1946, he became the Minister of the newly created Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth.
Sauvé succeeded Maurice Duplessis
as leader of the Union Nationale and Premier of Quebec
following his death on September 7, 1959 (while retaining the Social Welfare and Youth portfolio). Sauvé would shortly die in office on January 2, 1960 in Saint-Eustache
of a heart attack after having served as Premier for only 112 days.
Sauvé is viewed as having upheld his convictions and had not succumbed to fear of demotion by "The Chief
" (Duplessis). Some say that he stood alone in a cabinet of "yes men".
When he became Premier, he announced radical changes in the ways Quebec would run. His resolve was conveyed in the motto he adopted: "Désormais" (from now on). During those "hundred days", Sauvé undertook a wide-ranging review of issues facing the Quebec government, including many that had been ignored during the Maurice Duplessis
era.
As educational reform was seen as a means to social change and national development, Sauvé begun negotiations to recover the money Ottawa set aside for higher education, while government grants would increase towards educational institutions, no longer distributed at the government's discretion.
Regarding Canadian federalism
, the Sauvé provincial government considered that federal grants to universities encroached an area reserved exclusively for the provinces under the British North America Act, 1867 (since renamed the Constitution Act, 1867
). Demands were also made in respect that the provincial university education tax be deductible.
The Sauvé government also wanted to undertake an indepth study of the federal legislation regarding the federal hospital insurance system and the means for adapting it for Québec.
He died prematurely in office on New Year's Day (1960), leaving the Union Nationale
government in disarray and regarded by many as likely 'founder' of the Quiet Revolution
.
Paul Sauvé Arena
in Montreal was named after him, and was used by the Parti Québécois
for their election night rally in 1976 where they celebrated victory in the provincial election.
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....
lawyer, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran and politician. He was the first Quebec 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....
to be born in the 20th century.
Life
Sauvé was born in Saint-BenoitMirabel, Quebec
Mirabel is a city in Quebec, Canada. It is an off-island suburb north-west of Montreal.Mirabel is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality and census division of Quebec, coextensive with the city of Mirabel. Its geographical code is 74.Mirabel's population was...
, Quebec, 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...
to journalist and parliamentarian Arthur Sauvé
Arthur Sauvé
Arthur Sauvé, PC was born in Saint-Hermas .The Legislative Assembly of Quebec member for Deux-Montagnes from 1908 to 1930, he was leader of the Quebec Conservative Party but never premier...
and Marie-Louise Lachaîne. By 1923, his family moved to Saint-Eustache
Saint-Eustache
Saint-Eustache may refer to:* Eustace of Luxeuil, monk* Saint Eustace , a legendary Christian martyr who allegedly lived in the 2nd century AD* Saint-Eustache, Quebec, a city in western Quebec, Canada...
and he began his studies at the Séminaire de Ste-Thérèse and transferred to the Collège Sainte-Marie de Montréal where he graduated in 1927. Sauvé would go on to study law at the Université de Montréal, being called to the bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
on July 8, 1930.
Arthur Sauvé, his father, had been leader of the Conservative party during the Premiership of Liberal Louis-Alexandre Taschereau
Louis-Alexandre Taschereau
Louis-Alexandre Taschereau was a the 14th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from 1920 to 1936. He was elected four times, the first in 1900, in the riding of Montmorency. He was also a member of the Parti libéral du Québec...
and left the provincial politics when elected to the Canadian Parliament in 1930 and became Postmaster General
Postmaster General of Canada
The Postmaster General of Canada was the Canadian cabinet minister responsible for the Post Office Department . In 1851, management of the post office was transferred from Britain to the provincial governments of the Province of Canada, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward...
in the R. B. Bennett
R. B. Bennett, 1st Viscount Bennett
Richard Bedford Bennett, 1st Viscount Bennett, PC, KC was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He served as the 11th Prime Minister of Canada from August 7, 1930, to October 23, 1935, during the worst of the Great Depression years...
government. Paul Sauvé then ran as a Conservative for his father's former riding of the comté des Deux-Montagnes
Deux-Montagnes Regional County Municipality, Quebec
Deux-Montagnes is a regional county municipality in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is located immediately north of Laval on the north shore of the Rivière des Mille-Îles and on the north shore of the Lake of Two Mountains. The Regional County Municipality seat is Deux-Montagnes...
in the Quebec 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...
in 1930, to become to the youngest elected member at the age of 23. He would be defeated in the 1935 election
Quebec general election, 1935
The Quebec general election of 1935 was held on November 25, 1935 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada...
but re-elected in 1936
Quebec general election, 1936
The Quebec general election of 1936 was held on August 17, 1936 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Union Nationale, led by Maurice Duplessis, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Adélard Godbout.This marked the end of slightly more...
. He was then elected as Speaker
President of the National Assembly of Quebec
The President of the National Assembly of Quebec is the presiding officer of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada, which is modeled after the Westminster parliamentary system...
to become, at the age of 29, the youngest person elected to that position.
When Canada entered the Second World War in 1939, Paul Sauvé reported to Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal
Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal
Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal is one of the oldest surviving units of the historical regiments of the Canadian army. It celebrated its regimental centenary in 1969. The unit was created on November 5, 1869...
, the regiment to which he belonged as a reserve officer, and served overseas in the Canadian military for the duration of the Second World War, taking part in the Normandy landings. In 1945, he returned from Europe and resumed his official duties with the Quebec government. In 1946, he became the Minister of the newly created Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth.
Sauvé succeeded Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis served as the 16th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from 1936 to 1939 and 1944 to 1959. A founder and leader of the highly conservative Union Nationale party, he rose to power after exposing the misconduct and patronage of Liberal Premier Louis-Alexandre...
as leader of the Union Nationale and Premier of Quebec
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....
following his death on September 7, 1959 (while retaining the Social Welfare and Youth portfolio). Sauvé would shortly die in office on January 2, 1960 in Saint-Eustache
Saint-Eustache, Quebec
Saint-Eustache is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in western Quebec, Canada, west of Montreal on the north shore of the Rivière des Mille-Îles....
of a heart attack after having served as Premier for only 112 days.
Achievements
In 1936, he married Luce Pelland, with whom he had three children: Luce-Paule (1937), Pierre (1938) and Ginette (1944).Sauvé is viewed as having upheld his convictions and had not succumbed to fear of demotion by "The Chief
Nicknames of politicians and personalities in Quebec
A custom of Quebecers is to give nicknames to their politicians , quite especially their Premiers. Many of those given to Premiers are affectionate or even express admiration, while others are insulting.-Nicknames of Quebec Premiers:...
" (Duplessis). Some say that he stood alone in a cabinet of "yes men".
When he became Premier, he announced radical changes in the ways Quebec would run. His resolve was conveyed in the motto he adopted: "Désormais" (from now on). During those "hundred days", Sauvé undertook a wide-ranging review of issues facing the Quebec government, including many that had been ignored during the Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis served as the 16th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from 1936 to 1939 and 1944 to 1959. A founder and leader of the highly conservative Union Nationale party, he rose to power after exposing the misconduct and patronage of Liberal Premier Louis-Alexandre...
era.
As educational reform was seen as a means to social change and national development, Sauvé begun negotiations to recover the money Ottawa set aside for higher education, while government grants would increase towards educational institutions, no longer distributed at the government's discretion.
Regarding 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...
, the Sauvé provincial government considered that federal grants to universities encroached an area reserved exclusively for the provinces under the British North America Act, 1867 (since renamed the Constitution Act, 1867
Constitution Act, 1867
The Constitution Act, 1867 , is a major part of Canada's Constitution. The Act created a federal dominion and defines much of the operation of the Government of Canada, including its federal structure, the House of Commons, the Senate, the justice system, and the taxation system...
). Demands were also made in respect that the provincial university education tax be deductible.
The Sauvé government also wanted to undertake an indepth study of the federal legislation regarding the federal hospital insurance system and the means for adapting it for Québec.
He died prematurely in office on New Year's Day (1960), leaving the Union Nationale
Union Nationale
Union Nationale may refer to several political parties:*Union nationale , Canada*Union Nationale Rwandaise*National Union , Union nationale in French*Chadian National Union, Union Nationale Tchadienne, known as UNT...
government in disarray and regarded by many as likely 'founder' of the Quiet Revolution
Quiet Revolution
The Quiet Revolution was the 1960s period of intense change in Quebec, Canada, characterized by the rapid and effective secularization of society, the creation of a welfare state and a re-alignment of politics into federalist and separatist factions...
.
Paul Sauvé Arena
Paul Sauvé Arena
The Paul Sauvé Arena was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, specifically in Rosemont. It had a capacity of 4,000. It was built in 1960 and demolished in 1996. The arena was named after Paul Sauvé , a Quebec Premier with the Union Nationale.The arena hosted some of the most important...
in Montreal was named after him, and was used by 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...
for their election night rally in 1976 where they celebrated victory in the provincial election.
See also
- Politics of QuebecPolitics of QuebecThe politics of Quebec are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces, namely a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The capital of the province is Quebec City, where the Lieutenant Governor, Premier, the legislature, and cabinet reside.The...
- List of Quebec general elections
- Timeline of Quebec historyTimeline of Quebec historyThis article presents a detailed timeline of Quebec history. Events taking place outside Quebec, for example in English Canada, the United States, Britain or France, may be included when they are considered to have had a significant impact on Quebec's history....