Pierre Paradis
Encyclopedia
Pierre Paradis is a politician
in the Canadian
province of Quebec
. He has represented Brome—Missisquoi
in the National Assembly of Quebec
since 1980 as a member of the Liberal Party. Paradis was a cabinet minister in the governments of Robert Bourassa
and Daniel Johnson, Jr., but has never been included in Jean Charest
's cabinet.
Paradis's brother, Denis Paradis
, is a federal politician who served in the governments of Jean Chrétien
and Paul Martin
. The Paradis brothers are political allies.
in Quebec's Eastern Townships
. He earned a Bachelor of Laws
degree from the University of Ottawa
(1973) and later took graduate studies in bills of exchange and business law at the same institution. He was called to the Quebec Bar in 1975 and worked as a lawyer
before entering politics, specializing in constitutional and administrative cases. At age twenty-seven, he won a case before the Supreme Court of Canada
against proposed limits on egg marketing.
Before joining the Liberal Party, Paradis was a member of the Union Nationale. He was a riding association president in the 1976 provincial election
and later served on the party's provincial executive. He left when he learned that Union Nationale leader Rodrigue Biron
was planning to support the "Oui" side in Quebec's 1980 referendum on sovereignty.
held shortly after the 1980 referendum. He was re-elected in the 1981 general election
. The Parti Québécois
was in government during this period, and Paradis sat as a member of the official opposition.
Paradis was appointed as his party's labour critic in October 1982. He increased his profile in early 1983 by asking rigorous questions of Parti Québécois members during a televised hearing into the role played by Quebec Premier
René Levesque
's office in approving a contentious out-of-court settlement.
There were rumours that Paradis would run for the Progressive Conservative Party
in the 1984 Canadian federal election
, although these ultimately came to nothing.
resigned as Liberal leader after his party's loss in the 1981 provincial election. A leadership convention was scheduled for 1983. Despite having a low public profile, Paradis declared himself a candidate.
Paradis centred his campaign around three principles: "respect for individual rights and freedoms," "the leading role of private enterprise in our economy," and "a firm commitment to [Canadian] federalism
." He also called for the Liberal Party to change its image and identify more with the province's regions. He favoured the sale of some crown corporations and was considered the most right-wing of the leadership candidates. This notwithstanding, he also supported Quebec's universal medicare policy; one newspaper article described him as ideologically closer to Brian Mulroney
than to Ronald Reagan
.
Several reports from the campaign described Paradis as a natural politician with effective organizational skills. One article referred to him as being "from the meat-cleaver school of oratory" with "no shadings of ambiguity."
Robert Bourassa
won the party leadership with seventy-five per cent of delegate support at the convention. Paradis finished a distant second, narrowly ahead of third-place candidate Daniel Johnson Jr. Despite his loss, Paradis won the respect of other Liberals and improved his public standing through the campaign. In November 1983, Bourassa appointed him as the party's social affairs critic.
in the 1985 provincial election
, and Bourassa became premier of Quebec for a second time. There were early rumours that he would appoint Paradis as Minister of Agriculture, but this idea was opposed by the Union des producteurs agricoles
. Instead, Bourassa appointed Paradis as Minister of Labour and Minister of Manpower and Income Security on December 12, 1985.
Social assistance policy
Paradis revived a dormant government policy of sending inspectors to the homes of people receiving social assistance in 1986. He said this would reduce the number of erroneous files and likely save the province sixty-eight million dollars in one year. Critics charged that the inspections would lead to invasions of privacy and intimidation. The Ligue des droits et libertés
and the Quebec Human Rights Commission strongly opposed the practice, and the Quebec Legal Services Commission argued that mandatory visits were unconstitutional. Paradis responded that the Justice Ministry had determined the visits were legal and that a provincial code of ethics would prevent abuses. Following extensive criticism, the city of Montreal
quietly stopped the inspections in January 1988.
Paradis also announced in 1986 that social assistance recipients who owned cottages, boats, second cars, snowmobiles, or houses with more than $50,000 equity would have their rates reduced. While acknowledging that out-of-work adults who had exhausted their unemployment insurance had the right to keep some of their possessions, he added that the government had to set limits on luxury items and that this reform would allow greater payments to the "truly needy."
In late 1987, Paradis introduced further reforms that increased payments for those unfit to work, provided financial assistance to low-paid parents of young children, introduced a tax credit allowing welfare recipients to take minor jobs without jeopardizing their payments, and ended a policy of paying older recipients more than younger recipients. The reforms also required that able-bodied recipients take training, do community work, or accept minor, low-paid jobs; failure to do any of these would result in payment cuts. Paradis argued that the new policy would allow more recipients to enter the workforce; critics argued it would provide a supply of cheap labour for Quebec businesses. A Globe and Mail summary noted that the bill had both progressive and conservative elements.
Construction sector
Paradis introduced legislation in 1986 to create the Commission de la construction du Québec
(CCQ) to oversee Quebec's construction sector. The commission was overseen by representatives from labour, management, and the government and was mandated to issue certificates based on competency. Access to the construction trade had previously been determined by work experience, and Paradis said the new system would provide opportunities for younger workers.
Other
Paradis initiated a back-to-work order in March 1986 that ended a strike of 4,200 blue-collar workers in Montreal
. The strike affected garbage collection and road repair, and Paradis argued it had created a safety concern; he also charged that the union neglected its responsibility to provide essential services. In June of the same year, he introduced emergency legislation to end a one-day strike of 100,000 construction workers across the province. In 1987, Paradis led cabinet in suspending the right to strike of maintenance workers in Montreal Transit.
Paradis increased the provincial minimum wage from four dollars to $4.75 per hour between 1986 and 1988. He worked to prevent layoffs at the Steinberg grocery chain in 1988.
. Following a complex dispute over municipal development, four opposition councillors decided to boycott council meetings and deny quorum. Paradis said in April 1989 that the situation had "sufficiently exhausted the patience of government," although he resisted calls to impose trusteeship before a key municipal by-election.
In July 1989, Paradis initiated legislation that saved the city of Montreal
from paying $228 million in business tax refunds. A Quebec Superior Court
decision earlier in the year had struck down parts of a municipal taxation bylaw; this decision prompted a flood of lawsuits, and Paradis reluctantly intervened to protect city's credit rating.
and was promoted to Minister of the Environment in October 1989. When Daniel Johnson succeeded Bourassa in January 1994, he changed Paradis's title to minister of the Environment and Wildlife. He also served as the Government House Leader
from 1992 to 1994.
Ministry reforms
At the time of Paradis's appointment, the Quebec environment ministry was known for being disorganized and bureaucratic. In November 1989, he introduced restructuring changes directed toward fighting industrial pollution. The most notable change was the appointment of a deputy minister for sustainable development, charged with ensuring that new industrial projects would be environmentally sound. The following year, Paradis expressed disappointment that his department received only fifteen million dollars for restructuring rather than the expected fifty million.
Great Whale River project
As Environment Minister, Paradis was responsible for overseeing Quebec's environmental assessment of the proposed Great Whale River project
. As such, he became involved in separate but overlapping controversies with one of his cabinet colleagues, the government of Canada
, and the Cree
of northern Quebec.
Paradis and provincial Energy Minister
Lise Bacon
engaged in a public dispute over Great Whale's schedule in 1990. Bacon wanted a two-stage environmental assessment that would allow access roads and airports to be constructed as quickly as possible. Paradis initially agreed, but he later called for a single comprehensive assessment when the Cree warned that a two-stage process would violate a prior agreement. He also stressed that Great Whale could be shut down if it was found to be environmentally unsound, while Bacon argued that it was necessary for Quebec's energy needs. The government ultimately approved the two-stage approach over Paradis's objections.
Paradis also opposed the federal government's bid to conduct an independent environmental assessment, on the grounds that Great Whale was within Quebec's jurisdiction. He reached an agreement with federal Environment Minister
Robert de Cotret
in January 1991 to conduct a shared review of the project's dams, but not of its roads and other infrastructure. This agreement later fell through due to differences between the parties. De Cotret's successor, Jean Charest
, tried to establish a single, comprehensive assessment involving both levels of government; although Paradis still supported the idea of a single assessment, he opposed what he described as Charest's encroachment into the provincial domain.
The Cree of northern Quebec opposed the Great Whale project on the grounds that it would cause massive flooding in their traditional territories. Under Matthew Coon Come
's leadership, the Cree used lawsuits and an international publicity campaign to draw attention to their concerns. Paradis expressed support for their position, although he criticized tactical decisions made by the Cree leadership.
The Bourassa government curtailed its development plans in August 1991, and Paradis announced that construction would not begin until a thorough environmental review had taken place. The following month, the Federal Court of Appeal ruled that the federal government was legally bound to undertake a comprehensive study of the project's effects on the environment and indigenous communities, and that it therefore had final authority over the project. The court also ruled that the federal and provincial governments could not undertake a joint review without agreement from the Cree and Inuit
. The Great Whale project was ultimately cancelled by the Quebec government 1994.
Federal–provincial relations
In 1989, Paradis and Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley successfully pressured the federal government to increase standards for motor vehicle emissions. Paradis and Bradley also worked to harmonize their respective environmental laws, to ensure that companies would not be able to leave one province for the other to avoid regulation.
The Parliament of Canada
passed a law in 1992 to increase federal oversight of projects such as dams and paper mills. Paradis described the law as "totalitarian," arguing that it encroached on Quebec's jurisdiction. The bill was not proclaimed into law until late 1994, by which time the Quebec Liberal Party was out of office.
In early 1994, Paradis reached an agreement with new federal Environment Minister Sheila Copps
for a six-year program to clean up the Great Lakes
and Saint Lawrence River
. In the same year, the Quebec Environment Ministry was given sole responsibility for enforcing pulp and paper environmental regulations.
Other environmental concerns
In October 1991, Paradis approved a gas processing and storage project by Soligaz in Varennes
. The initial provincial review recommended that the project be rejected due to safety concerns, although two subsequent reviews called for the government to approve it.
Paradis ordered the closure of a Tioxide plant in Tracy, Quebec in 1992, saying that the company had repeatedly broken its promise to improve environmental standards. The plant had long been regarded as one of Quebec's worst polluters. The company initially challenged the ruling, but shut down part of the operation in 1993.
A Montreal Gazette report in late 1991 noted that Paradis had "injected new vigor into the enforcement of anti-pollution laws" but added that he had not succeeding in making the environment a priority of the Bourassa government.
Canadian federalism
As a vocal supporter of Canadian federalism
, Paradis had little involvement in the Bourassa government's turn to Quebec nationalism
after the failure of the Meech Lake Accord
. He opposed the nationalist Allaire Report
and promoted changes to Quebec's Charter of the French Language
to permit an increased use of languages other than French on public signs. In 1994, however, Paradis said that his party would need to reach out to Quebec nationalists for the "Non" side to win the next referendum on sovereignty.
Paradis chose not to run for the Liberal Party leadership when Robert Bourassa resigned for health reasons in 1993. Daniel Johnson won the leadership without opposition.
. Paradis, who was re-elected in his own riding without difficulty, served as opposition house leader after the election.
He campaigned for the "non" side in the 1995 Quebec referendum on soverignty. Shortly before election day, he warned that Quebecers would vote for sovereignty unless the federal government and other provincial premiers gave the province "a signal" that Quebecers could expect favourable changes in a united Canada. After a last-minute rally, the federalist side won a narrow victory.
Paradis initially supported Daniel Johnson against challenges to his leadership in early 1997. Relations between the two men later became tense, however, and Paradis did not support Johnson against similar challenges in 1998.
When Johnson announced his resignation in March 1998, Paradis was again rumoured as a possible leadership candidate. He was known in this period as a strong parliamentary tactician whose fiscal conservative
still put him on the right wing of the party. Some questioned whether he had the public profile to lead his party to victory. In the buildup to a possible leadership contest, Paradis criticized the federal government's Millennium Fund and a new program for the elderly as encroachments on Quebec's jurisdiction. He ultimately decided not to seek the leadership, and Jean Charest
was chosen as Liberal leader without opposition. Charest kept Paradis as the party's house leader.
The Liberals were again defeated in the 1998 provincial election
, despite winning a plurality of the popular vote. Paradis remained as opposition house leader for the next five years, and it was expected that he would be included in cabinet if and when his party returned to power.
. When Charest announced his first cabinet, there was general surprise that Paradis was excluded. When asked about the decision, Charest said that he wanted to highlight a new tone and a change of generation.
Paradis said that his exclusion marked a shift in the Liberal Party from the values of Robert Bourassa and Claude Ryan to a more right-wing approach. Despite his own right-wing background, Paradis was by this period regarded as a moderate who supported a role for the state in Quebec life and opposed Charest's labour policies and funding cuts.
In the months that followed, Paradis speculated about quitting provincial politics. He considered running as a Liberal
for Saint-Jean
in the next federal election
and there were rumours that he would be appointed as a judge. He eventually chose to take his seat on the government backbenches in November 2003. In 2006, he voted against Charest's decision to sell part of the Mont Orford
provincial park
to private interests.
The Liberals were reduced to a minority government
in the 2007 provincial election
, and Paradis was re-elected by the narrowest margin of his career against a candidate from the upstart Action démocratique du Québec
party. There was some speculation that he would be returned to cabinet, but this did not occur. He considered running for speaker
of the assembly in 2008, but he declined after meeting with opposition from others in his party. He instead supported Yvon Vallières
for the position.
Paradis was returned again by an increased margin in the 2008 election as the Liberals returned to a majority government. As before, he was excluded from Charest's cabinet.
incumbent Gabrielle Bertrand
in the 1988 federal election
. He later aligned with the federal Liberal Party
and was rumoured as a candidate for a 1995 by-election
in Brome—Missisquoi
. After deciding not to run, he supported his brother Denis Paradis
for the position. Denis Paradis won the election and was later a cabinet minister in the governments of Jean Chrétien
and Paul Martin
.
Source: Margot Gibb-Clark, "Bourassa team had thought of everything," Globe and Mail, 17 October 1983, p. 8.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in the Canadian
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 has represented Brome—Missisquoi
Brome-Missisquoi (provincial electoral district)
Brome-Missisquoi is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The riding was created in 1973 from Brome and parts of Missisquoi and Shefford...
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...
since 1980 as a member of the Liberal Party. Paradis was a cabinet minister in the governments 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...
and Daniel Johnson, Jr., but has never been included in Jean Charest
Jean Charest
John James "Jean" Charest, PC, MNA is a Canadian politician who has been the 29th Premier of Quebec since 2003. He was leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998 and has been leader of the Quebec Liberal Party since 1998....
's cabinet.
Paradis's brother, Denis Paradis
Denis Paradis
Denis Paradis, PC is a politician and lawyer from the Canadian province of Quebec. He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1995 to 2006 and was a minister in the governments of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin...
, is a federal politician who served in the governments of Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
and Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
. The Paradis brothers are political allies.
Early life and career
Paradis was born in BedfordBedford, Quebec
Bedford is a town located in the Montérégie region of southern Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 2,612. This small community is just a half hour's drive from larger cities such as Burlington and Montreal, and is the home to southern Quebec's largest boy scout troop.-...
in Quebec's Eastern Townships
Eastern Townships
The Eastern Townships is a tourist region and a former administrative region in south-eastern Quebec, lying between the former seigneuries south of the Saint Lawrence River and the United States border. Its northern boundary roughly followed Logan's Line, the geologic boundary between the flat,...
. He earned a Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor 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 the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
(1973) and later took graduate studies in bills of exchange and business law at the same institution. He was called to the Quebec Bar in 1975 and worked as a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
before entering politics, specializing in constitutional and administrative cases. At age twenty-seven, he won a case before the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
against proposed limits on egg marketing.
Before joining the Liberal Party, Paradis was a member of the Union Nationale. He was a riding association president 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...
and later served on the party's provincial executive. He left when he learned that Union Nationale leader Rodrigue Biron
Rodrigue Biron
Rodrigue Biron is a politician in Quebec, Canada. He was leader of the Union Nationale political party from 1976 to 1980, when he joined the Parti Québécois.-Background:...
was planning to support the "Oui" side in Quebec's 1980 referendum on sovereignty.
Member of the legislature
Paradis was elected to the National Assembly in a by-electionBy-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held shortly after the 1980 referendum. He was re-elected in the 1981 general election
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...
. 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...
was in government during this period, and Paradis sat as a member of the official opposition.
Paradis was appointed as his party's labour critic in October 1982. He increased his profile in early 1983 by asking rigorous questions of Parti Québécois members during a televised hearing into the role played by 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....
René Levesque
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 office in approving a contentious out-of-court settlement.
There were rumours that Paradis would run for the Progressive Conservative Party
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....
in the 1984 Canadian federal 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...
, although these ultimately came to nothing.
Leadership candidate
Claude RyanClaude Ryan
Claude Ryan, was a Canadian politician and leader of the Parti libéral du Québec from 1978 to 1982. He was also the National Assembly of Quebec member for Argenteuil from 1979 to 1994.-Early life and career:...
resigned as Liberal leader after his party's loss in the 1981 provincial election. A leadership convention was scheduled for 1983. Despite having a low public profile, Paradis declared himself a candidate.
Paradis centred his campaign around three principles: "respect for individual rights and freedoms," "the leading role of private enterprise in our economy," and "a firm commitment to [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...
." He also called for the Liberal Party to change its image and identify more with the province's regions. He favoured the sale of some crown corporations and was considered the most right-wing of the leadership candidates. This notwithstanding, he also supported Quebec's universal medicare policy; one newspaper article described him as ideologically closer to 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...
than to Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
.
Several reports from the campaign described Paradis as a natural politician with effective organizational skills. One article referred to him as being "from the meat-cleaver school of oratory" with "no shadings of ambiguity."
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...
won the party leadership with seventy-five per cent of delegate support at the convention. Paradis finished a distant second, narrowly ahead of third-place candidate Daniel Johnson Jr. Despite his loss, Paradis won the respect of other Liberals and improved his public standing through the campaign. In November 1983, Bourassa appointed him as the party's social affairs critic.
Minister of Labour, Manpower and Income Security
The Liberals won a majority governmentMajority 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 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...
, and Bourassa became premier of Quebec for a second time. There were early rumours that he would appoint Paradis as Minister of Agriculture, but this idea was opposed by the Union des producteurs agricoles
Union des producteurs agricoles
The Union des producteurs agricoles is an agricultural trade union representing producers in the Canadian province of Quebec. Originally a Catholic union called the Union catholique des cultivateurs , it shed its denominational character as a result of the Quiet Revolution and has existed in its...
. Instead, Bourassa appointed Paradis as Minister of Labour and Minister of Manpower and Income Security on December 12, 1985.
Social assistance policy
Paradis revived a dormant government policy of sending inspectors to the homes of people receiving social assistance in 1986. He said this would reduce the number of erroneous files and likely save the province sixty-eight million dollars in one year. Critics charged that the inspections would lead to invasions of privacy and intimidation. The Ligue des droits et libertés
Ligue des droits et libertés
The Ligue des droits et libertés is a not-for-profit human rights organization based in the Canadian province of Quebec. It was founded in 1963 by Pierre Trudeau and Jacques Hébert, both of whom later became national political figures...
and the Quebec Human Rights Commission strongly opposed the practice, and the Quebec Legal Services Commission argued that mandatory visits were unconstitutional. Paradis responded that the Justice Ministry had determined the visits were legal and that a provincial code of ethics would prevent abuses. Following extensive criticism, the city of 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...
quietly stopped the inspections in January 1988.
Paradis also announced in 1986 that social assistance recipients who owned cottages, boats, second cars, snowmobiles, or houses with more than $50,000 equity would have their rates reduced. While acknowledging that out-of-work adults who had exhausted their unemployment insurance had the right to keep some of their possessions, he added that the government had to set limits on luxury items and that this reform would allow greater payments to the "truly needy."
In late 1987, Paradis introduced further reforms that increased payments for those unfit to work, provided financial assistance to low-paid parents of young children, introduced a tax credit allowing welfare recipients to take minor jobs without jeopardizing their payments, and ended a policy of paying older recipients more than younger recipients. The reforms also required that able-bodied recipients take training, do community work, or accept minor, low-paid jobs; failure to do any of these would result in payment cuts. Paradis argued that the new policy would allow more recipients to enter the workforce; critics argued it would provide a supply of cheap labour for Quebec businesses. A Globe and Mail summary noted that the bill had both progressive and conservative elements.
Construction sector
Paradis introduced legislation in 1986 to create the Commission de la construction du Québec
Commission de la construction du Québec
The Commission de la construction du Québec is a regulatory agency in the Canadian province of Quebec, overseeing the construction industry...
(CCQ) to oversee Quebec's construction sector. The commission was overseen by representatives from labour, management, and the government and was mandated to issue certificates based on competency. Access to the construction trade had previously been determined by work experience, and Paradis said the new system would provide opportunities for younger workers.
Other
Paradis initiated a back-to-work order in March 1986 that ended a strike of 4,200 blue-collar workers in 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...
. The strike affected garbage collection and road repair, and Paradis argued it had created a safety concern; he also charged that the union neglected its responsibility to provide essential services. In June of the same year, he introduced emergency legislation to end a one-day strike of 100,000 construction workers across the province. In 1987, Paradis led cabinet in suspending the right to strike of maintenance workers in Montreal Transit.
Paradis increased the provincial minimum wage from four dollars to $4.75 per hour between 1986 and 1988. He worked to prevent layoffs at the Steinberg grocery chain in 1988.
Minister of Municipal Affairs
Paradis was appointed as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Minister responsible for Housing in July 1988. In this capacity, he oversaw the province's response to unusual developments in the city of Saint-LaurentSaint-Laurent, Quebec
Saint-Laurent is a former city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is now the largest in area of the boroughs of the city of Montreal....
. Following a complex dispute over municipal development, four opposition councillors decided to boycott council meetings and deny quorum. Paradis said in April 1989 that the situation had "sufficiently exhausted the patience of government," although he resisted calls to impose trusteeship before a key municipal by-election.
In July 1989, Paradis initiated legislation that saved the city of 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...
from paying $228 million in business tax refunds. A Quebec Superior Court
Quebec Superior Court
Quebec Superior Court is the highest trial Court in the Province of Quebec, Canada. It consists of 144 judges who are appointed by the federal government.Chief Justices : [partial listing]* Edward Bowen...
decision earlier in the year had struck down parts of a municipal taxation bylaw; this decision prompted a flood of lawsuits, and Paradis reluctantly intervened to protect city's credit rating.
Minister of the Environment
Paradis was re-elected in the 1989 provincial electionQuebec 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...
and was promoted to Minister of the Environment in October 1989. When Daniel Johnson succeeded Bourassa in January 1994, he changed Paradis's title to minister of the Environment and Wildlife. He also served as the 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....
from 1992 to 1994.
Ministry reforms
At the time of Paradis's appointment, the Quebec environment ministry was known for being disorganized and bureaucratic. In November 1989, he introduced restructuring changes directed toward fighting industrial pollution. The most notable change was the appointment of a deputy minister for sustainable development, charged with ensuring that new industrial projects would be environmentally sound. The following year, Paradis expressed disappointment that his department received only fifteen million dollars for restructuring rather than the expected fifty million.
Great Whale River project
As Environment Minister, Paradis was responsible for overseeing Quebec's environmental assessment of the proposed Great Whale River project
James Bay Project
The James Bay Project is a series of hydroelectric development with a combined installed capacity of over 16,000 megawatts built since 1974 for Hydro-Québec by the on the La Grande and other rivers of Northern Quebec....
. As such, he became involved in separate but overlapping controversies with one of his cabinet colleagues, the government of Canada
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...
, and the Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
of northern Quebec.
Paradis and provincial Energy Minister
Minister of Energy and Resources (Quebec)
The Minister of Energy and Resources is a former government ministry in the Canadian province of Quebec.The ministry was discontinued in 1994, when Daniel Johnson became premier of Quebec. The last minister to hold the position was Lise Bacon....
Lise Bacon
Lise Bacon
Lise Bacon, is a Canadian Liberal politician. She was appointed Senator, representing the area of De la Durantaye, Quebec, by Governor General Ray Hnatyshyn on September 14, 1994...
engaged in a public dispute over Great Whale's schedule in 1990. Bacon wanted a two-stage environmental assessment that would allow access roads and airports to be constructed as quickly as possible. Paradis initially agreed, but he later called for a single comprehensive assessment when the Cree warned that a two-stage process would violate a prior agreement. He also stressed that Great Whale could be shut down if it was found to be environmentally unsound, while Bacon argued that it was necessary for Quebec's energy needs. The government ultimately approved the two-stage approach over Paradis's objections.
Paradis also opposed the federal government's bid to conduct an independent environmental assessment, on the grounds that Great Whale was within Quebec's jurisdiction. He reached an agreement with federal Environment Minister
Minister of the Environment (Canada)
The Minister of the Environment is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's environment department, Environment Canada...
Robert de Cotret
Robert de Cotret
Robert René de Cotret, PC was a Canadian politician.Robert de Cotret was an economist and corporate executive before being elected to the Canadian House of Commons in a 1978 by-election...
in January 1991 to conduct a shared review of the project's dams, but not of its roads and other infrastructure. This agreement later fell through due to differences between the parties. De Cotret's successor, Jean Charest
Jean Charest
John James "Jean" Charest, PC, MNA is a Canadian politician who has been the 29th Premier of Quebec since 2003. He was leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998 and has been leader of the Quebec Liberal Party since 1998....
, tried to establish a single, comprehensive assessment involving both levels of government; although Paradis still supported the idea of a single assessment, he opposed what he described as Charest's encroachment into the provincial domain.
The Cree of northern Quebec opposed the Great Whale project on the grounds that it would cause massive flooding in their traditional territories. Under Matthew Coon Come
Matthew Coon Come
Matthew Coon Come is a Canadian politician and activist of Cree descent. He was National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations from 2000 to 2003.Born near Mistissini, Quebec, Coon Come was first educated in a residential school...
's leadership, the Cree used lawsuits and an international publicity campaign to draw attention to their concerns. Paradis expressed support for their position, although he criticized tactical decisions made by the Cree leadership.
The Bourassa government curtailed its development plans in August 1991, and Paradis announced that construction would not begin until a thorough environmental review had taken place. The following month, the Federal Court of Appeal ruled that the federal government was legally bound to undertake a comprehensive study of the project's effects on the environment and indigenous communities, and that it therefore had final authority over the project. The court also ruled that the federal and provincial governments could not undertake a joint review without agreement from the Cree and Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
. The Great Whale project was ultimately cancelled by the Quebec government 1994.
Federal–provincial relations
In 1989, Paradis and Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley successfully pressured the federal government to increase standards for motor vehicle emissions. Paradis and Bradley also worked to harmonize their respective environmental laws, to ensure that companies would not be able to leave one province for the other to avoid regulation.
The Parliament of Canada
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
passed a law in 1992 to increase federal oversight of projects such as dams and paper mills. Paradis described the law as "totalitarian," arguing that it encroached on Quebec's jurisdiction. The bill was not proclaimed into law until late 1994, by which time the Quebec Liberal Party was out of office.
In early 1994, Paradis reached an agreement with new federal Environment Minister Sheila Copps
Sheila Copps
Sheila Maureen Copps, PC is a former Canadian politician who also served as Deputy Prime Minister of Canada from November 4, 1993 to April 30, 1996 and June 19, 1996 to June 11, 1997....
for a six-year program to clean up the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
and Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
. In the same year, the Quebec Environment Ministry was given sole responsibility for enforcing pulp and paper environmental regulations.
Other environmental concerns
In October 1991, Paradis approved a gas processing and storage project by Soligaz in Varennes
Varennes, Quebec
Varennes is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River in the Regional County Municipality of Lajemmerais. The city is approximately 15 miles from Downtown Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 20,950...
. The initial provincial review recommended that the project be rejected due to safety concerns, although two subsequent reviews called for the government to approve it.
Paradis ordered the closure of a Tioxide plant in Tracy, Quebec in 1992, saying that the company had repeatedly broken its promise to improve environmental standards. The plant had long been regarded as one of Quebec's worst polluters. The company initially challenged the ruling, but shut down part of the operation in 1993.
A Montreal Gazette report in late 1991 noted that Paradis had "injected new vigor into the enforcement of anti-pollution laws" but added that he had not succeeding in making the environment a priority of the Bourassa government.
Canadian federalism
As a vocal 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...
, Paradis had little involvement in the Bourassa government's turn to 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...
. He opposed the nationalist Allaire Report
Allaire Report
The Allaire Report was a report written by the constitutional reform committee of the Liberal Party of Quebec, chaired by lawyer and politician Jean Allaire, recommending a significant transfer of powers from Canada's federal government to the Government of Quebec...
and promoted changes to 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...
to permit an increased use of languages other than French on public signs. In 1994, however, Paradis said that his party would need to reach out to Quebec nationalists for the "Non" side to win the next referendum on sovereignty.
Paradis chose not to run for the Liberal Party leadership when Robert Bourassa resigned for health reasons in 1993. Daniel Johnson won the leadership without opposition.
House Leader of the Official Opposition
The Parti Québécois defeated the Liberals in the 1994 provincial electionQuebec general election, 1994
The Quebec general election of 1994 was held on September 12, 1994, to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The Parti Québécois, led by Jacques Parizeau, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Daniel Johnson, Jr.....
. Paradis, who was re-elected in his own riding without difficulty, served as opposition house leader after the election.
He campaigned for the "non" side in the 1995 Quebec referendum on soverignty. Shortly before election day, he warned that Quebecers would vote for sovereignty unless the federal government and other provincial premiers gave the province "a signal" that Quebecers could expect favourable changes in a united Canada. After a last-minute rally, the federalist side won a narrow victory.
Paradis initially supported Daniel Johnson against challenges to his leadership in early 1997. Relations between the two men later became tense, however, and Paradis did not support Johnson against similar challenges in 1998.
When Johnson announced his resignation in March 1998, Paradis was again rumoured as a possible leadership candidate. He was known in this period as a strong parliamentary tactician whose fiscal conservative
Fiscal conservatism
Fiscal conservatism is a political term used to describe a fiscal policy that advocates avoiding deficit spending. Fiscal conservatives often consider reduction of overall government spending and national debt as well as ensuring balanced budget of paramount importance...
still put him on the right wing of the party. Some questioned whether he had the public profile to lead his party to victory. In the buildup to a possible leadership contest, Paradis criticized the federal government's Millennium Fund and a new program for the elderly as encroachments on Quebec's jurisdiction. He ultimately decided not to seek the leadership, and Jean Charest
Jean Charest
John James "Jean" Charest, PC, MNA is a Canadian politician who has been the 29th Premier of Quebec since 2003. He was leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998 and has been leader of the Quebec Liberal Party since 1998....
was chosen as Liberal leader without opposition. Charest kept Paradis as the party's house leader.
The Liberals were again defeated in the 1998 provincial election
Quebec general election, 1998
The Quebec general election of 1998 was held on November 30, 1998, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Parti Québécois, led by Lucien Bouchard, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Charest.After the narrow defeat of...
, despite winning a plurality of the popular vote. Paradis remained as opposition house leader for the next five years, and it was expected that he would be included in cabinet if and when his party returned to power.
Government backbencher
The Liberals won a majority government under Charest's leadership in the 2003 provincial electionQuebec general election, 2003
The Quebec general election of 2003 was held on April 14, 2003, to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec . The Parti libéral du Québec , led by Jean Charest, defeated the incumbent Parti Québécois, led by Bernard Landry.-Unfolding:...
. When Charest announced his first cabinet, there was general surprise that Paradis was excluded. When asked about the decision, Charest said that he wanted to highlight a new tone and a change of generation.
Paradis said that his exclusion marked a shift in the Liberal Party from the values of Robert Bourassa and Claude Ryan to a more right-wing approach. Despite his own right-wing background, Paradis was by this period regarded as a moderate who supported a role for the state in Quebec life and opposed Charest's labour policies and funding cuts.
In the months that followed, Paradis speculated about quitting provincial politics. He considered running as a Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
for Saint-Jean
Saint-Jean (electoral district)
Saint-Jean is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968.-Geography:The riding extends along the Richelieu River southeast of Montreal, in the Quebec region of Montérégie...
in the next federal election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
and there were rumours that he would be appointed as a judge. He eventually chose to take his seat on the government backbenches in November 2003. In 2006, he voted against Charest's decision to sell part of the Mont Orford
Mont Orford
Mount Orford is a mountain, ski resort and provincial park in the Eastern Townships region of the Canadian province of Quebec, Canada. It is a few minutes away from the town of Magog and one hour from Montreal....
provincial park
Provincial park
A provincial park is a park under the management of a provincial or territorial government in Canada.While provincial parks are not the same as national parks, their workings are very similar...
to private interests.
The Liberals were reduced to a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
in the 2007 provincial election
Quebec general election, 2007
The Quebec general election of 2007 was held in the Canadian province of Quebec on March 26, 2007 to elect members of the 38th National Assembly of Quebec. The Quebec Liberal Party led by Jean Charest managed to win a plurality of seats, but were reduced to a minority government, Quebec's first in...
, and Paradis was re-elected by the narrowest margin of his career against a candidate from the upstart Action démocratique du Québec
Action démocratique du Québec
The Action démocratique du Québec, commonly referred to as the ADQ is a centre-right political party in Quebec, Canada. On the sovereignty question, it defines itself as autonomist, and has support from both soft nationalists and federalists....
party. There was some speculation that he would be returned to cabinet, but this did not occur. He considered running for speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the assembly in 2008, but he declined after meeting with opposition from others in his party. He instead supported Yvon Vallières
Yvon Vallières
Yvon Vallières is a Quebec politician and teacher. He is the current Member of National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Richmond in the Estrie region. Formerly the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from 2003 to 2007, he is the current Chair of the Government Caucus...
for the position.
Paradis was returned again by an increased margin in the 2008 election as the Liberals returned to a majority government. As before, he was excluded from Charest's cabinet.
Federal politics
Paradis's local organization supported Progressive ConservativeProgressive 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....
incumbent Gabrielle Bertrand
Gabrielle Bertrand
Gabrielle Bertrand was a Canadian politician.Born Gabrielle Giroux in Sweetsburg, Quebec, the daughter of Louis-Arthur Giroux and Juliette Bolduc, she married Jean-Jacques Bertrand in 1944, the future Union Nationale Premier of Quebec from 1968 to 1970...
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 later aligned with the federal Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
and was rumoured as a candidate for a 1995 by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in Brome—Missisquoi
Brome—Missisquoi
Brome—Missisquoi is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1925...
. After deciding not to run, he supported his brother Denis Paradis
Denis Paradis
Denis Paradis, PC is a politician and lawyer from the Canadian province of Quebec. He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1995 to 2006 and was a minister in the governments of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin...
for the position. Denis Paradis won the election and was later a cabinet minister in the governments of Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
and Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
.
Electoral record
Leadership contests| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Quebec Liberal Party leadership convention | ||
| October 16, 1983 | ||
| First Ballot | ||
| 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... |
2,138 | 75.44 |
| Pierre Paradis Pierre Paradis Pierre Paradis is a politician in the Canadian province of Quebec. He has represented Brome—Missisquoi in the National Assembly of Quebec since 1980 as a member of the Liberal Party... |
353 | 12.46 |
| Daniel Johnson | 343 | 12.10 |
| Total valid votes | 2,834 | 100.00 |
Source: Margot Gibb-Clark, "Bourassa team had thought of everything," Globe and Mail, 17 October 1983, p. 8.