Serge Marcil
Encyclopedia
Serge Marcil, PC
(January 20, 1944 – January 12, 2010) was an educator, administrator and politician in Quebec
, Canada
.
After studying to be a teacher in Montreal
, Marcil obtained work at various secondary schools as an administrator. He also served on his local city council in the early 1980s before entering the Quebec National Assembly as a Liberal Member of the National Assembly (MNA) in the 1985 Quebec provincial election
in the riding of Beauharnois
. He was re-elected in 1989
, and became parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Labour in the Bourassa
government. In 1994, he joined the provincial cabinet
of Daniel Johnson as Minister of Employment, but both he and the Liberal government were defeated in the 1994 provincial election
.
Marcil entered federal politics by defeating Bloc Québécois
(BQ) Member of Parliament
(MP) Daniel Turp
in the riding of Beauharnois—Salaberry
in the 2000 federal election
. The Liberal
MP became parliamentary secretary
to the Minister of Industry
in 2002. When Paul Martin
succeeded Jean Chrétien
as Prime Minister of Canada
in 2003, he appointed Marcil to the position of parliamentary secretary to the Minister of the Environment
with special emphasis on parks. He was also appointed to the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
when Martin decided that parliamentary secretaries should be members of that body.
Marcil ran for re-election in the 2004 general election
but was defeated by Alain Boire
of the BQ.
Marcil was killed in the earthquake in Haiti
on January 12, 2010. He had just arrived in Port-au-Prince
on a business trip for his current employer, the Montreal engineering firm Groupe SM International. On January 23, his wife confirmed that Marcil's body had been found in the rubble of the Hôtel Montana
. He had died instantly, on the fifth floor of the hotel.
Marcil's funeral was held on January 29 at Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec
.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
(January 20, 1944 – January 12, 2010) was an educator, administrator and politician in 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....
, 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...
.
After studying to be a teacher 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...
, Marcil obtained work at various secondary schools as an administrator. He also served on his local city council in the early 1980s before entering the Quebec National Assembly as a Liberal Member of the National Assembly (MNA) in the 1985 Quebec 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...
in the riding of Beauharnois
Beauharnois (provincial electoral district)
Beauharnois is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The riding was created in 2001 from parts of Beauharnois-Huntingdon, Châteauguay and Salaberry-Soulanges. The Beauharnois riding also existed from 1867 to 1989...
. He was re-elected in 1989
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...
, and became parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Labour in the 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...
government. In 1994, he joined the provincial cabinet
Executive Council of Quebec
The Executive Council of Quebec is the cabinet of the government of Quebec, Canada....
of Daniel Johnson as Minister of Employment, but both he and the Liberal government were defeated in the 1994 provincial election
Quebec 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.....
.
Marcil entered federal politics by defeating 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...
(BQ) Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) Daniel Turp
Daniel Turp
Daniel Turp is a politician in Quebec, Canada. He has served as a Bloc Québécois Member of Parliament and as a Parti Québécois member of the Quebec National Assembly .- Biography :...
in the riding of Beauharnois—Salaberry
Beauharnois—Salaberry
Beauharnois—Salaberry is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1949.-Geography:...
in the 2000 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2000
The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons of the 37th Parliament of Canada....
. The 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...
MP became parliamentary secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to the Minister of Industry
Minister of Industry (Canada)
The Minister of Industry is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's economic development and corporate affairs department, Industry Canada. The Minister of Industry is also the minister responsible for Statistics Canada...
in 2002. When 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....
succeeded 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....
as Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
in 2003, he appointed Marcil to the position of parliamentary secretary to the Minister of the Environment
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...
with special emphasis on parks. He was also appointed to the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
when Martin decided that parliamentary secretaries should be members of that body.
Marcil ran for re-election in the 2004 general 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...
but was defeated by Alain Boire
Alain Boire
Alain Boire is a Quebec politician.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Boire was a Bloc Québécois member of the Canadian House of Commons. He represented the district of Beauharnois—Salaberry from 2004-2006. He was the Bloc critic of Youth. He is a former businessman, electrician and technician. He lost his...
of the BQ.
Marcil was killed in the earthquake in Haiti
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
on January 12, 2010. He had just arrived in Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
on a business trip for his current employer, the Montreal engineering firm Groupe SM International. On January 23, his wife confirmed that Marcil's body had been found in the rubble of the Hôtel Montana
Hôtel Montana
The Hôtel Montana was a hotel in the Pétionville suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Built in 1946, the hotel was a popular four star tourist resort until the main building collapsed along with most buildings in the city during the 2010 Haiti earthquake...
. He had died instantly, on the fifth floor of the hotel.
Marcil's funeral was held on January 29 at Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, 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....
.