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Gérard Pelletier

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Gérard Pelletier
Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations
In office
August 1981 – July 1984
Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau
John Turner
Preceded byMichel Dupuy
Succeeded byStephen Lewis
Canadian Ambassador to France
In office
September 4, 1975 – July 17, 1981
Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau
Joe Clark
Preceded byLéo Cadieux
Succeeded byMichel Dupuy
Minister of Communications
In office
November 27, 1972 – August 28, 1975
Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau
Preceded byRobert Stanbury
Succeeded byPierre Juneau
Acting
May 11, 1971 – August 11, 1971
Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau
Preceded byJean-Pierre Côté (acting)
Succeeded byRobert Stanbury
Secretary of State for Canada
In office
July 6, 1968 – November 26, 1972
Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau
Preceded byJean Marchand
Succeeded byHugh Faulkner
Minister without portfolio
In office
April 20, 1968 – July 5, 1968
Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau
Member of Parliament
for Hochelaga
In office
November 8, 1965 – August 29, 1975
Preceded byRaymond Eudes
Succeeded byJacques Lavoie
Personal details
Born(1919-06-21)June 21, 1919
Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada
DiedJune 22, 1997(1997-06-22) (aged 78)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Political partyLiberal
Spouse
Alexandrine ”Alec” Leduc
(m. 1943)
Children4
Education
Occupation
  • Journalist
  • politician

Gérard Pelletier PC (French: [pɛltje]; June 21, 1919 – June 22, 1997) was a Canadian journalist and politician.[1]

Career

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Pelletier initially worked as a journalist for Le Devoir, a French-language newspaper in Montreal, Quebec. In 1961 he became editor-in-chief of the Montreal daily and North America's largest French circulating newspaper, La Presse. Pelletier, with other French-Canadian intellectuals, Pierre Elliott Trudeau included, founded the journal Cité Libre. First elected to Parliament in 1965, he served as a member of the cabinet of Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

Gérard Pelletier (second from left) in 1941, at the headquarters of the Catholic Student Youth

Pelletier met Trudeau while studying in France and worked with him and Jean Marchand during the Asbestos Strike of 1949 in Quebec. Dubbed the "Three Wise Men" in English and Les trois colombes (The three doves) in French, they entered politics at the same time in the federal election of 1965. The trio was recruited by Liberal prime minister Lester Pearson to help derail the rising Quebec separatist movement.

He served in various cabinet posts in the Trudeau government until 1975 (Secretary of State: 1968–1973, Minister of Communications: 1973–5), when he left the Liberal caucus and became ambassador to France and then ambassador to the United Nations (1981–1984). In 1978 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.

Bibliography

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As author

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  • — (1945). J. E. C. d'aujourd'hui : une étude sur le mouvement. Montreal: Centrale de la Jeunesse étudiante catholique. ISBN 9780458982707. OCLC 465845812.
  • —; Pelletier, Alec (1945). Quartier Nord. (illustrations by Julien Hébert). Montreal: Éditions Fides.
  • — (1950). Histoire des enfants tristes : un reportage sur l'enfance sans soutien dans la province de Québec. Montreal: L'Action nationale. ISBN 9780458982707. OCLC 49083264.
  • — (1962). Le concept d'élasticité chez Marshall et quelques auteurs (Maîtrise). Université Laval.
  • — (1965). Confederation at the crossroads. Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan.
  • — (1971). La crise d'octobre. Montreal: Éditions du Jour. OCLC 299724407.
  • — (1983). Les années d'impatience : 1950-1960. Montreal: Éditions A. Stanké. ISBN 2-76040214-2.
  • — (1983–1992). Souvenirs. Montreal: Éditions A. Stanké. (in three volumes)
  • — (1986). Le temps des choix, 1960-1968. Montreal: Éditions A. Stanké. ISBN 2-76040288-6.
  • — (1992). Aventure du pouvoir, 1968-1975. Montreal: Éditions A. Stanké. ISBN 2-76040422-6.
  • —; Hill, Heather (1995). Le diplomate et l'Africain. Montreal: Éditions A. Stanké. ISBN 2-76040491-9.

Contributions

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Electoral record

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1974 Canadian federal election: Hochelaga
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Gérard Pelletier 10,561 49.86 +5.52
Progressive Conservative Jacques Lavoie 6,435 30.38 +5.91
Social Credit Lucien Mallette 2,258 10.66
New Democratic Roger Hébert 1,461 6.90 -10.92
Independent Jean Poitras 190 0.90
Marxist–Leninist Robert Lévesque 181 0.85
Communist Guy Désautels 95 0.45
Total valid votes 21,181 100.00
lop.parl.ca
1972 Canadian federal election: Hochelaga
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Gérard Pelletier 11,235 44.34 -10.80
Progressive Conservative Jacques Lavoie 6,199 24.47 -1.64
New Democratic Raymond-Gérard Laliberté 4,515 17.82 +5.07
Independent Gérard Contant 2,171 8.57
Independent Jacques Ferron 879 3.47
Independent Françoise Lévesque 338 1.33
Total valid votes 25,337 100.00
1968 Canadian federal election: Hochelaga
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Gérard Pelletier 12,080 55.14 +7.39
Progressive Conservative Michel Gagnon 5,720 26.11 +6.49
New Democratic René Nantel 2,793 12.75 -6.88
Ralliement créditiste Dollard Desormeaux 1,122 5.12 -8.83
Communist Jeannette Walsh 192 0.88
Total valid votes 21,907 100.00
1965 Canadian federal election: Hochelaga
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Gérard Pelletier 11,929 47.76 +1.39
New Democratic Claude Richer 4,902 19.62 +7.61
Progressive Conservative Marius Heppell 4,662 18.66 +4.88
Ralliement créditiste Fernand Bourret 3,486 13.96 -12.73
Total valid votes 24,979 100.00

Note: Ralliement créditiste vote is compared to Social Credit vote in the 1963 election.

References

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  1. ^ "Gérard Pelletier | The Canadian Encyclopedia". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
[edit]
Parliament of Canada
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Hochelaga
1965–1975
Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Canadian Ambassador to France
1975–1981
Succeeded by
Preceded by Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations
1981–1984
Succeeded by