Pierre Paradis

Pierre Paradis (born 16 July 1950) is a politician in the Canadian province of Quebec. He represented Brome-Missisquoi in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1980 to 2018. A member of the Liberal Party, he served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Robert Bourassa, Daniel Johnson, Jr. and Philippe Couillard.

Pierre Paradis
Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Brome-Missisquoi
In office 17 November 1980 – 29 August 2018
Preceded by	Armand Russell
Succeeded by	Isabelle Charest
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
In office 23 April 2014 – 26 January 2017
Preceded by	François Gendron
Succeeded by	Laurent Lessard
Minister of the Environment Styled as Minister of the Environment and Wilderness in 1994.
In office 1989–1994
Preceded by	Lise Bacon
Succeeded by	Jacques Brassard
Government House Leader
In office 1992–1994
Preceded by	Michel Pagé
Succeeded by	Guy Chevrette
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Minister responsible for Housing
In office 1988–1989
Preceded by	André Bourbeau
Succeeded by	Yvon Picotte
Minister of Labour
In office 1985–1988
Preceded by	Raynald Fréchette
Succeeded by	Yves Séguin
Minister of Manpower and Income Security
In office 1985–1988
Preceded by	Pauline Marois
Succeeded by	André Bourbeau
Personal details
Born	(1950-07-16) 16 July 1950 Bedford, Quebec
Political party	Quebec Liberal Party
Profession	politician, lawyer

Paradis's brother, Denis Paradis, is a federal politician who served in the governments of Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin and Justin Trudeau. The Paradis brothers are political allies.[1]

Early life and career

Paradis was born in Bedford 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.[2] 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.[3]

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.[4] 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.[3]

Member of the legislature

Paradis was elected to the National Assembly in a by-election held shortly after the 1980 referendum.[5] 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.[6] 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 Lévesque's office in approving a contentious out-of-court settlement.[7]

There were rumours that Paradis would run for the Progressive Conservative Party in the 1984 Canadian federal election, although these ultimately came to nothing.[8]

Leadership candidate

Claude Ryan 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."[9] He also called for the Liberal Party to change its image and identify more with the province's regions.[10] He favoured the sale of some crown corporations and was considered the most right-wing of the leadership candidates.[11] 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.[3]

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."[12]

Robert Bourassa won the 1983 Quebec Liberal Party leadership election 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.[13] In November 1983, Bourassa appointed him as the party's social affairs critic.[14]

In government, 1985–1994

Minister of Labour, Manpower and Income Security

The Liberals won a majority government 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.[15] Instead, Bourassa appointed Paradis as Minister of Labour and Minister of Manpower and Income Security on 12 December 1985.[16]

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.[17] Critics charged that the inspections would lead to invasions of privacy and intimidation.[18] 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.[19] Paradis responded that the Justice Ministry had determined the visits were legal and that a provincial code of ethics would prevent abuses.[20] Following extensive criticism, the city of Montreal quietly stopped the inspections in January 1988.[21]

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."[22]

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 The Globe and Mail summary noted that the bill had both progressive and conservative elements.[23]

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.[24]

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.[25] In June of the same year, he introduced emergency legislation to end a one-day strike of 100,000 construction workers across the province.[26] In 1987, Paradis led cabinet in suspending the right to strike of maintenance workers in Montreal Transit.[27]

Paradis increased the provincial minimum wage from four dollars to $4.75 per hour between 1986 and 1988.[28] He worked to prevent layoffs at the Steinberg grocery chain in 1988.[29]

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-Laurent. 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.[30]

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.[31]

Minister of the Environment

Paradis was re-elected in the 1989 provincial election 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.[32] 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.[33] 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.[34] The following year, Paradis expressed disappointment that his department received only fifteen million dollars for restructuring rather than the expected fifty million.[35]

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.[36] The government ultimately approved the two-stage approach over Paradis's objections.[37]

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.[38] 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.[39] This agreement later fell through due to differences between the parties.[40] 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.[41]

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.[42]

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.[43] 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.[44] The court also ruled that the federal and provincial governments could not undertake a joint review without agreement from the Cree and Inuit.[45] The Great Whale project was ultimately cancelled by the Quebec government 1994.[46]

Federal–provincial relations

In 1989, Paradis and Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley successfully pressured the federal government to increase standards for motor vehicle emissions.[47] 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.[48]

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.[49] The bill was not proclaimed into law until late 1994, by which time the Quebec Liberal Party was out of office.[50]

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.[51] In the same year, the Quebec Environment Ministry was given sole responsibility for enforcing pulp and paper environmental regulations.[52]

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.[53]

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.[54] The company initially challenged the ruling, but shut down part of the operation in 1993.[55]

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.[56]

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.[57] 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.[58] 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.[59]

Paradis chose not to run for the Liberal Party leadership when Robert Bourassa resigned for health reasons in 1993.[60] Daniel Johnson won the leadership without opposition.[61]

House Leader of the Official Opposition

The Parti Québécois defeated the Liberals in the 1994 provincial election. 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 sovereignty. 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.[62] 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.[63] Relations between the two men later became tense, however, and Paradis did not support Johnson against similar challenges in 1998.[64]

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.[65] 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.[66] He ultimately decided not to seek the leadership, and Jean Charest was chosen as Liberal leader without opposition.[67] Charest kept Paradis as the party's house leader.[64]

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.[68]

Government backbencher

The Liberals won a majority government under Charest's leadership in the 2003 provincial election. When Charest announced his first cabinet, there was general surprise that Paradis was excluded.[69] 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.[70]

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.[71] He eventually chose to take his seat on the government backbenches in November 2003.[72] In 2006, he voted against Charest's decision to sell part of the Mont Orford provincial park to private interests.[73]

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.[74] 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.[75]

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.[76] He remained a government backbencher until the Liberals were defeated in the 2012 election, although Paradis was comfortably re-elected in Brome-Missisquoi.

In government, 2014–2017

The Liberals returned to office in the 2014 election under new leader Philippe Couillard. Paradis was sworn in as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Minister responsible for the Eastern Townships on 23 April 2014.[77] This marked his return to cabinet after a 20-year absence.[78] He held the latter post until 28 January 2016.

On 26 January 2017, Paradis stepped down as Minister of Agriculture due to a concussion after a riding accident. The next day he was removed from caucus after Premier Philippe Couillard received a letter from a complainant alleging that Paradis had engaged in sexual harassment. On 19 June 2017, Paradis was cleared of any charges by the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP).[79] He was invited back to the Liberal caucus on 16 August 2018.[80]

Federal politics

Paradis's local organization supported Progressive Conservative incumbent Gabrielle Bertrand in the 1988 federal election.[81] He later aligned with the federal Liberal Party and was rumoured as a candidate for a 1995 by-election in Brome—Missisquoi (the federal electoral district of the same name).[82] After deciding not to run, he supported his brother Denis Paradis for the position.[83] Denis Paradis won the election and was later a cabinet minister in the governments of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin.

Electoral record

2014 Quebec general election: Brome-Missisquoi
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Pierre Paradis	18,103	44.50	+11.48
	Coalition Avenir Québec	François Lemay	11,349	27.90	-4.40
	Parti Québécois	René Beauregard	8,281	20.35	-5.11
	Québec solidaire	Benoit Van Caloen	2,751	6.76	+2.12
	Option nationale	Nicolas Pépin	199	0.49	-0.68
Total valid votes			40,683	98.49
Total rejected ballots			623	1.51
Turnout			41,306	73.13
Eligible Voters			56,480	–

2012 Quebec general election: Brome-Missisquoi
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Pierre Paradis	13,841	33.02	−16.22
	Coalition Avenir Québec	Benoit Legault	13,538	32.30	+15.65
	Parti Québécois	Richard Leclerc	10,670	25.46	−1.86
	Québec solidaire	Benoit Van Caloen	1,944	4.64	+1.74
	Green	Louise Martineau	724	1.73	−1.59
	Option nationale	Patrick Melchior	490	1.17	–
	Conservative	Jacques Pipon	253	0.60	–
	Coalition pour la constituante	Dominique Favreau	184	0.44	–
	Independent	Jean-Pierre Dufault	141	0.34	–
	Independent	Gilles Alarie	127	0.30	–
Total valid votes			41,912	99.00	–
Total rejected ballots			425	1.00	–
Turnout			42,337	76.55	+16.16
Electors on the lists			55,304	–	–

2008 Quebec general election: Brome-Missisquoi
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Pierre Paradis	15,006	49.24	+9.39
	Parti Québécois	Richard Leclerc	8,325	27.32	+6.98
	Action démocratique	Mario Charpentier	5,073	16.65	−14.88
	Green	Louise Martineau	1,012	3.32	−2.07
	Québec solidaire	Diane Cormier	884	2.90	–
	Independent	Jacques-Antoine Normandin	173	0.57	–
Total valid votes			30,473	100.00%
Total rejected ballots			480	1.55%
Turnout			30,953	60.39	−11.49
Eligible voters			51,255
Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec.

2007 Quebec general election: Brome-Missisquoi
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Pierre Paradis	14,182	39.85	−15.79
	Action démocratique	Jean L'Écuyer	11,221	31.53	+13.48
	Parti Québécois	Richard Leclerc	7,238	20.34	−3.94
	Green	Vanessa Thibodeau	1,917	5.39	–
	Québec solidaire	Lorraine Lasnier	1,032	2.90	+1.37
Total valid votes			35,590	100.00%
Total rejected ballots			298	0.83%
Turnout			35,888	71.88	+1.44
Eligible voters			49,928
Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec.

2003 Quebec general election: Brome-Missisquoi
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Pierre Paradis	18,546	55.64	-1.53
	Parti Québécois	Lina Le Blanc	8,093	24.28	-6.59
	Action démocratique	Pierre Plante	6,018	18.05	+6.70
	UFP	Simon Gnocchini	509	1.53	–
	Equality	Lionel Albert	167	0.50	–
Total valid votes			33,333	98.67
Rejected and declined votes			448	1.33
Turnout			33,781	70.44
Electors on the lists			47,955
Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec.

1998 Quebec general election: Brome-Missisquoi
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Pierre Paradis	18,127	57.17	−3.95
	Parti Québécois	Raôul Duguay	9,789	30.87	+1.07
	Action démocratique	Eric Larivière	3,599	11.35	+4.58
	Natural Law	Jean-Charles Rouleau	194	0.61	−0.30
Total valid votes			31,709	100.00%
Total rejected ballots			258	0.82%
Turnout			31,967	80.56	-3.51
Eligible voters			39,680
Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec.

1994 Quebec general election: Brome-Missisquoi
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Pierre Paradis	18,402	61.12	+6.94
	Parti Québécois	Marie-Paul Bourassa-Marois	8,972	29.80	+4.77
	Action démocratique	Benoit Trudeau	2,037	6.77	–
	Equality	Ross K. Ladd	423	1.40	−9.66
	Natural Law	Jean Cérigo	274	0.91	–
Total valid votes			30,108	98.51
Rejected and declined votes			456	1.49
Turnout			30,564	84.07	+8.15
Electors on the lists			36,354
Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec.

1989 Quebec general election: Brome-Missisquoi
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Pierre Paradis	13,502	54.18	-14.65
	Parti Québécois	Daniel Lavoie	6,238	25.03	-1.90
	Unity	Graham Neil	2,756	11.06	–
	Independent	Heather Keith-Ryan	1,936	7.77	–
	Parti 51	Jean-Guy Péloquin	269	1.08	–
	Independent	Robin Lawrance	137	0.55	–
	Commonwealth of Canada	Maurice Boisclair	84	0.34	–
Total valid votes			24,922	98.01
Total rejected ballots			507	1.99
Turnout			25,429	75.92
Eligible Voters			33,496
Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec.

1985 Quebec general election: Brome-Missisquoi
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Pierre Paradis	16,500	68.83	+6.26
	Parti Québécois	Wilfrid Laroche	6,456	26.93	−4.71
	New Democratic	Ron Marchand	880	3.67	–
	Christian Socialist	André Paré	136	0.57	–
Total valid votes			23,972	100.00%
Total rejected ballots			216	0.89%
Turnout			24,188	74.47	−6.85
Eligible voters			32,479
Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec.

1981 Quebec general election: Brome-Missisquoi
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Pierre Paradis	15,832	62.57	+0.12
	Parti Québécois	Marie Harvey	8,005	31.63	+3.57
	Union Nationale	Jean-Guy Péloquin	1,178	4.66	-4.32
	Freedom of Choice	Blair McIntosh	289	1.14	–
Total valid votes			25,304	100.00%
Total rejected ballots			168	0.66%
Turnout			25,472	81.32	+13.03
Eligible voters			31,325
Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec.

Template:Quebec provincial by-election, 17 November 1980/Brome-Missisquoi

Leadership Contests

First Ballot

Quebec Liberal Party leadership convention, 16 October 1983
Candidate Name	Votes	Percentage
Robert Bourassa	2,138	75.44%
Pierre Paradis	353	12.46%
Daniel Johnson Jr.	343	12.10%
Total votes cast	2,834	100.0%

[84]

References

1. This point is not as self-evident as it may seem. Some prominent Quebec siblings, including Daniel Johnson and Pierre-Marc Johnson, have been political rivals.
2. "Biography". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). National Assembly of Quebec.
3. Margot Gibb-Clark, "Paradis behind but not quitting", The Globe and Mail, 24 September 1983, p. 14.
4. "Liberal sweep likely in Monday's four Quebec by-elections", The Globe and Mail, 15 November 1980, p. 4; Margot Gibb-Clark, "Bourassa tries comeback, joins Quebec Liberal race", The Globe and Mail, 20 August 1983, p. 12.
5. He won the Liberal Party nomination over Rosaire Raymond, who served as the mayor of Cowansville from 1975 to 1983 and has owned several transportation companies. See Jennifer Robinson, "Down-to-earth Paradis wows Bourassa", Montreal Gazette, 28 March 1987, B4. For information on Raymond, see Paul Delean, "Wheels of fortune: Trucker's three daughters play a key role in firm's success", Montreal Gazette, 26 April 1999, F1, and Les entités municipales: Cowansville, Généalogie Québec. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
6. "Quebec Liberals shuffle critics", The Globe and Mail, 6 October 1982, p. 9.
7. Margot Gibb-Clark, "Levesque won't seek Liberal leadership", 21 July 1983, p. 11. The settlement produced a mini-scandal known in the local press as "Hydrogate".
8. Lawrence Martin, "Quebec seat for Mulroney in next election, Tories say", The Globe and Mail, 13 January 1984, p. 8; "'French power' in PM's Cabinet is Quebec aim", The Globe and Mail, 6 July 1984, p. 8.
9. Joyce Napier, "Paradis seeks to lead Liberals in Quebec", The Globe and Mail, 10 August 1983, p. 10.
10. Margot Gibb-Clark, "Experience, youth seen as choices in Quebec contest", The Globe and Mail, 5 September 1983, p. 1.
11. Margot Gibb-Clark, "Bourassa tries comeback, joins Quebec Liberal race", 16 August 1983, p. 1; Margot Gibb-Clark, "Voter majority seen tonight Bourassa leadership win close", The Globe and Mail, 13 September 1983, p. 19.
12. Margot Gibb-Clark, "Bourassa tries comeback, joins Quebec Liberal race", The Globe and Mail, 20 August 1983, p. 12. Gibb-Clark quoted the "meat-cleaver school" line from another, unnamed journalist.
13. Victor Maralek, "Losers got no second chance in vote", The Globe and Mail, 17 October 1983, p. 19.
14. "Bourassa keeping 2 leadership rivals in shadow cabinet", The Globe and Mail, 15 November 1983, N4.
15. Graham Fraser, "Bourassa likely to pick former justice minister for finance portfolio", The Globe and Mail, 12 December 1985, A4.
16. "Quebec Cabinet is sworn in", The Globe and Mail, 13 December 1985, A10.
17. "Welfare recipients to be checked", The Globe and Mail, 19 May 1986, A5.
18. Bertrand Marotte, "Quebec inspectors seek welfare fraud", The Globe and Mail, 13 June 1986, A8. The inspectors were nicknamed the Bou-bou Macoutes, a reference to both François Duvalier's notorious Tonton Macoutes and a diminutive nickname for Robert Bourassa.
19. "Welfare inspections 'unconstitutional,' commission says", The Globe and Mail, 16 June 1986, A5; Francois Shalom, "Quebec groups denounce province's 'welfare-police' tactics", The Globe and Mail, 18 June 1986, N5.
20. Bertrand Marotte, "Welfare's home visits criticized", The Globe and Mail, 26 June 1986, A9.
21. Sarah Scott, "Welfare officials rein in the 'bou-bou macoutes'", Montreal Gazette, 9 July 1988, B6.
22. Robert McKenzie, "Welfare cut for Quebecers with cottages, boats", Toronto Star, 30 May 1986, A3.
23. Benoit Aubin, "Quebec introduces sweeping reform of welfare program", The Globe and Mail, 11 December 1987, A13; Lise Bissonnette, "Paradis is determined to make welfare work", The Globe and Mail, 19 December 1987, D2.
24. Robert McKenzie, "Quebec plans to overhaul construction industry", Toronto Star, 13 November 1986, A3. Some objected that the new regulations would allow more out-of-province workers to access the market, although Paradis denied this.
25. "Quebec set to halt Montreal strike", Toronto Star, 14 March 1986, A8; Graham Fraser, "Montreal outside workers are ordered to end strike", The Globe and Mail, 19 March 1986, A8.
26. "Quebec construction at a standstill", The Globe and Mail, 17 June 1986, A11.
27. "Transit workers lose strike right", The Globe and Mail, 4 May 1987, A5.
28. "Minimum wage in Quebec to rise to $4.75 an hour", The Globe and Mail, 3 June 1988, B4.
29. "Quebec puts conditions on aid to curtail layoffs at Steinberg", Toronto Star, 11 June 1988, SA2; Harvey Enchin, "Steinberg and union still seek a consensus", The Globe and Mail, 18 June 1988, B3. The chain was Quebec's third-largest employer.
30. Andre Picard, "Bizarre standoff leaves City of St. Laurent without government", The Globe and Mail, 27 April 1989, A20.
31. Andre Picard, "Quebec bill absolves Montreal from paying business tax refunds", The Globe and Mail, 4 July 1989, B4. Technically, the change was enacted through a Private Member's Bill. In reality, Paradis authorized the legislation.
32. "Leaner look for cabinet", The Globe and Mail, 12 January 1994, A4.
33. Philip Authier, "Paradis pulls on his green jeans; Environment minister finds closet full of horrors in his new portfolio", Montreal Gazette, 23 December 1989, B4; Graeme Hamilton, "For Pierre Paradis, 1990 has been the year of living environmentally", Montreal Gazette, 27 October 1990, A5.
34. Andre Picard, "Shakeup to gear Quebec ministry for attack on industrial pollution", The Globe and Mail, 25 November 1989, N18.
35. "Won't leave the cabinet, Paradis says", The Globe and Mail, 2 May 1990, N9.
36. Philip Authier, "Bacon challenges Paradis on his James Bay reversal", Montreal Gazette, 21 September 1990, A1; Barrie McKenna, "Ministers at odds over James Bay project", The Globe and Mail, 26 September 1990, B6; Rhéal Séguin, "James Bay warning issue Battle likely in Quebec cabinet", The Globe and Mail, 11 October 1990, A6; Robert McKenzie, "James Bay plan in jeopardy, ministers say", Toronto Star, 11 October 1990, A14; Eloise Morin, "Even $1 billion wouldn't save hydro project, Cree insist", Toronto Star, 8 November 1990, A3.
37. Barrie McKenna, "Great Whale may be killed by delays, supporters say", The Globe and Mail, 12 April 1991, B3.
38. William Walker, "Reassassing impact of megaprojects", Toronto Star, 22 April 1990, B4.
39. Dennis Bueckert, "Agreement set on review of hydro project", Kitchener-Waterloo Record, 8 January 1991, A10.
40. Andre Picard, "Three named to review panel on power project Academics to examine full impact of Great Whale development", The Globe and Mail, 16 August 1991, A4.
41. Kevin Dougherty, "New James Bay Snag?", Financial Post, 23 May 1991, p. 44; Andre Picard, "Hearings ordered on power project", The Globe and Mail, 11 July 1991, A1.
42. Patricia Poirier, "Crees seek to halt Quebec project", The Globe and Mail, 26 October 1990, A7; Eloise Morin, "Even $1 billion wouldn't save hydro project, Cree insist", Toronto Star, 8 November 1990, A3; Andre Picard, "Great Whale lawsuits to continue, Crees say", 23 August 1991, A4; Rhéal Séguin, "Quebec proceeds gingerly in dealing with Cree unrest", The Globe and Mail, 27 June 1991, N4.
43. "Great Whale project on hold Environmental review planned", The Globe and Mail, 22 August 1991, A5; Andre Picard, "Great Whale lawsuits to continue, Crees say", The Globe and Mail, 23 August 1991, A4.
44. Robert McKenzie, "Quebec, Ottawa may both appeal hydro dam ruling", Toronto Star, 12 September 1991, A15.
45. Rhéal Séguin and Andre Picard, "Quebec gives in to Great Whale review", The Globe and Mail, 3 October 1991, A4.
46. Charles Trueheart, "Quebec Turns Off Giant Hydroelectric Project", Washington Post, 20 November 1994, A34.
47. David Israelson, "Observers gasp at toughness of exhaust rules", Toronto Star, 29 October 1989, B4.
48. Andre Picard, "Quebec, Ontario agree to unify pollution laws", The Globe and Mail, 25 November 1989, B3.
49. Rhéal Séguin, "Ottawa being totalitarian, Quebec says", The Globe and Mail, 18 March 1992, A4; Geoffrey York, "Quebec enraged by bill's approval", The Globe and Mail, 20 March 1992, A6.
50. Rhéal Séguin, "Action on environment bill renews PQ fire on Ottawa", The Globe and Mail, 7 October 1994, A5.
51. "Ottawa to kick in $150M for Lakes, river cleanup", Financial Post, 19 April 1994, p. 59.
52. "Enforcement transferred", The Globe and Mail, 7 May 1994, B2.
53. "Paradis backs Soligaz", The Globe and Mail, 12 October 1991, B2; "Quebec sees Soligaz project as revitalization of industry", Toronto Star, 21 October 1991, B4.
54. Andre Picard, "Plant to shut down for ignoring clean-up orders", The Globe and Mail, 30 May 1992, A6.
55. Barrie McKenna, "St. Lawrence's worst polluter closing part of Quebec plant", 2 February 1993, B7.
56. "Paradis suffers a blow", Montreal Gazette, 30 December 1991, B2.
57. Robert McKenzie, "Quebec cabinet looks united as federalist ministers lie low", Toronto Star, 31 January 1991, A11.
58. David Olive, "Independence movement ruled by limo separatists who still want the income to shop on Rue Sherbooke", The Globe and Mail, 16 February 1991, D4; "Darts and Laurels", Toronto Star, 23 February 1991, D2; Eloise Morin, "Canada must woo Quebec top Bourassa aide says", Toronto Star, 27 March 1991, A1; Rhéal Séguin, "Cabinet ministers back away from official Liberal platform", The Globe and Mail, 28 May 1992, A9; Daniel Sanger, "Environmental law approved by Senate 'Judicial warfare' promised in Quebec", Hamilton Spectator, 2 January 1993, A12; "Quebec plans end to 15-year ban on English signs", Reuters News, 6 May 1993.
59. Rhéal Séguin and John Gray, "Parizeau pleads for civil debate", The Globe and Mail, 15 September 1994, A1.
60. Rhéal Séguin, "Johnson backers try to place him in front", The Globe and Mail, 23 September 1993, A4. Before Bourassa's resignation, a report in the Montreal Gazette indicated that Paradis was popular in the countryside but not in urban centres and that party insiders regarded his management style as erratic. See Sarah Scott, "Liberals eye Pierre Marc Johnson as leader", Montreal Gazette, 29 May 1993, A1.
61. Rhéal Séguin, "Johnson to replace Bourassa by default", The Globe and Mail, 14 December 1993, A1.
62. Sandro Contenta, "Federalist sends distress call", Toronto Star, 24 October 1995, A10.
63. Rhéal Séguin, "Embattled Johnson assumes nationalist mantle", The Globe and Mail, 5 March 1997, A4.
64. Rhéal Séguin, "Charest focuses on election as he names caucus leaders", The Globe and Mail, 14 May 1998, A8.
65. Andre Picard, "Power of a kingmaker", The Globe and Mail, 3 March 1998, A4; "Canada's Charest best hope for Quebec Liberals-poll", Reuters News, 7 March 1998.
66. Rhéal Séguin, Graham Fraser, and Kevin Cox, "Drop hard-line stand, Quebec Grits tell Ottawa", The Globe and Mail, 10 March 1998, A7.
67. "Quebec Liberal candidates do shuffle", The Globe and Mail, 17 March 1998, A1; Rhéal Séguin, "Paradis drops out of Quebec race", The Globe and Mail, 17 March 1998, A3.
68. Maurice Crossfield, "Paradis ends nine years in opposition", Sherbrooke Record, 15 April 2005, p. 5.
69. Rhéal Séguin, "Charest sworn in as Quebec Premier", The Globe and Mail, 30 April 2003, A7; Maurice Crossfield, "B-M shocked at Paradis snub", Sherbrooke Record, 1 May 2003, p. 1.
70. Rhéal Séguin, "Paradis suddenly yesterday's man", The Globe and Mail (breaking news), 8 June 2003; "Prominent Quebec Liberal returns to backbench, promises to guard party values", Canadian Press, 25 November 2003, 14:47; Josee Legault, "Charest needs the new, gentler Pierre Paradis", Montreal Gazette, 28 November 2003, A23.
71. "Snubbed by Charest, MNA ponders quitting", The Globe and Mail, 3 June 2003, A10; "Quebec legislature member says he's being courted by federal Liberals", Canadian Press, 5 September 2003, 13:28.
72. "Phone call from Charest helps keep former cabinet minister in politics", National Post, 26 November 2003, A7.
73. Hubert Bauch, "Charest can't avoid the storm", Montreal Gazette, 2 April 2006, A1; Don McPherson, "Loyalty's issue for Charest", Montreal Gazette, 4 May 2006, A1; Rhéal Séguin, "Quebec pushes through bill privatizing Orford park", The Globe and Mail, 14 June 2006, A14.
74. Rhéal Séguin, "Fragile win puts pressure on Charest's leadership", The Globe and Mail (breaking news), 27 March 2007; Rhéal Séguin, "Woman fill half of cabinet in Quebec", The Globe and Mail, 19 April 2007, A12.
75. Rita Legault, "The next speaker?", Sherbrooke Record, 18 July 2008, p. 1; Rita Legault, "Assembly sees side swipe", Sherbrooke Record, 22 October 2008, p. 3; Rita Legault, "Vallières is Liberal choice for speaker", Sherbrooke Record, 15 August 2008, p. 1.
76. Rita Legault, "Charest's cabinet named", Sherbrooke Record, 19 December 2008, p. 4.
77. "Philippe Couillard unveils new Liberal cabinet". CBC News. 23 April 2014.
78. "Quebec's new cabinet". Montreal Gazette.
79. "No charges to be filed against former Liberal minister Pierre Paradis | The montreal Gazette". montrealgazette.com. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
80. Fletcher, Raquel (16 August 2018). "Pierre Paradis back in Liberal caucus, unlikely to be candidate". Global News. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
81. Robert McKenzie, "Key Quebec Liberal organisers back Mulroney", Toronto Star, 14 October 1988, A24.
82. "National Notebook", The Globe and Mail, 27 September 1994, A4. See also Rosemary Speirs, "Caucus highlights PM's isolation in Quebec", Toronto Star, 28 January 1997, A17, which notes that Paradis was one of only two Quebec Liberal legislators to attend a gathering of the federal Liberal Party caucus.
83. Sandro Contenta, "'Local guy' in tough fight for Bloc", Toronto Star, 16 January 1995, A1.
84. Margot Gibb-Clark, "Bourassa team had thought of everything", The Globe and Mail, 17 October 1983, p. 8.

External links

• "Biography". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). National Assembly of Quebec.