Jean Lapierre

[August1991]

This Quebec newspaper site provides links to about 18 articles mostly in French but several in English about Lapierre. All I think were written in Feb 2004 when he got back together with Martin.

Of the articles, IMV, these two are the best:

Jef Lisée

M. Vastel, le journaliste Balzac du Canada

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Articles in English:

Lysiane Gagnon

L. Ian Macdonald

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Who is Lapierre?

Luc Lavoie, Mulroney's press guy, now Quebecor VP media guy, described Lapierre as the Brian Tobin of Quebec. Smart.

Lapierre had André Ouellet as first mentor. As a 25 year old Liberal MP, he voted for the patriation of the constitution in 1981. Then he voted for Turner (over Chretien) when Trudeau resigned. He favoured Meech and then left the Liberals with the arrival of Chretien in 1990. (He had supported PM PM in the post-Turner leadership race.) Lapierre heeded the call of his new mentor in 2004.

Is there any logic?

This Lapierre quote in the Vastel article says much:

"Faire de la politique quand tu es pauvre, c'est de la pauvre politique (...). Paul Martin, par exemple, qui possède une cinquantaine de millions de dollars... C'est pas mal plus intéressant que le gars que sa femme appelle le jeudi pour aller faire l'épicerie."

No one quite knows how Lapierre voted in the 1995 referendum. (To my knowledge, he's never said.)

It is hard not to come to the conclusion that Jean Lapierre is an "opportuniste". He seems more inclined to be federalist than separatist - but the distinction is small.

Trudeau, Pearson, Mulroney and even Chrétien were genuine federalists. They all had to deal with the Lapierre sort. (Ottawa is filled with such 'federalists'.) But Trudeau et al somehow aimed for something higher.

The Liberal Party (or PM PM) has apparently chosen, on an issue critical to its raison d'être, to go low.

Why? Where is the articulate, genuine federalist Stéphane Dion? Why did PM PM choose the one over the other? What happened?

Trudeau is not around to write a polemical piece to Actualité and Maclean's. But he may well be rolling in his crypt.

[Bro]

If his loyalty to Canada slipped low enough to join a separatist party,then he does not belong in any party who has the ability to make decisions on behalf of all of Canada.Merci,mais maintenant on pas besoin un autre

traitor.

[maplesyrup]

"Ordurier et mensonger"

He prefers being authentic in politics.

Let me say two things about that.

First, if that were true, it would represent a clean break from the now-authoritatively-documented style he brought to his work as a journalist. Lapierre's mini journalism school came the day after the Quebec Press Council rapped him on the knuckles for language he used on CKAC Radio during a snowstorm.

The press council says the insults Lapierre levelled at Montreal's mayor, Gérald Tremblay, were "foul and dishonest... over the top, unacceptable and insulting."

But maybe Lapierre is past his days twisting reality.

Or maybe not.

In the same CP story I link above, Lapierre backpedals in the most spectacularly unconvincing fashion from his March promise to "sortir l'argent sale" — get the dirty money out of Liberal coffers before an election.

CP reports:

"But the prime minister's Quebec lieutenant, Jean Lapierre, insisted there were no tainted funds in the Liberal bank account because the party's Quebec wing inherited a $3.8-million debt when Martin became leader in November.

"'There was none of that money. There was nothing but a debt,' said Lapierre, who is running for the Liberals in the riding of Outremont.

"'We started with a $3.8-million debt, so don't worry. We cannot campaign with that money.'"

A debt proves the Liberals took no tainted money? Lapierre seems to like twisting reality. Of course a debt is no proof the Liberals took tainted money: perhaps the debt would have been deeper without the tainted money. Perhaps there's still some argent sale that needs getting out — even if it means deepening the party's debt or wiping out a new surplus.

Or maybe there never was any argent sale — in which case, the twisting of reality took place in February, not today. But in either case, it was no working reporter who did the twisting. It was the guy running for parliament. You know. Paul Martin's best brain in Quebec.

What was Martin thinking appointing this guy?

Is this more arrogance on the part of a party which has been in power too long?

[August1991]

Who would have thunk? Lapierre lose in Outremont? I've heard the rumours.

Outremont has been gerrymandered and has a big chunk of allophones. For Lapierre to lose, the ones would have to vote Tory, or not vote and the Outremont types out of pique would vote BQ. (It went Tory in 1988.)

G&M on Lapierre

The rumours are enough. And they've made it to a Toronto paper.

[August1991]

But Jean Lapierre, the Quebec nationalist Liberal MP who served as Paul Martin's Quebec lieutenant, said he is considering quitting politics, as many have long expected.

G & M

This is no surprise, really. I think there will be more people quitting soon too, not just in Quebec.