Jacques Parizeau

Jacques Parizeau, GOQ ( born August 9, 1930 in Montreal ) is a Canadian politician and economist. During the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, he pushed for the nationalization of the electricity industry and the creation of a province 's pension system. From 1976 to 1984 he was Minister of Finance in René Levesque's government. In 1987 he was elected chairman of the Parti Québécois. From 26 September 1994 to 29 January 1996, he was Prime Minister of the Province of Québec and ran a separatist course. The accepted from him independence referendum failed on 30 October 1995 with 50.58 % rejection extremely scarce.

Studies and career

The son of the economic historian Gérard Parizeau received his education at the Collège Stanislas, a prestigious private school in the city of Québec. He then studied at the École des hautes études commerciales ( HEC) in Montreal and at the Institut d' études politiques in Paris. Eventually, he earned the Ph.D. at the London School of Economics. From 1955 to 1976 Parizeau was a professor at HEC, where he managed from 1973 to 1975, the Institute for Applied Economics.

As a follower of a steered by the state economy according to the principles of Keynesianism Parizeau belonged in the 1960s to the most important advisors to the Quebec provincial government and played an important role during the Quiet Revolution in the background. He made ​​an important contribution to the nationalization of the electricity company Hydro-Québec, the establishment of pension fund Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and the investment company Société générale de financement, and the creation of a province 's pension system ( Régie des rentes du Québec ), the Canadian from the rest social security system is independent.

Political career

Parizeau was transformed into a staunch separatists ( in Quebec City " Souveränist ") and joined the Parti Québécois in 1969. 1970 and 1973 he was a candidate in elections to the National Assembly of Quebec, but without success. In 1976 he was finally elected in the constituency L' Assomption in the region of Lanaudière. The new prime minister René Lévesque appointed Parizeau of Finance. He actively supported the Quebec referendum in 1980, which had a degree of autonomy of Québec to the goal, but was rejected by nearly 60 % of the vote.

In November 1984, the government broke apart. Lévesque had given the short-term goal of independence of Quebec and sought negotiations with the federal government of Brian Mulroney to expand federalism means of amending the Constitution. Parizeau did not agree with this change in strategy and gave his resignation along with several ministers known. He retired temporarily from politics and resumed his teaching activity at HEC again. Lévesque did not last long, it was replaced by Pierre Marc Johnson.

Despite his break with Lévesque Parizeau had within the Parti Québécois still big impact. After Johnson's resignation, he was elected on 19 March 1988 new party chairman and also assumed the role of opposition leader in the National Assembly. The 1989 elections ended with a clear defeat, but five years later succeeded the Parti Québecois, to win 77 of 125 seats. On 26 September 1994 Parizeau was sworn in as the new Prime Minister.

Premier of Québec

Parizeau promised to conduct a referendum on the independence of Québec within a year. In early opinion polls, the approval came to only around 40%. Although it rose slightly, but then stagnated. Parizeau gave in to pressure and transferred Lucien Bouchard, the popular chairman of the working party Bloc Québécois at the federal level, the primary responsibility for the faltering campaign. The independence referendum on 30 October 1995 failed only just: 50.58 % rejected the secession from Canada, with a participation of 94 % of registered voters.

After the result, it was clear Parizeau blamed " money and the voices of minorities " for the failure. By this he meant illegal spending of referendum opposing Committee and the overwhelming rejection of independence by the English-speaking minorities and indigenous people. His controversial remarks were heavily criticized in the media. The following day he announced his imminent resignation. Bouchard replaced Parizeau on 29 January 1996 as party leader and prime minister.

After his resignation to Parizeau withdrew into private life, but repeatedly criticized Bouchard's new government and its dilatoriness in the question of independence.

Private life

Jacques Parizeau was in his first marriage with the coming from Poland writer Alice Parizeau ( Alicja Poznańska ) married, who died in 1990. Two years later he married Lisette Lapointe, who had since his time as finance minister 's press officer and secretary. In 2007 she was a candidate himself for a seat in the National Assembly and was in the constituency Crémazie in northern Montreal's successful for the Parti Québécois. Parizeau lives on a farm in the region of Estrie and is owner of a vineyard of France.