Lise Bacon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Deputy Premier of Quebec | |
| In office 1985–1994 | |
| Premier | Robert Bourassa |
| Preceded by | Marc-André Bédard |
| Succeeded by | Monique Gagnon-Tremblay |
| Senator forDe la Durantaye senate division | |
| In office September 14, 1994 – August 25, 2009 | |
| Appointed by | Jean Chrétien |
| Preceded by | Mario Beaulieu |
| Succeeded by | Judith Seidman |
| Member of theNational Assembly of Quebec forBourassa | |
| In office 1973–1976 | |
| Preceded by | Georges-Émery Tremblay |
| Succeeded by | Patrice Laplante |
| Member of theNational Assembly of Quebec forChomedey | |
| In office 1981–1994 | |
| Preceded by | District established |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Mulcair |
| Minister of the Environment | |
| In office 1988–1989 | |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Paradis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1934-08-25)August 25, 1934 Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | October 29, 2025(2025-10-29) (aged 91) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Relatives | Guy Bacon (brother) |
| Profession | Administrator |
Lise BaconCM GOQ (August 25, 1934 – October 29, 2025) was a Canadian politician who served asDeputy Premier of Quebec from 1985 to 1994. A member of theQuebec Liberal Party, she served as a Member of theNational Assembly of Quebec (MNA) for the riding ofBourassa from 1973 to 1976 and again for the riding ofChomedey from 1981 to 1994. She was the second woman elected to the National Assembly afterMarie-Claire Kirkland. She served as president of the Quebec Liberal Party from 1970 to 1973, making her the first woman elected president of a political party in Canada.
After leaving provincial politics, she served as aSenator from 1994 to 2009.
Bacon was born inSalaberry-de-Valleyfield,Quebec, on August 25, 1934, to Joseph D. Bacon and Yvonne Jetté.[1][2] Bacon attended Collège Marie-de-l'Incarnation and Académie Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague inTrois-Rivières[2] and went on to study political science, psychology, and sociology at the Institut Albert-Thomas inChicoutimi.[3]
Bacon worked as an Office Manager at thePrudential Insurance Company of America from 1951 to 1971.[4]
During this time, she was active with theQuebec Liberal Party. Among other roles, she served as Treasurer of the Association des femmes libérales Louis Saint-Laurent in Trois-Rivières from 1952 to 1956, Executive Director of the Fédération des jeunes libéraux du Québec from 1954 to 1956, and Vice-President for the Mauricie region of the Fédération des femmes libérales du Québec from 1965 to 1967. She became Secretary of the Quebec Liberal Party in 1968.[2] From 1970 to 1973, she served as President of the Quebec Liberal Party, making her the first woman elected president of a political party in Canada.[4]
Bacon was elected as an MNA for theriding ofBourassa in the1973 Quebec general election, becoming the second woman elected to theNational Assembly of Quebec afterMarie-Claire Kirkland.[4] While in office, she served as Secretary of State for Social Affairs from 1973 to 1975, as Minister of Consumers, Co-operatives and Financial Institutions from 1975 to 1976, and as Minister of Immigration in 1976.[2]
Bacon was defeated in the1976 election, losing to theParti Québécois candidate, Patrice Laplante.[5]
Bacon worked as acitizenship judge from 1977 to 1979, then as Vice-President of theCanadian Life and Health Insurance Association for Quebec from 1979 to 1981.[4]
In the1981 election, Bacon was elected to the riding ofChomedey and served as Vice-Chair of the Commission de l'aménagement et des équipements from 1984 to 1985.[4]
She was re-elected in the1985 election and was appointedDeputy Premier of Quebec, a post she would hold until 1994. She served as Minister of Cultural Affairs from 1985 to 1989, Minister responsible for the Charter of the French Language from 1985 to 1988, and Minister of the Environment from 1988 to 1989.[2]
Re-elected in1989, she served as Minister of Energy and Resources from 1989 to 1994,[2] as well as Minister of Regional Development and Chair of the Standing Cabinet Committee on Regional Development and the Environment.[citation needed]
After leaving politics in 1994, Bacon served as Governor of the Canada Post Learning Institute and as a member of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy.[2]
She was appointedSenator, representing the area ofDe la Durantaye,Quebec, byGovernor GeneralRay Hnatyshyn, acting on the advice ofPrime MinisterJean Chrétien, on September 14, 1994. Her term ended when she tookmandatory retirement on her 75th birthday, August 25, 2009.[3]
Bacon died on October 29, 2025, at the age of 91.[6]
In 2003, she was made Officer of theLegion of Honour of France. In 2004, she was made a Grand Officer of theNational Order of Quebec.[4] In 2010, she was appointed a Member of theOrder of Canada.[7] In 2010, she received a Doctorate Honoris Causa from theUniversité de Montréal.[8]
| National Assembly of Quebec | ||
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| Preceded by | Deputy Premier of Quebec 1985–1994 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
