Jean-Jacques Bertrand | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 21stPremier of Quebec | |
| In office October 2, 1968 – May 12, 1970 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Lieutenant Governor | Hugues Lapointe |
| Deputy | Jean-Guy Cardinal |
| Preceded by | Daniel Johnson Sr. |
| Succeeded by | Robert Bourassa |
| Deputy Premier of Quebec | |
| In office 1966–1968 | |
| Premier | Daniel Johnson Sr. |
| Preceded by | Paul Gérin-Lajoie |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Guy Cardinal (1968) |
| MNA for Missisquoi | |
| In office July 28, 1948 – February 22, 1973 | |
| Preceded by | Henri Gosselin |
| Succeeded by | Glendon Pettes Brown |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1916-06-20)June 20, 1916 Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts,Quebec, Canada |
| Died | February 22, 1973(1973-02-22) (aged 56) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Political party | Union Nationale |
| Spouse | |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Jean-Jacques Bertrand (French pronunciation:[ʒɑ̃ʒɑkbɛʁtʁɑ̃]; June 20, 1916 – February 22, 1973) was a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as the 21stpremier of Quebec, from October 2, 1968, to May 12, 1970. He led theUnion Nationale party.
Bertrand served asMember of the Legislative Assembly for the District ofMissisquoi from 1948 until his death in 1973.
He served as Minister of Lands and Forestry from 1958 to 1960 and briefly as Minister of Youth and Social Welfare until his party, theUnion Nationale lost the provincial election in1960.
Bertrand tried to become leader of the Union Nationale in 1961, but was defeated by his colleagueDaniel Johnson, Sr., the MLA for the district ofBagot.
In1966, the Union Nationale was put back in office andPremierDaniel Johnson, Sr. appointed Bertrand to his Cabinet. Bertrand served both asEducation Minister until 1967 andMinister of Justice until Johnson's sudden death from a heart attack in 1968. In addition to those assignments, Bertrand was also Johnson'sDeputy Premier.
Bertrand was chosen interim Party Leader until a leadership convention could be held and therefore became Premier of Quebec.
His victory (58% of the delegates) over colleagueJean-Guy Cardinal (41%), Minister of Education and newly elected MLA for the district ofBagot, at the Leadership Convention of 1969, caused a deep division among party insiders.[1] While Johnson had been more accommodating towards the more nationalist elements of the party, Bertrand clearly positioned himself as afederalist. Cardinal was considered the nationalist candidate in the race. His defeat prompted a number of supporters to leave the Union Nationale and join theParti Québécois.
The Union Nationale was also weakened by the passage of a controversial language legislation in 1969, known asBill 63. Meant to resolve a conflict that plagued the public school board ofSaint-Léonard, the bill confirmed the status quo on the language of instruction in the public schools (parents can choose English or French)[2] and angered Quebec nationalists. Two Union Nationale MLAs,Jérôme Proulx andAntonio Flamandcrossed the floor and sat as Independents, along with Parti Québécois LeaderRené Lévesque and Liberal dissidentYves Michaud to protest against the new law.
The Bill 63 would be superseded byRobert Bourassa'sBill 22 in 1974 and René Lévesque'sBill 101 in 1977.
The less controversial accomplishments of the Bertrand administration include the abolition of theLegislative Council of Quebec, the provincial equivalent of theCanadian Senate. Since then, the Legislative Assembly of Quebec is known as theNational Assembly of Quebec.
The Union Nationale lost the1970 election to Robert Bourassa'sLiberals. While the party managed to obtain the status of Official Opposition, it finished third in the popular vote behind the PQ. The UN never significantly recovered from that defeat and no longer exists as a political party.
A year later, Bertrand resigned as Leader of the Union Nationale. In 1971, he received an honorary doctorate fromSir George Williams University, which later becameConcordia University.[3] He died a few months before the1973 election.
His son,Jean-François Bertrand, was theMember of the National Assembly for the district ofVanier from1976 to1985 and a Cabinet Member ofRené Lévesque'sParti Québécois government. Bertrand's widowGabrielle served asProgressive ConservativeMember of Parliament for the district ofBrome—Missisquoi from1984 to1993.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Education (Quebec) 1966–1967 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of theUnion Nationale 1968–1971 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of the Opposition in Quebec 1970–1971 | Succeeded by |
