# Jean Garon > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Jean_Garon > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Jean_Garon.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Garon > Source revision: 1304654265 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|Canadian politician (1938–2014)}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} thumb|Jean Garon in 2013 '''Jean Garon''' (May 6, 1938 – July 1, 2014) was a [politician](/source/politician), lawyer, academic and [economist](/source/economist) in [Quebec](/source/Quebec), Canada.{{cite news|first=Annie |last=Mathieu| url=http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/societe/201407/02/01-4780432-jean-garon-seteint-a-76-ans.php |title=Jean Garon s'éteint à 76 ans |newspaper=[Le Soleil](/source/Le_Soleil_(Quebec))| date=July 2, 2014|access-date=July 2, 2014}}{{Cite news|url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/Jean+Garon+founding+members+dies/9993216/story.html|title=Jean Garon, one of the PQ's founding members, dies at 76|newspaper=[The Gazette](/source/The_Gazette_(Montreal))|location=Montreal|date=July 2, 2014|access-date=July 3, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714143351/http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Jean+Garon+founding+members+dies/9993216/story.html|archive-date=July 14, 2014}}{{cite news|url=http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/politique/politique-quebecoise/201407/02/01-4780435-jean-garon-est-decede.php | title=Jean Garon est décédé |first=Philippe |last=Teisceira-Lessard |newspaper=[La Presse](/source/La_Presse_(Canadian_newspaper))|date=July 2, 2014|access-date=July 3, 2014}} He was born in [Saint-Michel, Quebec](/source/Saint-Michel%2C_Quebec), and graduated from [Université Laval](/source/Universit%C3%A9_Laval) with a bachelor's degree in 1960 and a master's in economics two years later. He received a law degree in 1969 and was called to the Quebec Bar in June 1970. He was editor of ''Garnier'', the student newspaper at [Collège des Jésuites de Québec](/source/St._Charles_Garnier_College) (now known as St. Charles Garnier College) from 1956 to 1958, as was an executive member of Escholiers griffonneurs, an association of student newspapers, in 1957 and 1958.{{cite web|url=http://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/deputes/garon-jean-3349/biographie.html|title=Biography at the National Assembly of Quebec|access-date=July 3, 2014}} He participated in campus politics and served as prime minister of the Université Laval's model parliament. He died on July 1, 2014 of a heart attack in Lévis, a Quebec City suburb.{{Cite web |date=2014-07-02 |title=Former Parti Quebecois cabinet minister Jean Garon dies at 76 |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/former-parti-quebecois-cabinet-minister-jean-garon-dies-at-76/ |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=CTVNews |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=2014-07-17 |title=Former minister Jean Garon nurtured sovereignty movement’s roots |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/former-minister-jean-garon-nurtured-sovereignty-movements-roots/article19668813/ |access-date=2023-11-15}} ==Political activism== He taught at Université Laval and [Cégep Limoilou](/source/C%C3%A9gep_Limoilou). As an early supporter of the Quebec independence movement he became the vice-president of the pro-sovereignty group [Rassemblement pour l'Indépendance Nationale](/source/Rassemblement_pour_l'Ind%C3%A9pendance_Nationale) in the [Quebec City](/source/Quebec_City) area in 1962. When speaking of Quebec sovereignty, he stated, "The English-Canadians defend their interests. We just have to defend ours." ==Provincial politics== He was one of the founding members of the [Parti Québécois](/source/Parti_Qu%C3%A9b%C3%A9cois) in 1968. He ran for the [National Assembly of Quebec](/source/National_Assembly_of_Quebec) in [1973](/source/1973_Quebec_general_election) in the constituency of [Charlevoix](/source/Charlevoix_(provincial_electoral_district)), but lost. He was elected in the constituency of [Lévis](/source/L%C3%A9vis_(provincial_electoral_district)) in [1976](/source/1976_Quebec_general_election) and was re-elected in [1981](/source/1981_Quebec_general_election), [1985](/source/1985_Quebec_general_election), [1989](/source/1989_Quebec_general_election) and [1994](/source/1994_Quebec_general_election). Under [René Lévesque](/source/Ren%C3%A9_L%C3%A9vesque), he was Agriculture Minister. His most notable accomplishment as Cabinet Member is the passage of a law on [agricultural zoning](/source/agricultural_zoning) in 1978. After Lévesque resigned as party leader in 1985, Garon ran for the [Parti Québécois leadership](/source/1985_Parti_Qu%C3%A9b%C3%A9cois_leadership_election) in 1985 but finished third with 16% of the vote, defeated by [Pierre-Marc Johnson](/source/Pierre-Marc_Johnson) (59%). As a Member of the Official Opposition, Garon vice-chaired, then chaired a number of parliamentary committees, including the one on Economy and Labor. The Parti Québécois won the 1994 election and [Premier](/source/Premier) [Jacques Parizeau](/source/Jacques_Parizeau) appointed Garon as [Education Minister](/source/Ministry_of_Education%2C_Recreation_and_Sports_(Quebec)). The resignation of Parizeau as Premier corresponds to a decline of Garon's influence in provincial politics. Garon, who belonged to the [more radical wing](/source/pur_et_dur) of the PQ, was considered a close ally of Parizeau. Premier [Lucien Bouchard](/source/Lucien_Bouchard), who succeeded Parizeau and is widely viewed as a moderate concerning constitutional issues, did not appoint Garon to his Cabinet. Nonetheless, Garon chaired the Parliamentary Committee on Culture. In 2013, Garon said he is convinced that like René Lévesque, Pierre Karl Péladeau will be able to rally the necessary sovereigntist forces to make Québec a country. Garon was one of 12 sovereigntist personalities who signed a letter of support for the candidacy for the businessman for the riding of Saint-Jérôme. He confessed to having doubts that Pauline Marois would be the one who would succeed in unifying the partisans of an independent Québec. According to him, this unity is an essential condition to obtain a majority support from Québécois to the ''Oui'' side during a referendum.{{cite news|url=http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/dossiers/elections-quebecoises/201403/12/01-4747178-pierre-karl-peladeau-lhomme-de-la-situation-selon-jean-garon.php|title=Pierre Karl Péladeau: "l'homme de la situation" selon Jean Garon |newspaper=[Le Soleil](/source/Le_Soleil_(Quebec))|date= March 13, 2014 |access-date=July 3, 2014 }} ==City politics== Garon did not run for re-election to the National Assembly in [1998](/source/1998_Quebec_general_election). Instead, he became leader of the municipal political party ''Équipe Jean Garon/Parti des citoyennes et des citoyens'' and was elected [mayor](/source/mayor) of [Lévis](/source/L%C3%A9vis%2C_Quebec), Quebec. He was re-elected with a majority at the City Council in 2001 (defeating [Christian Jobin](/source/Christian_Jobin)),[http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/municipales/ Les municipales, Radio-Canada, November 2001] in the aftermath of the [province-wide municipal merger](/source/2000%E2%80%9306_municipal_reorganization_in_Quebec) imposed by the Parti Québécois government. In 2004, four City Councillors (Danielle Roy-Marinelli, Guy Dumoulin, Philippe Laberge, Anne Ladouceur) resigned from Garon's party and founded ''Lévis Force 10, Équipe Roy-Marinelli''. While running for re-election in 2005, Garon declared that opposition in city politics is a nuisance. The controversial remark undermined his campaign.[https://archive.today/20130127223309/http://www.ledevoir.com/2005/11/07/94476.html Jean Garon défait à Lévis, Isabelle Porter, Le Devoir, November 7, 2005] He lost the election, finishing second (with 28% of the vote) behind Lévis Force 10 candidate Danielle Roy-Marinelli (42%).[http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/special/2005/11/06/012-marinelli_levis.shtml Changement de garde à Lévis, Radio-Canada, November 7, 2005] His party won four seats out of fifteen on the City Council, becoming the Official Opposition.[http://www.ville.levis.qc.ca/Fr/Pdf/Press/2005_11_07_R%C3%A9sultats%20_officiels.pdf Résultats officiels de l'élection municipale à Lévis, Ville de Lévis, November 6, 2005] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928045048/http://www.ville.levis.qc.ca/Fr/Pdf/Press/2005_11_07_R%C3%A9sultats%20_officiels.pdf |date=September 28, 2007 }} City Councillor Isabelle Demers succeeded Garon as party leader. ==Later concerns in provincial politics and sovereignty == Garon still favoured the independence of Quebec, but was not a card-carrying supporter of the [Parti Québécois](/source/Parti_Qu%C3%A9b%C3%A9cois) after 1998. He felt that the PQ is disconnected from the concerns of those among the province's residents who live outside of [Montreal](/source/Montreal)'s city limits.[http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20070429/CPSOLEIL/70429161/6584/CPSOLEIL Ras-le-bol des solutions montréalaises, Martin Pelchat, Le Soleil, April 29, 2007] He considered running for the [Action démocratique du Québec](/source/Action_d%C3%A9mocratique_du_Qu%C3%A9bec) in the [Montérégie](/source/Mont%C3%A9r%C3%A9gie) area in [2007](/source/2007_Quebec_general_election),[http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20061130/CPACTUALITES/61130038/5019/CPSOLEIL&cp_adsublabel=rss Jean Garon courtisé par l'ADQ, Martin Pelchat, Le Soleil, November 30, 2006] and attended its subsequent general assembly.[http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=e4cd1c7b-c814-4784-92a2-4803d660c8fc "Power play: ADQ eyes ex-Hydro chief"]. Montreal Gazette, September 30, 2007 ==Footnotes== {{Reflist}} ==References== {{Commons category}} * {{Quebec MNA biography|garon-jean-3349}} {{s-start}} {{succession box | title=[MNA](/source/National_Assembly_of_Quebec), District of [Lévis](/source/L%C3%A9vis)| before=[Vincent Chagnon (Liberal)](/source/Vincent_Chagnon)| after=[Linda Goupil (PQ)](/source/Linda_Goupil) | years=[1976](/source/1976_Quebec_general_election)–[1998](/source/1998_Quebec_general_election)}} {{succession box | title=Minister of Agriculture| before=[Kevin Drummond (Liberal)](/source/Kevin_Drummond)| after=[Michel Pagé (Liberal)](/source/Michel_Pag%C3%A9) | years=[1976](/source/1976_Quebec_general_election)–[1985](/source/1985_Quebec_general_election)}} {{succession box | title=Minister of Education| before=[Jacques Chagnon (Liberal)](/source/Jacques_Chagnon)| after=[Pauline Marois (PQ)](/source/Pauline_Marois) | years=[1994](/source/1994_Quebec_general_election)–1996}} {{succession box | title=[Mayor](/source/Mayor) of [Lévis](/source/L%C3%A9vis)| before=[Denis Guay](/source/Denis_Guay)| after=[Danielle Roy-Marinelli](/source/Danielle_Roy-Marinelli) | years=1998–2005}} {{succession box | title=Leader of the Parti des citoyennes et des citoyens| before=n.a.| after=Isabelle Demers | years=1998–2005}} {{s-end}} {{Parizeau Ministry}} {{Johnson Ministry}} {{Lévesque Ministry}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Garon, Jean}} Category:1938 births Category:2014 deaths Category:Parti Québécois MNAs Category:Mayors of Lévis, Quebec Category:Politicians from Montérégie Category:Université Laval alumni Category:Lawyers in Quebec Category:Academic staff of Université Laval Category:20th-century members of the National Assembly of Quebec Category:20th-century mayors of places in Quebec Category:21st-century mayors of places in Quebec --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Jean Garon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Garon) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Garon?action=history)). 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