Gérard Pelletier

Gérard Pelletier, PC CC (June 21, 1919 – June 22, 1997) was a Canadian journalist and politician.

Career

Pelletier initially worked as a journalist for Le Devoir, a French-language newspaper in Montreal, Quebec. In 1961 he became editor-in-chief of the Montreal daily and North America's largest French circulating newspaper, La Presse. Pelletier, with other French-Canadian intellectuals, Pierre Elliott Trudeau included, founded the journal Cité Libre. First elected to Parliament in 1965, he served as a member of the cabinet of Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

Pelletier met Trudeau while studying in France and worked with him and Jean Marchand during the Asbestos Strike of 1949 in Quebec. Dubbed the "Three Wise Men" in English and Les trois colombes (The three doves) in French, they entered politics at the same time in the federal election of 1965. The trio was recruited by Liberal prime minister Lester Pearson to help derail the rising Quebec separatist movement.

He served in various cabinet posts in the Trudeau government until 1975 (Secretary of State: 1968-1973, Minister of Communications: 1973-5), when he left the Liberal caucus and became ambassador to France and then ambassador to the United Nations (1981–1984). In 1978 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.

Bibliography

As author

• — (1945). J. E. C. d'aujourd'hui : une étude sur le mouvement. Montreal: Centrale de la Jeunesse étudiante catholique. ISBN 9780458982707. OCLC 465845812.
• —; Pelletier, Alec (1945). Quartier Nord. (illustrations by Julien Hébert). Montreal: Éditions Fides.
• — (1950). Histoire des enfants tristes : un reportage sur l'enfance sans soutien dans la province de Québec. Montreal: L'Action nationale. ISBN 9780458982707. OCLC 49083264.
• — (1962). Le concept d'élasticité chez Marshall et quelques auteurs (Maîtrise). Université Laval.
• — (1965). Confederation at the crossroads. Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan.
• — (1971). La crise d'octobre. Montreal: Éditions du Jour. OCLC 299724407.
• — (1983). Les années d'impatience : 1950-1960. Montreal: Éditions A. Stanké. ISBN 2-76040214-2.
• — (1983–1992). Souvenirs. Montreal: Éditions A. Stanké. (in three volumes)
• — (1986). Le temps des choix, 1960-1968. Montreal: Éditions A. Stanké. ISBN 2-76040288-6.
• — (1992). Aventure du pouvoir, 1968-1975. Montreal: Éditions A. Stanké. ISBN 2-76040422-6.
• —; Hill, Heather (1995). Le diplomate et l'Africain. Montreal: Éditions A. Stanké. ISBN 2-76040491-9.

Contributions

• Lamonde, Yvan, ed. (1991). Cité libre : une anthologie. (with the collaboration of Gérard Pelletier). Montreal: Éditions A. Stanké. ISBN 2-76040379-3.

External links

• Gérard Pelletier – Parliament of Canada biography
• Gérard Pelletier fonds, Library and Archives Canada