New Speakers in Quebec and Saskatchewan

Quebec: On March 12, 1996, Jean-Pierre Charbonneau was elected President of the Quebec National Assembly. He was born in Saint-Eustache, near Montreal, on January 3, 1950 and holds a diploma from Ahuntsic College in social science and a Bachelor’s degree in criminology from the University of Montréal.

From 1968 to 1976 he worked as a journalist for the Quartier Latin, Vie et Carrière-Actualité, Point de Mire, Le Devoir and La Presse as well as for Montreal radio stations CKAC and CKVL. As a specialist in investigative reporting he produced a number of articles on the Quebec underworld and on political and police corruption. His 1975 book on organised crime and the international drug trade, La filière canadienne, was awarded the Beccaria Prize by the Québec Criminology Society. In 1976 he was a consultant and special advisor for the Commission of Inquiry on Organised Crime.

He was elected as the PQ Member for Verchères on November 15, 1976 and was re-elected in the same riding in 1981 and 1985. In 1978, he was co-author with Gilbert Paquette, of L’Option, a book describing the political agenda of the Parti Québécois. He chaired the Montérégie regional caucus of PQ Members in 1977 and 1978, sat on the National Executive Council of the Parti Québécois from 1979 to 1981, chaired the special Parliamentary Commission on Youth Protection in 1981-82, and helped to found both the Student Yes Movement during the 1980 referendum and the Permanent Youth Secretariat. From March 9, 1983 to March 15, 1984, he was Premier René Lévesque’s parliamentary assistant.

Jean-Pierre Charbonneau chaired the Committee on Education and Labour from March 15, 1984 to October 23, 1985 and the Committee on the Economy and Labour from February 11, 1986 to June 30, 1989.

In 1988 he became co-ordinator of the Africa project of the University of Montreal’s International Centre for Comparative Criminology. As part of this co-operation project he directed an on-site feasibility study in Zaire and Rwanda in January 1989, and on June 30, 1989 he resigned as Member for Verchères in order to work in the field of international aid in Africa. From June 1989 to February 1991, he was responsible for the volunteer co-operation programme of the Canadian Organisation for Solidarity and Development in Rwanda, Zaire and Burundi.

From 1990 to 1994, Mr. Charbonneau co-hosted a public affairs programme, Point de vue, on CKVL radio, and wrote columns for the Richelieu Valley weekly L’Oeil Régional. He was also involved in various humanitarian organisations such as Oxfam-Québec and Amnesty International.

Speaker Charbonneau was elected Member for the newly-created riding of Borduas in the general election of September 12, 1994. He became the Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and a member of the Committee on Institutions, and was appointed to the committee responsible for advising the Vice-Premier and Minister of International Affairs, Immigration and Cultural Communities. In January 1995, he was asked by the Cabinet to lead the Québec delegation to the Conference of Ministers of Youth and Sports in Francophone Countries, held in the West African country of Benin.

Saskatchewan: The new Speaker in Saskatchewan is Glenn Hagel. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1986 and re-elected in 1991 and 1995. Mr. Hagel has spent most of his career as an adult educator and administrator, working in all three post-secondary education systems in Moose Jaw.

Before becoming Speaker, Mr. Hagel, held the position of Deputy Chair of Committees and chaired the Select Committee on Driving Safety. He was also the government caucus chair, a member of the Board of Internal Economy and a member of the government’s Planning and Priorities Committee.

CPA Regional Conference

The 35th CPA Regional Conference will be held in Winnipeg from July 27 - August 2, 1996. Conferences bring together about a 100 legislators from across Canada. The first session will be devoted to discussing the Future Role of the Commonwealth. Other topics include:

Balanced Budget Legislation

Public Perception of Elected Office Holders

Aboriginal Self-government

The 1997 Review of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms

State-sponsored Gambling

Restructuring the Education System

Technology and the Legislature