I will refresh your minds. The March 29th of 2016, a plane crash at the Magdalen Islands and took from us the political analyst and former politician Jean Lapierre, his sister Martine, his brothers Marc and Louis and two pilots. I would like to pay him a tribute. He was the one who said the famous quote “Salut! Salut!”
Jean Lapierre was born in 1956 in the Magdalen Islands. He became a lawyer. In 1979, he was elected as a federal deputy in the Shefford county under the Liberal Party. In 1984, he became Minister of State of Youth and Amateur sport under the Turner government. His position as a minister did not last long because the Liberal Party has been beaten by Brian Mulroney’s Conservative Party. In 1992, after the failure of the Meech Lake Accord and the election of Jean Chrétien as Leader of the Liberal Party, Lapierre left the Liberals and join the “Coalition Arc-en-Ciel”, led by Lucien Bouchard, which will become the “Bloc Québécois”. This became part of this party until 1993. He left his politic life and became a political analyst.
In 2004, Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin contacted him because he wanted Jean to be part of his government and to make his political career running again. He accepted, became elected in Outremont and became Transport Minister. It only lasted one year and a half because the Martin cabinet has been beaten by Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party. After 2007, he left his political career for good.
Jean Lapierre as Minister of Transport
He became again a political analyst. He has been a co-animator on the “Larocque-Lapierre” show. He was also in “Le Caucus” with Mario Dumont. Both of the shows mentioned earlier were on TVA. What I remember for Jean Lapierre is that he was a very nice guy. Each morning, I listened to him on the radio. I was doing this since I was 11 years old. I liked him because he was interesting, charismatic and funny. I also listened to him on TV on LCN.
On March, 29th 2016, I came back from school. I got in the car and my father told me “Jean Lapierre is dead.” I did not want to believe it. I checked on the Internet. I was disappointed. It was written that he died with three other members of his family and two plane pilots after he prepared the funeral of his father Raymond Lapierre, who died from Parkinson earlier that year. The next Saturday, the funeral of the plane crash victims happened. It was crazy how much politicians were present: former Canada Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Former Prime Minister Paul Martin, television animator Paul Larocque. I watched the funeral on TV and I was emotionally touched by the speech his daughter Marianne and son Jean-Michel addressed to him.
Usually, I am complaining about politic. Sometimes, I perceive myself as a younger Jean Lapierre. This is why March 29th is important to me. Rest In Peace, Jean Lapierre! I will always remember you!
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