Michel Pagé (December 4, 1949 – September 4, 2013) was a Canadian businessman and politician in the province of Quebec. He served in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1973 to 1992 as a Liberal and was a cabinet minister in the government of Robert Bourassa.
He is not to be confused with another Michel Pagé who has written about the linguistic integration of immigrants in Quebec.Michel Pagé avec la collaboration de Patricia Lamarre, "L’intégration linguistique des immigrants au Québec" , Institute for Research on Public Policy, 3 February 2010. The author's career summary at the end of the document indicates that this a different person.
Early life and career
Pagé was born in Saint-Basile, Quebec. He received a Bachelor of Laws degree from Université Laval in 1973, was called to the Quebec Bar in 1974, and practiced law from 1974 to 1985.
Legislator
Pagé was first elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in the 1973 provincial election, defeating one-term Créditiste incumbent Antoine Drolet in the division of Portneuf, near Quebec City.Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec, accessed 8 January 2011. He was only twenty-three years old at the time. The Liberals won a landslide majority government in this election, and Pagé served as a backbench supporter of Robert Bourassa's administration.
The Liberals lost to the Parti Québécois in the 1976 provincial election, although Pagé kept his seat by a reduced margin. After the election, he served as his party's critic for tourism. He supported Raymond Garneau's unsuccessful bid for the party leadership in 1978.Graham Fraser, PQ: René Lévesque and the Parti Québécois in Power, (Toronto: MacMillan of Canada), 1984, p. 141.
Pagé fought for the "non" side in Quebec's 1980 referendum on sovereignty and was at the time considered a strong supporter of Canadian federalism."PQ's Duhaime faces attack on press trip $", Globe and Mail, 18 August 1978, p. 8; Rhéal Séguin, "Quebec Liberals weigh sovereignty option," Globe and Mail, 24 February 1990, A1; Robert McKenzie, "Bourassa's course uncertain," 23 June 1990, A10. After the "non" side's victory, he introduced an unsuccessful motion to have the Canadian flag permanently displayed in the national assembly.Robert Sheppard, "The ups and downs of inside, outside," Globe and Mail, 2 May 1991, A19.
He was re-elected again in 1981 and served as chief opposition whip and caucus chair for the next four years."Caucus gives Ryan vote of confidence as Liberal leader," Globe and Mail, 30 April 1981, p. 8. He was neutral in the Liberal Party's 1983 leadership contest, citing the responsibilities of his office.Some believe Pagé was planning to support Raymond Garneau, who ultimately chose not to run. Margot Gibb-Clark, "Experience, youth seen as choices in Quebec contest," Globe and Mail, 5 September 1983, p. 1.
In 1981, Pagé alleged that pornographic videotapes had been made in the legislature using provincial television equipment. An investigation found there was no substance to the charge and that no such tapes were made."Porno tapes won't bring prosecution," Globe and Mail, 11 December 1981, p. 10.
Cabinet minister Agriculture Minister
The Liberal Party returned to power under Robert Bourassa's leadership in the 1985 provincial election. When Bourassa formed his first cabinet in December 1985, he named Pagé as his minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. After the 1989 provincial election, Pagé received additional responsibilities as government house leader.
Pagé supported the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement in October 1987, saying that it would not affect Quebec's agricultural programs.Bertrand Marotte, "Bourassa willing to help PM sell agreement to Canadians," 8 October 1987, A5. The deal later met with opposition from some in the agricultural sector, and Pagé called on the federal government to ensure that guarantees over import restrictions were included in the final settlement.Bertrand Marotte, "Quebec to demand import controls, minister says," Globe and Mail, 4 December 1987, A15.
Pagé announced changes to Quebec's milk distribution program in 1986, introducing a new program for low-income pregnant mothers and reducing the distribution of free milk to elementary school children from five days per week to three. The Parti Québécois alleged that the latter change would hurt low-income Quebecers, though Pagé disagreed with this conclusion."Plan to reduce free milk distribution creates storm for Quebec minister," Globe and Mail, 27 September 1986, A2. Following criticism, Pagé agreed to restore free milk on a daily basis."Producers cough up, school milk back daily," Montreal Gazette, 11 October 196, A3. In 1989, he announced that Quebec would become the first jurisdiction to ban dioxins and furans from Quebec milk cartons."Toxic chemicals in milk cartons banned in Quebec," Globe and Mail, 14 March 1989, A14.
In 1987, Pagé led cabinet in passing an order in council that required margarine produced in Quebec to be a different colour from butter. The intent of the legislation was to support dairy production and to make consumers aware of the difference between "a natural product and a synthetic one.""Quebec move on margarine is praised," Globe and Mail, 7 August 1987, A5. Margarine producers strongly opposed the change.Penny MacRae, "Quebec margarine makers gather petition to fight color change," Toronto Star, 11 August 1987, B3.
Pagé announced an aid package for Quebec's horse breeding sector in 1987."Racehorse breeder goes to stock market," Toronto Star, 2 October 1987, B10. He later reached an agreement to save the financially troubled Blue Bonnets harness raceway in early 1988."Quebec government to operate ailing Blue Bonnets racetrack," Toronto Star, 17 October 1987, B4; "Blue Bonnets May See Last Race," Associated Press, 17 December 1987; Harvey Enchin, "Bonnets is given new life," 1 July 1988, A17.
In 1989, Pagé recommended that cabinet transfer its authority over agricultural rezoning to a quasi-judicial commission. (This followed a controversy over a proposed land sale that would have resulted in financial gain for some prominent donors to the Quebec Liberal Party; Pagé postponed the sale following the revelations.)"Get rid of rezoning role, Quebec minister urges," Globe and Mail, 13 June 1989, A14. The Bourassa government imposed a rezoning moratorium and commissioned a task force to find ways of ending speculation on such property."Quebec halts farmland rezoning," Globe and Mail, 17 June 1989, A2.
Pagé supported the Bourassa's government's shift toward Quebec nationalism after the failure of the Meech Lake Accord on reforms to the Canadian constitution in June 1990. Among other things, the accord would have recognized Quebec as a "distinct society" within Canada; after its collapse, Pagé said that Quebec's future would be determined only by Quebecers.Robert McKenzie, "Bourassa's course uncertain," 23 June 1990, A10. He boycotted all but one event at a policy conference for Canada's agriculture ministers later in the year.The meeting that Pagé attended was on international trade. "Quebec to boycott farm conference," Globe and Mail, 10 August 1990, B2; "Ottawa to study GST exemptions, farm ministers told," Toronto Star, 25 August 1990, B2.
Pagé was the acting Public Security minister when the Oka crisis first broke out in 1990. He has said that he did not authorize the police assault on a Mohawk barricade that resulted in the death of a Quebec officer."Police, Mowhawks [sic] Trade Gunfire In Land Dispute, One Officer Killed," Associated Press, 11 July 1990. The government later stated that an assistant to regular minister Sam Elkas knew of the raid, but did not inform either Elkas or Pagé.Eloise Morin, "Quebec aide scapegoat for Oka, Parizeau says," Toronto Star, 17 October 1990, A12.
Education Minister In 1990, Pagé was transferred from the Agriculture portfolio to Education. He retained his position as government house leader.
Pagé ended Quebec's involvement with a national Canadian task force on education in November 1990, citing the failure of the Meech Lake Accord and noting that education was largely a provincial responsibility. His decision effectively stopped the task force's work.Rosemary Spiers, "Quebec blocks national study on education," Toronto Star, 25 January 1991, A14. He later opposed a federal literacy and training strategy as an encroachment into the province's jurisdiction.Rhéal Séguin, "Proposals on education anger Quebec ministers," Globe and Mail, 15 May 1991, A6.
In May 1991, Pagé rejected a Parti Québécois suggestion to bus non-francophone immigrant students to schools in predominantly francophone neighbourhoods."Quebec says no to busing students," Globe and Mail, 11 May 1991, A7. He considered, but ultimately did not accept, changes to a clause in Quebec's Charter of the French Language that required all immigrant students to attend French-language schools."Quebec to study future of English schools," Toronto Star, 6 September 1991, A16; Andre Picard, "Change Bill 101, task force urges," Globe and Mail, 13 February 1992, A4; Rhéal Séguin, "Law on language in school splitting Quebec ministers," Globe and Mail, 3 June 1992, N4; Tu Thanh Ha and Geoff Baker, "No change to Bill 101 on schools," Montreal Gazette, 14 November 1992, A1. In September 1991, he announced a five-year program to reduce Quebec's high dropout rate, added more school days, and provide greater flexibility for the province's education providers.Rhéal Séguin, "Quebec promises major cut in student dropout rate," Globe and Mail, 11 September 1991, A5; Mary Lamey and Tu Thanh Ha, "Page's prescription: more school days," Montreal Gazette, 11 September 1991, A4.
Pagé announced in May 1991 that several schools in low-income neighbourhoods would serve free breakfasts to students at the start of each day.Andre Picard, "Breakfast program gives food for thought," Globe and Mail, 31 May 1991, A5. The following year, he again introduced cutbacks to Quebec's free milk program (after the program was transferred from the Agriculture ministry to Education).Andre Picard, "Funding runs dry for milk program," Globe and Mail, 4 September 1992, A4; "New milk policy unfair: school chairman," Montreal Gazette, 10 September 1992, G3.
Government House Leader In May 1991, Pagé blocked an effort by the Equality Party to have the Canadian flag permanently displayed in the national assembly.Rhéal Séguin, "Quebec House keeps out Canadian flag," Globe and Mail, 2 May 1991, A1. He acknowledged that he had introduced an identical motion eleven years earlier, though he said his purpose (like that of the Equality Party) was simply to embarrass the government of the day. As a compromise, the Liberals agreed to bring out the Canadian flag on special occasions."Waving a red flag over unity debate," Toronto Star, 3 May 1991, A25.
Pagé oversaw legislation for a provincial referendum in late 1992. The Bourassa government's original intent was to have a vote on Quebec sovereignty, but it later changed the referendum to a vote on the Charlottetown Accord, a post-Meech Lake effort at constitutional reform.Edison Stewart, "Referendum logistics top agenda in Ottawa," Toronto Star, 2 September 1992, A9. The accord was defeated in Quebec and in a national vote across Canada. Following the vote, Pagé said that Canadians could no longer live happily together and that sovereignty-association could be an interesting concept for Quebec's future."Political fog suits Bourassa just fine," Toronto Star, 3 November 1992, A21; Robert McKenzie, "Quebec cabinet retreat to ponder unity options," Toronto Star, 5 November 1992, A14. (Several years later, Pagé said that he made these comments in the emotion of the moment and that they were not representative of his beliefs.)"Ex-minister is new big cheese: Page takes on top dairy job," Montreal Gazette, 21 March 2001, A6.