Marcel Parent (April 6, 1932 – August 22, 2024) was a Canadian politician in Montreal, Quebec. He was chair of the Montreal Catholic School Commission (MCSC) from 1983 to 1984, a Liberal member of the National Assembly of Quebec from 1984 to 1998, and a member of the Montreal city council from 2001 to 2009. Parent died in Montreal on August 22, 2024, at the age of 92.Marcel Parent, ancien député libéral provincial, s’éteint https://www.magnuspoirier.com/fr/avis-de-deces/128644/marcel-parent

Early life and career Parent was born in Montreal on April 6, 1932. He attended Collège Notre-Dame du Sacré-Cœur. Parent earned a bachelor's degree in physical education and recreation from the Université de Montréal (1954), was a lecturer at the same institution from 1963 to 1965, worked in Montreal's parks department, and was assistant director of the city's sports and recreation department from 1980 to 1984. He held a number of positions and responsibilities in the fields of sports and leisure, including serving as Montreal's project officer for the World Youth Games in Denmark in 1967.Marcel Parent, National Assembly of Quebec, accessed 9 October 2017.

School trustee Parent was secretary and vice-chair of the Montreal Catholic School Commission's Regional Advisory Committee of Parents from 1970 to 1972.Marcel Parent, National Assembly of Quebec, accessed 9 October 2017. He sought election to the commission in the first direct elections for commissioners in 1973 with the combined endorsement of Mouvement scolaire confessionnel and Les parents solidaires, but was defeated.Le Devoir, 19 June 1973, p. 6. In 1980, he was elected without opposition as a Mouvement scolaire confessionnel candidate in the commission's sixteenth district.Le Devoir, 6 June 1980, p. 2; Le Devoir, 10 June 1980, p. 1; Montreal Gazette, 11 June 1980, p. 118. He was subsequently appointed to the MCSC's executive and was re-elected in 1983."Nouvelle victoire du MSC à la CECM," Le Devoir, 14 June 1983, A1. He served as president from 1983 to 1984, in what appears to have been a contentious time for the board; one source has described his presidency as "raucous."Catherine Solyom, "Ex-MNA flees city hall spats," Montreal Gazette, 29 May 2002, A1.

Member of the National Assembly Parent was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in a 1984 by-election in the Montreal division of Sauvé, winning a landslide victory in what had previously been a Parti Québécois (PQ) seat.Lawrence Martin, "PQ beaten by Liberals in three by-elections; string of losses now 21," Globe and Mail, 19 June 1984, p. 1. The PQ were in government during this time, and Parent served for the next year in opposition. He was re-elected in the 1985 provincial election, in which the Liberals won a majority government under Robert Bourassa's leadership, and served as a government backbencher. He was appointed as chair of the province's education committee on February 11, 1986, and held the position until August 9, 1989.Daniel Drolet, "Consolation prize: $10,550 more to head committee," Montreal Gazette, 12 February 1986, A4.Marcel Parent, National Assembly of Quebec, accessed 9 October 2017.

Parent was elected to a second full term in the 1989 provincial election, in which the Liberals were returned to office with a second consecutive majority. He was appointed as chair of the Liberal Party caucus on November 19, 1989. Quebec's political life was dominated in this period by the proposed Meech Lake Accord on reforming the Canadian Constitution. The accord, if approved, would have formally recognized Quebec as a distinct society within Canada. In April 1990, Parent was appointed to a thirteen-member Liberal Party committee led by Jean Allaire to explore options for Quebec, including sovereignty, if the accord failed.Elisabeth Kalbfuss, "Liberals to study post-Meech options," Montreal Gazette, 9 April 1990, A8. Parent was quoted at this time as saying, "if Meech is not adopted nobody can say what will happen."Rheal Seguin, "Bourassa prepares for summer of discontent," Globe and Mail, 12 May 1990, A1.

The accord was eventually rejected, leading to a strong upsurge in support for the Quebec sovereigntist movement. While he himself was a committed Canadian federalist, Parent acknowledged that the sovereignty issue had become a matter of "pride and respect" for many in Quebec.Sarah Scott, "Few Liberal `federalists' put saving Canada first," Montreal Gazette, 7 February 1991, A1. In 1992, he helped ensure the Quebec Liberal Party's support of the Charlottetown Accord,Robert McKenzie, "Bourassa's cabinet backs unity accord," Montreal Gazette, 25 August 1992, A10. another ultimately unsuccessful attempt at constitutional reform. Parent stood down as caucus chair on January 11, 1994, the same day that Bourassa resigned as premier, and served as chair of the provincial committee on institutions from January 26 to July 24, 1994.Marcel Parent, National Assembly of Quebec, accessed 9 October 2017.

In February 1992, Parent accompanied Quebec's education minister Michel Pagé on a trip to Israel to study how the country integrated new immigrants and encouraged the use of the Hebrew language."Education minister touring Israel," Montreal Gazette, 16 February 1992, A5.

Parent was re-elected again in the 1994 provincial election, in which the Parti Québécois won a majority government and the Liberals moved into opposition. He was appointed as his party's critic on senior's issues.Philip Authier, "Less-critical portfolios given to anglo MNAs in shadow cabinet," Montreal Gazette, 3 November 1994, A7. He did not seek re-election in 1998 and instead gave his support to Line Beauchamp, his successor as the Liberal Party's candidate in the riding.Kate Swoger and George Kalogerakis, "Jobs, health care keys in east end," Montreal Gazette, 23 November 1998, A9.

During the 1997 Canadian federal election, Parent served as a campaign co-chair for Liberal Party of Canada candidate Denis Coderre in the Bourassa riding.Hubert Bauch, "Liberal nomination called `first shot' of federal election: Big guns target Bloc-held riding," Montreal Gazette, 10 February 1997, A8.

City councillor Parent returned to political life in the 2001 Montreal municipal election, winning election as a candidate of Gérald Tremblay's Montreal Island Citizens Union (MICU) in the three-member division of Montréal-Nord. Tremblay was elected as mayor and MICU won a majority of seats on council; Parent was selected as chair (i.e., speaker) of council when it first met in early 2002 and also led a municipal committee on democracy and transparency in the city.Sidharta Banerjee, "Council gets earful on democracy," Montreal Gazette, 16 May 2002, A4. Relations between municipal parties were extremely fraught after the 2001 election, and in late May 2002 Parent walked out of the chair's position in frustration at council's inability to move forward with its agenda.Levon Sevunts, "One city, one brawl: Montreal politics driving former suburban councillors batty," Montreal Gazette, 6 June 2002, A3. He returned to the position the following month.Michelle Lalonde, "Plateau bakery targeted over chimney emissions," Montreal Gazette, 19 June 2002, A4. Parent also served as chair of the Montréal-Nord borough council after the 2001 election; in 2003, this position was restyled as borough mayor.Irwin Block, "Montreal North in a state of flux," Montreal Gazette 21 October 2005, A6.

Parent was directly re-elected as Montréal-Nord's borough mayor in the 2005 municipal election and, by virtue of holding this position, automatically continued to serve on city council. Tremblay was re-elected as mayor of the city, MICU again won a majority on council, and Parent was again chosen as city council speaker. In 2006, he credited Montreal's 2002 amalgamation with giving Montréal-Nord an extra five million dollars in its budget.Henry Aubin, "A failure on almost all counts" [editorial], Montreal Gazette, 3 March 2006, A21.

Parent faced calls for his resignation following the shooting death of Fredy Villanueva by a Montreal Police officer in Montréal-Nord in August 2008. Some members of community organizations argued that Parent was "out of touch" and unaware of racial profiling in the community.Giuseppe Valiente, "New voice emerges from grassroots," Montreal Gazette, 17 August 2008, A2; Christopher Maughan, "Montreal North residents want borough mayor out," Montreal Gazette, 21 August 2008, A8. He did not resign at the time, but he retired from politics the following year at age seventy-seven rather than seeking re-election in the 2009 municipal election.

Electoral record Municipal

Provincial

School board + Montreal Catholic School Commission election, 1983 (Trustee, District Sixteen)"Nouvelle victoire du MSC à la CECM," Le Devoir, 14 June 1983, A1; Montreal Gazette, 14 June 1983, A6. Party Candidate Votes % Mouvement scolaire confessionnel Marcel Parent (incumbent) 3,646 79.66 Independent Lise Coderre-Ducharme 931 20.34 Total votes cast 4,577 100.00

+ Montreal Catholic School Commission election, 1980 (Trustee, District Sixteen)Le Devoir, 6 June 1980, p. 2; Le Devoir, 10 June 1980, p. 1; Montreal Gazette, 11 June 1980, p. 118. Party Candidate Votes % Mouvement scolaire confessionnel Marcel Parent acclaimed

+ Montreal Catholic School Commission, 1977 (Trustee, District Nineteen)Le Devoir, 19 June 1973, p. 6. Party Candidate Votes % Independent Paul Daigneault 3,829 51.99 Mouvement scolaire confessionnel–Les parents solidaires Marcel Parent 1,937 26.30 Independent Gilles St-Onge 1,109 15.06 Independent J-Léopold Gagnier 490 6.65 Total votes cast 7,365 100.00

References