Jean-Luc Pépin

Jean-Luc Pepin PC CC (1 November 1924 – 5 September 1995) was a Canadian academic, politician and Cabinet minister.

Jean-Luc Pepin
Pépin, c.1968
Minister of Transport
In office
3 March 1980  11 August 1983
Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau
Preceded byDon Mazankowski
Succeeded byLloyd Axworthy
Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce
In office
1 April 1969  26 November 1972
Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byAlastair Gillespie
Minister of Trade and Commerce
In office
6 July 1968  31 March 1969
Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau
Preceded byCharles Drury
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Acting
30 March 1968  19 April 1968
Prime MinisterLester B. Pearson
Preceded byRobert Winters
Succeeded byCharles Drury
Minister of Labour
In office
20 April 1968  5 July 1968
Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau
Preceded byJohn Robert Nicholson
Succeeded byBryce Mackasey
Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources
In office
1 October 1966  5 July 1968
Prime MinisterLester B. Pearson
Pierre Trudeau
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byJoe Greene
Minister of Mines and Technical Surveys
In office
18 December 1965  30 September 1966
Prime MinisterLester B. Pearson
Preceded byJohn Watson MacNaught
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Minister without portfolio
In office
7 July 1965  17 December 1965
Prime MinisterLester B. Pearson
Member of Parliament
for Ottawa—Carleton
In office
22 May 1979  3 September 1984
Preceded byJean Pigott
Succeeded byBarry Turner
Member of Parliament
for Drummond
(Drummond—Arthabaska; 1963–1968)
In office
8 April 1963  29 October 1972
Preceded byDavid Ouellet
Succeeded byJean-Marie Boisvert
Personal details
Born(1924-11-01)1 November 1924
Drummondville, Quebec, Canada
Died5 September 1995(1995-09-05) (aged 70)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Political partyLiberal
Spouse
Sheila-Mary Brock-Smith
(m. 1952)
Children2
EducationUniversity of Ottawa
Profession
  • Professor
  • political commentator

Political biography

Pepin was a political science professor at the University of Ottawa when he was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1963 election as a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) from Quebec.

From 1965 to 1972, he served in the cabinets of Prime Ministers Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Trudeau in various capacities, including Minister of Mines and Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce overseeing the decision to have Canada adopt the metric system.

He lost his seat in the 1972 election, and retired from public life until 1975 when Trudeau appointed him to chair the Anti-Inflation Board.

In 1977, he and former Premier of Ontario John Robarts were appointed to head the "Task Force on Canadian Unity". This task force was created by the federal government as a response to the election of the Parti Québécois, which seeks political independence for Quebec in the 1976 provincial election.

The task force issued a report in 1979 that recommended entrenching language rights in the Canadian Constitution, and for the reduction of federal powers in all areas but economic management. The Task Force also recommended the replacement of the Senate of Canada with a "Council of the Federation" whose members would be appointed by provincial governments, and to grant the provinces a say in appointments to the Supreme Court of Canada. Most of these recommendations were rejected by the Government of Canada, and did not make their way into the new Constitution that was enacted in 1982.

After a seven-year absence, Pepin returned to the House of Commons in the 1979 election. When the Liberals returned to power after the 1980 election, he became Minister of Transport until 12 August 1983. In that position he was responsible for

  • the drastic 1981 passenger rail service cuts (from which Canadian passenger rail never recovered);
  • abolition of the Crowsnest Pass rates;[1]
  • the National Ports Policy, enunciated in the Harbour Commissions Act.[2]

Later, he became a Minister of State to the Department of External Affairs and Minister responsible for La Francophonie.

Later life

Following heart surgery, he retired from politics in 1984, and returned to academia as a fellow at the University of Ottawa's Institute on Public Policy.

In 1977, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. He was bestowed the title, The Right Honourable in 1992.

Electoral history

1963 Canadian federal election: Drummond—Arthabaska
Party Candidate Votes
LiberalJean-Luc Pépin17,338
Social CreditDavid Ouellet14,739
Progressive ConservativeJ.-Claude Couture3,416
New DemocraticPierre Lambert1,456
1965 Canadian federal election: Drummond—Arthabaska
Party Candidate Votes
LiberalJean-Luc Pépin15,179
Ralliement créditisteAndré Fortin8,518
Progressive ConservativePierre Jutras7,413
IndependentSam Boulanger6,068
New DemocraticCharles-Émile Riendeau1,660
1968 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes%
LiberalJean-Luc Pépin11,66738.5
Ralliement créditisteClaude Proulx9,54531.5
Progressive ConservativeAndré Biron8,34227.6
New DemocraticPierre Gagné7232.4
Total valid votes 30,277 100.0
1972 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Social CreditJean-Marie Boisvert15,92342.2+10.7
LiberalJean-Luc Pépin15,85342.0+3.5
Progressive ConservativeRoger Rousseau5,35114.2-13.4
New DemocraticAnn Dewitt5901.6-0.8
Total valid votes 37,717 100.0
1979 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes%±%
LiberalJean-Luc Pépin33,972
Progressive ConservativeJean Pigott26,972
New DemocraticJill Vickers8,234
1980 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes%±%
LiberalJean-Luc Pépin34,960
Progressive ConservativeBert Lawrence22,384
New DemocraticDon Francis7,788
IndependentOli Cosgrove235

Note: Social Credit vote is compared to Ralliement créditiste vote in the 1968 election.

Bibliography

  • Pepin, Jean-Luc, 1924–. National ports policy = Politique portuaire nationale / Jean-Luc Pepin. – [Ottawa] : Minister of Transport = Ministre des transports, 1981.

Archives

There is a Jean-Luc Pepin fonds at Library and Archives Canada.[3]

References

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