Michel Bourdon (September 19, 1943 – November 29, 2004) was a union leader, journalist, and politician in Quebec, Canada. During the 1970s, he played a major role in exposing corrupt practices in Quebec's construction industry. He later served in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1989 to 1996 as a member of the Parti Québécois (PQ).
Bourdon was married for a time to Louise Harel, herself a prominent Quebec politician. The pair had an amiable divorce and remained political allies in the years that followed.Hubert Bauch, "Klein marvels at things he has in common with Bouchard," Montreal Gazette, 5 February 1996, A5. Their daughter, Catherine Harel-Bourdon, became chair of the Commission scolaire de Montréal in 2013.
Early life and career Bourdon was born in Montreal and began working as a journalist with the Nouveau Journal at age sixteen. He later edited the Quartier Libre while attending the Université de Montréal.
He joined Radio-Canada in 1966 as a French-language television news reporter and subsequently became president of the Syndicat général du cinéma et de la télévision. In 1968, he was the primary spokesperson for a group of Radio-Canada journalists who went on strike to support a television reporter suspended for allegedly showing "anti-police bias" in reporting on the 1968 St-Jean-Baptiste Day riots.Ronald Lebel, "News blackout continues on CBC's French network as strike stalemated," Globe and Mail, 27 June 1968, p. 1. Bourdon and four other journalists later were given five-day suspensions for refusing to work during Radio-Canada's coverage of the 1968 Canadian federal election, which took place the day after the riots.Leslie Millin, "Newsmen suspended for news blackout," Globe and Mail, 14 August 1968, p. 5.
Bourdon was fired from Radio-Canada during the 1970 FLQ Crisis for "insubordination," after publicly accusing the station of censorship in its coverage of the event."Radio-Canada suspends newsman who participated in teach-in," Globe and Mail, 4 November 1970, p. 4; "Two reporters fired by CBC for criticism," Globe and Mail, 10 November 1970, p. 8; Dominique Clément, "The October Crisis of 1970: Human Rights Abuses Under the War Measures Act," Journal of Canadian Studies, Spring 2008, pp. 160-186.Alan Hustak, "'A great Quebecer in his soul and in his heart'," Montreal Gazette, 30 November 2004, A10.
Union activist As vice-president of the Montreal council of the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) in 1970, Bourdon endorsed Quebec independence and accused Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau of having imposed the War Measures Act on Quebec during the FLQ Crisis to weaken the constitutional Parti Québécois rather than the radical Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) paramilitary group. He also accused Trudeau of having put Quebec under military occupation with "means of terror incomparably superior to those of the FLQ.""Montreal council of the CNTU urges independence as Quebec solution," Globe and Mail, 21 October 1970, p. 9. The following year, Bourdon took part in a ten-member citizens' commission that reviewed the Canadian government's response to the crisis."Group to open hearings on Quebec crisis," Globe and Mail, 12 October 1971, p. 9.
Bourdon was elected as leader of the CSN-affiliated Fédération nationale des syndicats du bâtiment et du bois in the early 1970s.Harvey Shepherd, "Rival Quebec union groups seek job security but construction industry faces confusion," Globe and Mail, 16 February 1973, p. 5. Shortly thereafter, he released a dossier noir report exposing violence and corruption in Quebec's construction industry, then dominated by the rival Fédération des travailleurs du Québec (FTQ). This report received extensive coverage and prompted the provincial government to launch the Cliche Commission, which brought about wide-ranging changes. In 2004, the Montreal Gazette credited Bourdon with having "almost single-handedly" exposed the issue of corruption in the construction sector. Bourdon and his family were threatened by the mafia after the dossier noir's release and received police protection.David Johnston, "Healing time, Harel says," Montreal Gazette, 2 October 2009, A3; Sue Montgomery, "Louise Harel," Montreal Gazette, 2 November 2009, B2; Martin Patriquin, "Montreal is a disaster," Maclean's, 9 November 2009, pp. 28-32. See a;sp Harvey Shepherd, "Rivalry among Quebec unions - with nationalist overtones," Globe and Mail, 25 May 1974, p. 8.
Bourdon testified before the Cliche Commission in 1974, accusing the FTQ of running a "private army" that used intimidation tactics against CSN members on construction sites; he also criticized Quebec labour minister Jean Cournoyer for allegedly favouring the FTQ in negotiations."Union is compared to a private army," Globe and Mail, 25 September 1974, p. 33. The commission's report ultimately found that corruption in the sector was almost entirely limited to the FTQ and "hardly touched" the CSN.During this period, leading FTQ officials sought to undermine Bourdon by doctoring a photograph to depict him as being in a homosexual relationship. (Same-sex relations were not generally approved of in Quebec during this time period.) See Richard Cleroux, "The labor probe that indicted Quebec society," Globe and Mail, 18 March 1975, p. 1.
In 1976, Bourdon led the CSN's construction workers in refusing to join a FTQ strike. He indicated that this decision resulted from the CSN's exclusion from recent labour-management negotiations."Orders given for a general strike in Quebec construction industry," Globe and Mail, 8 September 1976, B3.
Bourdon resigned as president of the CSN's construction wing in 1979 to seek the PQ's nomination for a provincial by-election in Maisonneuve."Minister's aide seeks nomination," Globe and Mail, 21 August 1979, p. 9. He lost the nomination to Jacques Desmarais. Several members of the party's riding executive later resigned, charging interference from Quebec premier and PQ leader René Lévesque."Intrusion by Levesque claimed, PQ workers to skip campaign," Globe and Mail, 29 September 1979, p. 12.
PQ activist and legislator Bourdon was on the PQ's radical left wing in the party's early years. He endorsed the CSN's 1971 decision to support the PQ, but added, "This doesn't mean that we won't criticize [the party] when it takes a position contrary to the interests of workers.""CNTU council votes to back Parti Quebecois," Globe and Mail, 3 May 1971, p. 3. In 1981, he helped lead the PQ's annual convention in affirming its support for full independence and rejecting René Lévesque's policy of sovereignty-association.Graham Fraser, "Empty places all that remain of PQ left," Montreal Gazette, 14 September 1985, p. 8. An exasperated Lévesque once described Bourdon as "a professional dissident and a manipulator from God knows where."
In 1977, Bourdon strongly defended the PQ's Charter of the French Language against concerns from other party members that it would discriminate against anglophone immigrants from other parts of Canada. Bourdon's position was that the charter was not discriminatory.Richard Cleroux, "Defending rights of English brings trouble for PQ member," Globe and Mail, 14 April 1977, p. 1.
After the fall of the first PQ government in 1985, Bourdon considered running for the House of Commons of Canada as a candidate of the New Democratic Party. At the time, he was quoted as saying, "independence is not on the agenda any more."Graham Fraser, "Public regard for Broadbent pushing NDP up in Quebec," Globe and Mail, 16 July 1987, A8. He ultimately decided not to run. In opposition Bourdon was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec for the newly created east-end Montreal division of Pointe-aux-Trembles in the 1989 provincial election. He highlighted environmental concerns during the campaign, saying that petrochemical companies should pay the costs of removing toxic chemicals from the air and soil of east-end Montreal.Elisabeth Kalbfuss, "East-end PQ candidates want polluters to pay cleanup costs," Montreal Gazette, 18 August 1994, A4. The Liberal Party was returned to a second consecutive majority government in this election under Robert Bourassa's leadership, and Bourdon served for the next four years as a member of the official opposition. At different times, he was his party's critic for labour, justice, and issues of public integrity.Don MacPherson, "Premier may find relief in the weather," Montreal Gazette, 18 November 1989, B3; Daniel Singer, "Quebec to recruit more English bureaucrats," Ottawa Citizen, 17 May 1991, A3; Andrew McIntosh, "Blasting Hydro; Utility is blamed for slapdash brief to legislature committee hearings," Montreal Gazette, 31 May 1994, D2.
In December 1989, Bourdon accused the Bourassa government of unfair patronage tactics in awarding a contract for the expansion of a North Shore hospital to a firm with Liberal ties, even though the firm had not initially been in the running. The government denied the charge.Philip Authier, "Contracts go to Liberal cronies: PQ; You haven't an iota of proof Cote says of PQ campaign," Montreal Gazette, 14 December 1989, A5. The following summer, Bourdon announced the PQ's support for a government task force report on tightening the rules for government contracts.Philip Authier, "Tighten contract system to limit patronage: report; Task force finds potential for abuse," Montreal Gazette, 5 June 1990, A5.
Bourdon strongly criticized the PQ leadership at the party's 1991 convention, after party whip Jacques Brassard introduced a successful motion in support of the Gulf War. Bourdon charged that Brassard had introduced the motion due to pressure from the American government and speculated that most delegates who supported it were fearful of offending American interests at a time when the PQ had reasonable aspirations of returning to power. Bourdon himself strongly opposed the war, saying, "I don't want Quebecers coming home dead in plastic bags." At the same convention, he convinced delegates to endorse, for the first time, the right of self-determination for the Palestinian people.Philip Authier, "PQ left and right wing divided over Gulf war," Montreal Gazette, 28 January 1991, A3.
Bourdon and Equality Party leader Robert Libman formed an improbable alliance in early 1992 to support the rights of Montreal Island merchants, who had seen property tax increases of up to one hundred per cent due to the provincial government's restructuring of municipal tax codes.Don Macpherson, "Political foes join in one-night stand on Quebec taxes," Ottawa Citizen, 20 February 1992, A15.