The elected members of the National Assembly paid tribute on Tuesday to the editorialist Robert Dutrisac, after more than 35 years of career in the Duty where he was also a parliamentary correspondent in Quebec and a journalist in the economics section.
The Quebec deputies gave a long ovation to Mr. Dutrisac, present in the stands of the Blue Room, after having adopted a unanimous motion to thank him for his “contribution to parliamentary journalism and to Quebec democratic life”. He will bow out of Duty at the end of June.
First hired in the economy section of the newspaper in 1987, he then became a parliamentary correspondent in Quebec in 1999, then joined the editorial team in 2017. He was also president of the Quebec parliamentary press gallery in 2011, during his 140e anniversary.
The Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie, Minister responsible for the Status of Women and former journalist, Martine Biron, also affirmed that he was, in her eyes, “one of the best journalists at the Tribune de the press”. During his long career, Robert Dutrisac “enriched us with his thought and his incisive pen”, she said in the House.
“He made words dance, gave color to events and above all teased, mockingly, political actors,” she added. The latter raised that the columnist born in Quebec is “very sharp with the language”.
With the challenges facing the media in 2023, in particular due to fake news, it is important to highlight the qualities of “an exceptional journalist,” said Québec solidaire MNA Ruba Ghazal. She underlined her “passion for Quebec political life and her critical and rigorous work, in compliance with the highest journalistic standards”.
The parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec, Monsef Derraji, added by saying that as “a proud nationalist, he has always put forward the importance of our culture and our language”.
The PQ leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, thanked the editorialist for his great interest in issues such as “the French language, nationalism and especially that of Quebec independence”.
Prime Minister François Legault, who was absent from question period at the Salon bleu due to the forest fires in Sept-Îles, met with Mr. Dutrisac in his office upon his return. “The Press Gallery of the Parliament of Quebec loses a rigorous and highly respected member,” he wrote on Twitter.
The journalist @rdutrisac to retire. I took the opportunity to tell him to spend time with his family, who was also present. The Press Gallery of the Parliament of Quebec loses a rigorous and highly respected member! Happy retirement Robert! pic.twitter.com/eiKi3sKFfy
— Francois Legault (@francoislegault) June 6, 2023
Defend the interests of Quebec
The director of DutyBrian Myles, argued that as a member of the editorial team, Robert Dutrisac “enriched our collective thinking on issues mainly related to political life, by always defending the higher interests of Quebec”.
The newspaper’s readers, like Mr. Dutrisac’s colleagues, will miss “the rigorous, constant and committed way in which he defended Quebec’s distinctive strengths in his editorials,” added the editor-in-chief of the DutyMarie-Andrée Chouinard.
On a more personal note, she added that she saluted his “impeccable” career path.
With Marie-Michèle Sioui and Dave Noël