On June 7, the State of Quebec lost one of its greatest servants; the Quebec nation, one of its most faithful ambassadors; the French language, one of its most ardent defenders. Michel Lucier, a man of faith, conviction and action, gave up his soul to God at the end of a long and demanding fight that he fought, like the many others he led, with strength and courage.
I met Michel when he was stationed in Paris, on Quai André-Citroën in the 15the arrondissement, as director of training and education for the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT), an organization that became the Intergovernmental Agency for the Francophonie before being integrated into the International Organization of the Francophonie.
From our very first exchanges, I was struck by the authenticity, the sense of values and humor, the strength of character, the judgment, the erudition and the integrity that recalled the qualities of Jean-Paul Desbiens. Like our unforgettable Brother Untel, Michel perfectly embodied the sense of State and civic duty, which he reinforced by drawing on the deep and solid roots of an unwavering attachment, an imperishable respect and an unalterable pride in what Quebec has been, was and would want to become. He never deviated from this principle of conduct, which he made a duty of loyalty.
In the fair and generous words of Prime Minister Lucien Bouchard, who recalled Michel’s admirable and exemplary career in The dutyallow me today to add two other major accomplishments of the man who, 41 years ago now, honored me with the privilege of his friendship.
First, the in-depth reform of the Communauté urbaine de Montréal (CUM), at the end of which the mayors of the suburban cities obtained, in 1982, parity of seats on the executive committee. As director of the office of the Minister of Municipal Affairs at the time, Mr. Jacques Léonard, Michel played a decisive role in the adoption of Bill 46, which constituted an important step forward in the desire of the mayors of the Montreal suburbs to counter the reductive vision carried by the mayor of Montreal and his hobby horse of “one island, one city.”
With the support of Mr. Jean-Roch Boivin, chief of staff to Premier René Lévesque, Michel built trusting relationships with a group of municipal elected officials whose political allegiances were far from his own, in order not only to avoid the breakup of the CUM, but also to breathe new life into it. This was indeed the case for nearly two decades, at least until the emergence of the illusion of economies of scale to be generated by forced mergers of municipalities.
Unfortunately, despite serious warnings, including those issued in the middle by Mr. Jacques Parizeau during the work of the Study Commission on the Future of Municipalities that he chaired at the request of the Union of Municipalities of Quebec, the inestimable achievements of a harmoniously operational CUM were to be destroyed by two successive governments. With the lucidity and serenity that characterized him, Michel would undoubtedly have reiterated that the current state of affairs speaks for itself and that History, implacable, has already judged.
Second, an unparalleled ability to bring people together. I know of no one who has managed to build, as Michel did with intelligence, patience, perseverance and respect, bonds of trust as close and fruitful as those he has woven with French-speaking Africa. It is no coincidence that Prime Minister Robert Bourassa called upon his skills and talents at the third Conference of Heads of State and Government of Countries Using French as a Common Language, namely the Summit of La Francophonie held in Dakar, Senegal, in 1989.
Since the news of Michel’s death, in addition to the warm memories of our exchanges, I recall the unforgettable image of a rainy evening in November 1987, in the Red Room of the Quebec Parliament, where a large, moved and shaken rock was meditating on the mortal remains, displayed in a chapel, of the man who was his inspiration: Prime Minister René Lévesque.
I resign myself to taking leave forever of an enlightened and enlightening, inspired and inspiring friend, by expressing the wish that, like France which promoted Michel Lucier to the rank of officer of the Legion of Honour, Quebec, in turn and in the near future possible, will elevate him posthumously to its National Order.
I express my deepest and most sincere sympathy to each and every member of his family, his strongest anchor and an inexhaustible source of pride, as well as to his relatives, friends, colleagues and comrades in arms.
Michel, my friend, you will not have seen the country of Quebec come into being, but know that it is people of your caliber who have made it a legitimate and respectable ideal. It is without a doubt an inestimable heritage that commands respect and gratitude.