Quebec’s first education minister led major reforms
Montreal native was driving force behind creation of new school system in 1964
Paul Gérin-Lajoie, one of the architects of the vast reform of Quebec’s education system during the Quiet Revolution, has died at the age of 98. He served as Quebec’s first education minister from 1964 to 1966.
Gérin-Lajoie died “surrounded by loved ones” on Monday, according to the foundation he created in 1977.
Gérin-Lajoie was one of the most important ministers in the government of Jean Lesage, who led Quebec from 1960 to 1966. Along with Lesage, René Lévesque and Georges-Émile Lapalme, Gérin-Lajoie worked to modernize Duplessisera Quebec as soon as the Liberal government was elected in June 1960.
Appointed the minister of youth and responsible for public education, Gérin-Lajoie immediately launched a vast survey on the education of Quebecers, a task he entrusted to renowned teacher Alphonse-Marie Parent. After the Parent Commission made its recommendations, a new school system was created in 1964, as was the Department of Education to run it.
Gérin-Lajoie put forward several principles: free public education, the obligation to attend school until age 16 for all Quebec youth, the establishment of the secondary education network, exchanges of higher-level students with France, and improved teacher training.
After the Liberals lost to the Union Nationale in the 1966 elections, Gérin-Lajoie continued to advance Quebec’s education system as a member of the opposition. He created CEGEPs in 1967 and established the Université du Québec in 1968.
Gérin-Lajoie is also the creator of a policy named after him: the “Gérin-Lajoie doctrine,” which has been carefully observed by all Quebec governments since 1970. According to the doctrine, Quebec should play an independent role on the international stage in areas within its exclusive jurisdiction, such as education and culture, without Ottawa’s oversight.
Born in Montreal on Feb. 23, 1920, Gérin-Lajoie was one of the first Quebecers to win a Rhodes Scholarship in 1938, when he was only 18.
He led the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) from 1969 to 1977, breathing new life into Canada’s international assistance for poorer countries.
Gérin-Lajoie notably expanded assistance to French-speaking countries at a time when several former French colonies in Africa were gaining independence. He also expanded CIDA’s role in emergency situations and enhanced the role of non-governmental organizations in foreign co-operation.
In 1981, he was appointed president and CEO of the Old Port of Montreal Corporation. He took the opportunity to improve the obsolete port facilities, giving Montrealers a new perspective on the St. Lawrence River.
Starting in 1986, he chaired the Paul Gérin-Lajoie Foundation, dedicated to providing training and education for young Africans. It also created the popular Dictée Paul- Gérin-Lajoie, a project that aims to improve French-speaking students’ knowledge of the French language across the world.
Gérin-Lajoie’s contributions were recognized through numerous decorations and awards, including being made a member of the National Order of Quebec, and a Companion of the Order of Canada. Presse Canadienne