Laurier LaPierre
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Laurier L. LaPierre, OC , Ph.D , LL.D (born November 21, 1929 in Lac Megantic, Quebec) is a retired Canadian Senator and former broadcaster, journalist and author. He is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.
LaPierre is best known for having been co-host with Patrick Watson of the influential public affairs show This Hour Has Seven Days in the 1960s. After the show's cancellation, LaPierre moved to politics as a "star candidate" for the New Democratic Party in the 1968 federal election. The party was hoping that he would help achieve an electoral breakthrough in Quebec, but he only managed to come in a distant second place in the riding of Lachine with 19.5% of the vote.
He returned to broadcasting and writing for the next several decades until his appointment to the Senate in June 2001. As a member of the Liberal caucus, LaPierre was an outspoken supporter of Jean Chrétien against supporters of rival Paul Martin.
LaPierre has a Ph.D in history from the University of Toronto and has written several books including Quebec: A Tale of Love; Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the Romance of Canada; 1759: The Battle for Canada; Québec hier et aujourd'hui; and, The Apprenticeship of Canada, 1876-1914. He has written articles for The Financial Post, International Review, Canadian Forum and Encyclopædia Britannica. He has been an activist with EGALE, a lobby group for gay and lesbian rights, since coming out as gay in the late 1980s. He was Canada's first openly gay senator.[1]
In 2004, Senator LaPierre made news by responding in an e-mail to a Christian regarding the then proposed hate crime Bill C-250, with various comments, including the statement "God! you people are sick. God should strike you dead!", and commented on the Bible by saying "In a book that is supposed to speak of love and you find passages of hatred: You should be ashamed of yourself of reading such books!" The senator later issued an apology.[2] He retired upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75 on November 21, 2004.
In 1994, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
[edit] External links
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Celebrating a History of Diversity: Lesbian and Gay Life in Saskatchewan, 1971 - 2006. University of Saskatchewan. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
- ^ "Hate speech is best fought with a pen", National Post, 21 April 2004
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | LaPierre, Laurier L. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Canadian politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 21, 1929 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lac Megantic, Quebec, Canada |
| DATE OF DEATH | living |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
