View source for Lucien Bouchard

{{Short description|Premier of Quebec from 1996 to 2001}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=February 2011}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Honourable]]
| name                = Lucien Bouchard
| honorific-suffix    = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|GOQ|size=100%}}
| image               = Lucien Bouchard02 crop.jpg
| image_size          = 200px
| caption             = Bouchard in 2013
| residence           = 
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| order1              = 27th
| office1             = Premier of Quebec
| term_start1         = January 29, 1996
| term_end1           = March 8, 2001
| monarch1            = [[Elizabeth II]]
| lieutenant_governor1 = [[Martial Asselin]]<br />[[Jean-Louis Roux]]<br />[[Lise Thibault]]
| deputy1             = Bernard Landry
| predecessor1        = [[Jacques Parizeau]]
| successor1          = [[Bernard Landry]]
| office3             = [[Parti Québécois#Party leaders|President of the Parti Québécois]]
| term_start3         = January 27, 1996
| term_end3           = March 2, 2001
| predecessor3        = [[Jacques Parizeau]]
| successor3          = [[Bernard Landry]]
| office5             = [[Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada)|Leader of the Opposition]]
| term_start5         = November 4, 1993
| term_end5           = January 14, 1996
| predecessor5        = [[Jean Chrétien]]
| successor5          = [[Gilles Duceppe]]
| office6             = [[Bloc Québécois#Party leaders|Leader of the Bloc Québécois]]
| term_start6         = July 25, 1990
| term_end6           = January 16, 1996
| predecessor6        = ''Position established''
| successor6          = [[Gilles Duceppe]] (interim)
{{Collapsed infobox section begin |last=yes |Mulroney Cabinet
 |titlestyle=border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes
 | office7             = [[Minister of Environment and Climate Change|Minister of the Environment]]
| term_start7         = December 8, 1988
| term_end7           = May 21, 1990<br />Acting: December 8, 1988 – January 30, 1989
| primeminister7      = [[Brian Mulroney]]
| predecessor7        = [[Thomas McMillan (Canadian politician)|Thomas McMillan]]
| successor7          = [[Robert de Cotret]]
| office8             = [[Secretary of State for Canada]]
| term_start8         = March 31, 1988
| term_end8           = January 29, 1989
| primeminister8 = [[Brian Mulroney]]
| predecessor8        = [[David Crombie]]
| successor8          = [[Gerry Weiner]]
| office10             = [[Minister of Supply and Services]]<br />[[Receiver General for Canada]]
| term_start10         = March 31, 1988
| term_end10           = January 29, 1989
| primeminister10 = [[Brian Mulroney]]
| predecessor10        = [[Stewart McInnes]] (acting)
| successor10          = [[Paul Dick]]{{Collapsed infobox section end}}}}
{{Collapsed infobox section begin |last=yes |Parliamentary constituencies
 |titlestyle=border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes
| office11             = [[Member of the National Assembly (Quebec)|Member]] of the<br />[[National Assembly of Quebec]]<br />for [[Jonquière (provincial electoral district)|Jonquière]]
| term_start11         = February 19, 1996
| term_end11           = March 8, 2001
| predecessor11        = [[Francis Dufour]]
| successor11          = [[Françoise Gauthier]]
| parliament12        = Canadian
| riding12            = [[Lac-Saint-Jean]]
| term_start12        = June 20, 1988
| term_end12          = January 15, 1996
| predecessor12       = [[Clément M. Côté]]
| successor12         = [[Stéphan Tremblay]]{{Collapsed infobox section end}}}}
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1938|12|22}}
| birth_place         = [[Saint-Cœur-de-Marie, Quebec]], Canada
| party               = [[Parti Québécois]] (provincial, 1990–2010)<br />[[Bloc Québécois]] (federal, 1990–2010)
| otherparty          = [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative]] (federal, c. 1984–1990)
| spouse              = Solange Dugas (since May&nbsp;18, 2013)
| children            = 2
| alma_mater          = [[Université Laval]]
| profession          = [[Lawyer]]
}}

'''Lucien Bouchard''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|GOQ}} ({{IPA|fr|lysjɛ̃ buʃɑʁ}}; born December 22, 1938) is a Canadian lawyer, diplomat and retired [[politician]] who was the 27th [[premier of Quebec]] from 1996 to 2001.

Before his premiership in Quebec, he was a minister for two years in the [[24th Canadian Ministry|Mulroney cabinet]], Bouchard then founded and led the [[Bloc Québécois]] and became [[Leader of the Opposition (Canada)|Leader of the Opposition]] in the [[House of Commons of Canada]] from 1993 to 1996. He became a central figure for the "Yes" side in the [[1995 Quebec referendum]], alongside [[Jacques Parizeau]], whom he succeeded to serve as premier.

==Early life==
Bouchard was born in [[Saint-Cœur-de-Marie, Québec]], the son of Alice (née Simard) and Philippe Bouchard.<ref>{{cite news|author=Canadian Press|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/2007/02/19/lucien_bouchard39s_mother_dies_at_95.html|title=Lucien Bouchard's mother dies at 95|work=thestar.com|date=February 19, 2007|access-date=June 30, 2010}}</ref> His brother is the historian [[Gérard Bouchard]]. Lucien Bouchard graduated from Jonquière Classical College in 1959,{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}} and obtained a bachelor's degree in social science and a law degree at [[Université Laval]] in 1964.{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}} He was called to the [[Bar of Quebec]] later that year.{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}}

He practised law in [[Chicoutimi, Quebec|Chicoutimi]] until 1985,{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}} while being given many charges as a public servant over the years: president of the arbitration committee for the education sector (1970 to 1976),{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}} prosecutor in chief for the commission for labour and industry (Cliche commission, 1974–75),<ref>{{cite news
  | last = Curran
  | first = Peggy
  | title = Trip back in corruption time machine
  | newspaper = The Montreal Gazette
  |date=May 10, 2012 | url = https://montrealgazette.com/news/montreal/40-years-ago-an-inquiry-pointed-to-wrongdoing-and-violence-in-quebecs-construction-industry-will-anything-change-this-time
  | access-date = October 13, 2021}}</ref> and co-president of the study commission on the public and parapublic sectors (Martin-Bouchard commission&nbsp;— 1975).{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}} From then, he acted as a coordinator or member of many special teams on behalf of [[Government of Quebec|Quebec's government]] in the [[trade union]] negotiations for the public sector.{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}} In a 2000 interview with the journalist [[Michel Auger]] about his work with the Cliche commission, Bouchard named union boss [[André Desjardins]] one of the most toughest witnesses that he ever cross-examined.<ref>Auger, Michel ''The Biker who Shot Me: Recollections of a Crime Reporter'', Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2002 page 49.</ref>

==Early years in politics and diplomacy==
Bouchard's relationship with politics is a complex one, as he affiliated himself over the years with various [[political party|political parties]] with highly diverging [[ideology|ideologies]], going as far as founding one, the [[Bloc Québécois]].

Bouchard has been a [[Quebec nationalism|Quebec nationalist]] during his entire political career. Contrary to popular belief, during the [[1970 Quebec general election]], he did ''not'' work for the [[Quebec federalism|federalist]] [[Quebec Liberal Party]]. He was deeply shaken by the events of Quebec's [[October Crisis]], especially by [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Pierre Trudeau]]'s imposition of the [[War Measures Act]] requested by then Quebec Premier [[Robert Bourassa]].<ref>[http://www.premier-ministre.gouv.qc.ca/salle-de-presse/communiques/1988/mars/com19880315_rb.pdf]{{dead link|date=January 2012}}</ref>

Bouchard worked with the "Yes" side during the [[1980 Quebec referendum]] on sovereignty. In 1984 [[Brian Mulroney]], Bouchard's close friend from his law school days at Université Laval, became Canadian Prime Minister. Mulroney would go on to ask Bouchard to serve in various official capacities, including (in 1985) as Canadian ambassador to [[France]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.international.gc.ca/department/history-histoire/hplPeople-en.asp?lan=1|title=Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Complete List of Posts|publisher=International.gc.ca|date=June 8, 2007|access-date=June 30, 2010|archive-date=October 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001054017/http://www.international.gc.ca/department/history-histoire/hplPeople-en.asp?lan=1|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== MP in the House of Commons ==

=== Cabinet Minister in the Mulroney Cabinet  ===
In 1988, Bouchard returned to Canada to serve as Mulroney's [[Quebec lieutenant]], and was elected as a [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative]] from a [[Saguenay River|Saguenay]]-area riding. He was immediately named to Cabinet as Secretary of State and later Minister of the Environment.

While still a strong Quebec nationalist, he believed that Mulroney's [[Meech Lake Accord]] was sufficient to placate nationalist feelings and keep Quebec in Confederation. However, after a commission headed by [[Jean Charest]] recommended some changes to the Accord, Bouchard opposed them, saying they diluted the original spirit and objectives of Meech. Mulroney rejected his reasoning.

=== Formation of the Bloc Québécois  ===
[[File:Bouchardimg229us-signed (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|267x267px|Bouchard in 1990]]
Soon afterward, Bouchard declared himself a sovereigntist and sent a message of support to the PQ, which was holding an anniversary meeting in his riding.

{{cquote|[[René Lévesque]]'s memory will unite us all this weekend. He was the one who led Quebecers to realize they had the inalienable right to decide their own destiny.}}

When Mulroney learned about this, he called Bouchard into his office and fired him, though Bouchard long publicly insisted that he had resigned rather than support what he saw as a betrayal of Meech.<ref name=cbcdoc/><ref name=GlobeMail>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/bouchard-was-fired-in-1990-mulroney-insists-on-tapes/article20429938/|title=Bouchard was fired in 1990, Mulroney insists on tapes|author1=Gloria Galloway|publisher=[[The Globe and Mail]]|date=November 12, 2005}}</ref> It turned out that Bouchard had cut a deal with PQ leader [[Jacques Parizeau]] in which Bouchard would declare his support for sovereigntism; PQ leaders had told Bouchard that if Meech succeeded, it would mean the end of the PQ. Mulroney only learned of the deal when Parizeau revealed the plot in the early 2000s, and was angered to learn that Bouchard had "cooked up the deal with Parizeau while he was a member of my cabinet."<ref name=GlobeMail/><ref name=CTV>{{cite news|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/mulroney-i-ll-never-forgive-bouchard-s-betrayal-1.255259|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529030025/https://www.ctvnews.ca/mulroney-i-ll-never-forgive-bouchard-s-betrayal-1.255259|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 29, 2019|title=Mulroney: I'll never forgive Bouchard's betrayal|publisher=[[CTV News]]|date=September 6, 2007}}</ref>

Years later, Mulroney told [[CTV News]]' [[Lloyd Robertson]] that he seriously considered sacking Bouchard when Bouchard supported Quebec's ban on English-language signs after promising Mulroney that he opposed them. In hindsight, Mulroney said, not firing Bouchard then was "a mistake."<ref name=cbcdoc/> The two did not speak for years afterward, though they reconciled shortly before Mulroney's death in February 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/local-news/long-running-feud-with-brian-mulroney-ended-recently-lucien-bouchard-says/wcm/8e3d3045-61e0-4c08-8d92-dc43255179c3|title=Bitter, 30-year feud with Brian Mulroney ended recently, Bloc Québécois founder Lucien Bouchard says|publisher=[[nationalpost.com|National Post]]|date=March 1, 2024|access-date=March 1, 2024}}</ref>

Bouchard resigned from the Progressive Conservatives soon afterward, and sat as an independent for a few months. After the failure of the Meech Lake Accord, Bouchard formed the sovereigntist [[Bloc Québécois]] with five former Tories and two former Liberals.

The PQ campaigned for the Bloc in the [[1993 Canadian federal election|1993 federal election]] in order to prepare Quebec for sovereignty, according to the [[The Three Periods|Three Periods strategy]] devised by Parizeau. In this election, the Bloc Québécois won 54 out of 75 ridings in Quebec, including a near-sweep of the francophone ridings. Despite only running candidates in Quebec, its heavy concentration of support there was enough to give it the second-most seats in the House. Bouchard thus became the first separatist [[Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada)|leader of the Opposition]] in the history of Canada.

=== Leader of the Opposition ===
Soon after the election, Bouchard discovered that most of the members of his large caucus could not speak English nearly well enough to use it in debate (although he and most of the Bloc's other founding members were fluently bilingual). More or less out of necessity, he announced that Bloc MPs would only speak French on the Commons floor, a policy that remains in place to this day. Since the Official Opposition has considerable advantages over the other parties not in government, [[Question Period]]s during the 35th Parliament were dominated by issues of Canadian unity.

However, Prime Minister [[Jean Chrétien]] regarded [[Reform Party of Canada|Reform]] leader [[Preston Manning]] as his main opponent on non-Quebec matters. For example, in 1995, when Bouchard garnered an invitation to meet visiting US President [[Bill Clinton]] by virtue of being Opposition Leader, Manning was also granted a meeting with Clinton in order to diffuse Bouchard's separatist leverage.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|author=Warren Caragata in Ottawa with Carl Mollins in Washington|url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0010399|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428054316/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0010399|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 28, 2009|title=Clinton visits Chrétien|publisher=[[Maclean's]]|date=March 6, 1995|encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]|access-date=August 19, 2019}}</ref>

Bouchard was still serving in that capacity in Ottawa, and working closely with the provincial [[Parti Québécois]] to bring about the independence of Quebec, when he lost a leg to [[necrotizing fasciitis]] on December 1, 1994.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1704562045|title=BQ leader Lucien Bouchard returns to work in 1995 after losing leg|publisher=[[CBC.ca|CBC]] Archives|date=February 22, 1995|access-date=August 31, 2023}}</ref>

==1995 referendum on sovereignty==
In 1995, Bouchard signed, as Bloc leader, a tripartite agreement with Parti Québécois leader Jacques Parizeau and [[Action démocratique du Québec|Action démocratique]] leader [[Mario Dumont]], which mapped the way to the [[1995 Quebec referendum|referendum]] on independence. He was instrumental in convincing Parizeau to include a plan of association with Canada in the referendum question. He campaigned with the other two leaders for the "Oui" side. Quebec premier Jacques Parizeau first led the "Oui" campaign but, as support for sovereignty began to plateau, Bouchard was given the official leadership. The referendum was extremely narrowly defeated by a majority vote of 50.58% to 49.42%.

Not long before the 1995 referendum, Bouchard drew considerable ire when he said on October 14, 1995, "We're one of the white races that has the fewest children." [[Liza Frulla]], former Quebec culture minister commented, "We were shocked and hurt by Mr. Bouchard's various comments over the weekend. ... He is insulting our intelligence."<ref>Allan Thompson, ''Toronto Star'', October 17, 1995, p. A8</ref> The next week, on October 25, Bouchard's TV appeal following Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's televised address to the nation was likewise the subject of controversy. During his speech, Bouchard suddenly brandished a newspaper from the 1981 constitutional negotiations featuring a front-page photo of Pierre Trudeau and Chrétien together, laughing at a joke.  Bouchard claimed they had been laughing at Quebec. In his autobiography of his years as prime minister, Chrétien describes the stunt as "absolutely the worst kind of demagoguery.  It was the crudest stunt I had ever seen in Canadian politics."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chrétien |first=Jean |title=My Years as Prime Minister |publisher=Knopf Canada |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-676-97900-8 |pages=147–148 |language=English}}</ref>

==Premier of Quebec==
After the Yes side lost the 1995 referendum, Parizeau resigned as Quebec premier. Bouchard was [[acclamation|acclaimed]] his successor as leader of the Parti Québécois in January 1996, and was appointed premier of Quebec shortly afterward.

On the matter of sovereignty, while in office, he stated that no new referendum would be held, at least for the time being. In 2014, Bouchard revealed to Chantal Hébert that he had no plans calling for a referendum when becoming Premier.{{sfn|Hébert|Lapierre|2014|p=12}}

A main concern of the Bouchard government, considered part of the necessary "conditions gagnantes" ("winning conditions" for the feasibility of a new referendum on sovereignty), was economic recovery through the achievement of "zero deficit". Long-term [[Keynesianism|Keynesian]] policies resulting from the "Quebec model", developed by both PQ governments in the past and the previous [[Quebec Liberal Party|Liberal]] government had left a substantial [[Government budget deficit|deficit]] in the provincial budget.

Bouchard led the PQ into the [[1998 Quebec general election|1998 provincial election]]. He faced his former Cabinet colleague, Charest, who was now leader of the provincial Liberal Party. Although the Liberals won a narrow plurality of the popular vote, most of their margin was wasted on huge majorities in federalist areas of the province. As a result, the PQ suffered a net loss of only one seat, allowing it another term in government.

As Premier, Bouchard presided both over balanced budgets and a significant expansion of the province's social safety net with the implementation of a universal [[childcare]] system and pharmacare.<ref name=hebert>{{cite news|title=Lucien Bouchard documentary shows a politician's charms don't last: Hébert|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/08/27/lucien_bouchard_documentary_shows_a_politicians_charms_dont_last_hbert.html|access-date=August 27, 2014|work=Toronto Star|date=August 27, 2014}}</ref>
During his time as Premier, Bouchard refused to grant provincial funding to the [[Montreal Expos]] for a new stadium, which would have played a major role in helping the Expos stay in Montreal. Bouchard said that he couldn't in good conscience authorize funding for a new sports facility when the province was being forced to shutter hospitals.<ref>Smith, Curt (2001). Storied Stadiums. New York City: Carroll & Company; {{ISBN|0-7867-1187-6}}</ref>

==Retirement==
[[File:Lucien Bouchard 2009.png|thumb|Bouchard in 2009]]
Bouchard retired from electoral politics in 2001, and was replaced as Quebec premier by [[Bernard Landry]]. He stated that his relative failure to revive the sovereigntist flame was a cause of his departure, something for which he took responsibility. Others have speculated that the [[Michaud Affair]], regarding allegedly anti-Semitic comments by Parti Québécois candidate [[Yves Michaud (politician)|Yves Michaud]], was another factor favouring Bouchard's departure.

He returned to practising law by becoming a partner at [[Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg]], where he specializes in commercial and corporate law. He serves as a negotiator, legal counsel and mediator in commercial matters and, occasionally, in labour-related disputes. He sits on the board of several private companies as well as organizations like the [[Montreal Symphony Orchestra]], [[TC Transcontinental]], [[Saputo Inc.]], Groupe BMTC and, until August 2021,<ref>{{cite press release |title=TFI International Announces Board Departure of Lucien Bouchard |url=https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/08/13/2280673/0/en/TFI-International-Announces-Board-Departure-of-Lucien-Bouchard.html |website=GlobeNewswire News Room |access-date=August 16, 2021 |language=en |date=August 13, 2021}}</ref> [[TFI International]]. In April 2004, he helped launch the Centre for International Studies of the [[Université de Montréal]] (CÉRIUM), of which he is a board member.
He served as President of the Quebec Oil and Gas Association from 2011 until 2013.<ref>{{cite news
 |title=Former Quebec premier Lucien Bouchard steps down as chairman of Quebec Oil and Gas Assoc. 
 |url=https://montrealgazette.com/business/Former+Quebec+premier+Lucien+Bouchard+steps+down+chairman+Quebec+Assoc/7933662/story.html 
 |newspaper=The Montreal Gazette 
 |date=February 7, 2013 |access-date=March 8, 2013 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130209222307/http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Former%2BQuebec%2Bpremier%2BLucien%2BBouchard%2Bsteps%2Bdown%2Bchairman%2BQuebec%2BAssoc/7933662/story.html 
 |archive-date=February 9, 2013 }}</ref>

After retiring as premier, Bouchard avoided making public comments on politics until 2010, when he used a panel event celebrating the 100th anniversary of Montreal newspaper ''[[Le Devoir]]'' to argue that sovereignty was no longer a realistic goal for Quebec. Although he still considered himself a sovereigntist at heart, Bouchard argued that sovereignty did not offer any solutions for Quebec. He also accused the PQ of being so fixated on independence that it had no solutions for the province's basic needs, and also accused it of pandering to xenophobic elements by taking a hard line on immigration. In response, several sovereigntists, including PQ leader [[Pauline Marois]], accused Bouchard of becoming one of the sovereigntist movement's many {{lang|fr-x-quebec|belle mères}} (idiomatically analogous to [[armchair quarterback]]).<ref name="CBCNews1">{{citation|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/bouchard-calls-pq-too-radical-1.884128|title=Bouchard calls PQ too radical|website=[[CBC News]] website|date=February 18, 2010|access-date=June 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923181422/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/bouchard-calls-pq-too-radical-1.884128|archive-date=September 23, 2013|quote=When asked whether her predecessor had become one of her party's notorious armchair quarterbacks (the expression used in Quebec is "mother-in-law" – or "belle mère"), Marois said he had.}}</ref>

Bouchard revealed in a 2014 documentary that the Bloc Québécois was only intended to last long enough to prepare the ground for the 1995 referendum.<ref name=cbcdoc>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/lucien-bouchard-says-wounds-remain-with-brian-mulroney-1.2742836|title=Lucien Bouchard says 'wounds' remain with Brian Mulroney|access-date=August 27, 2014|work=CBC News|date=August 21, 2014}}</ref> He believed its long duration weakened Quebec's influence within Canada by limiting the potential pool for federal cabinet ministers in successive Liberal and Conservative governments.<ref name=cbcdoc/><ref name=hebert/> He also averred that the 1995 referendum may have passed had it been part of a two-step process. In his view, there should have been a first referendum to give the government the authority to negotiate Quebec sovereignty with an economic and political partnership with Canada and a second to approve the results of negotiations. He blamed Parizeau's rejection of that approach for the referendum's failure.<ref name=cbcdoc/><ref name=hebert/>

==Personal life==
Bouchard married his first wife, Jocelyne Côte, on October 15, 1966.{{sfn|Vastel|1996|p=53}}

Following their divorce, Bouchard married his second wife,{{sfn|Martin|1997|p=89, 159}} Audrey Best.{{sfn|Martin|1997|p=89, 159}} Best was the [[French Riviera|Côte d'Azur]]-born and [[California]]-raised daughter of James Best, a U.S. Navy officer, and his French wife, Marie-Josée Massa. Best worked as a flight attendant, where she met Bouchard. She later became a lawyer, eventually working for the Heenan-Blaikie firm of Montreal.<ref>{{cite news|work=TVA Nouvelles |title=Audrey Best succombe à un cancer |date=January 25, 2011 |url=http://tvanouvelles.ca/lcn/infos/national/archives/2011/01/20110125-135930.html |language=fr |access-date=August 15, 2012}}</ref> She died on January 25, 2011, aged 50, from [[breast cancer]].  Best had separated from Bouchard for several years before her passing.<ref name="Audrey-Best-dies">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/audrey-best-dies-1.987866|title=Audrey Best dies|publisher=CBC|date=January 25, 2011|access-date=April 2, 2014}}</ref>

On May 18, 2013, Bouchard married his third wife, Solange Dugas.

Bouchard has two children, Alexandre and Simon, who hold dual Canadian-United States citizenship via Audrey Best, their mother.

In 1994, while serving as Leader of the Opposition, Bouchard lost his left leg to a type of flesh-eating bacteria.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2012/01/24/flesheating_disease_could_turn_deadly_in_a_matter_of_hours.html|title=Flesh-eating disease could turn deadly in a matter of hours {{!}} The Star|work=thestar.com|access-date=September 27, 2018|language=en}}</ref>

=="Pour un Québec lucide"==
On October 19, 2005, Bouchard and eleven other Quebecers of different backgrounds and political aspirations published a manifesto entitled "[[Pour un Québec lucide]]" ("For a clear-eyed vision of Quebec"). The manifesto warned Quebec's aging population about the challenges the future poses, demographically, economically and culturally. It made a certain impression on the [[2005 Parti Québécois leadership election|Parti Québécois leadership race of 2005]], getting mixed reactions. It was well received in other quarters, garnering praise on the editorial page of ''[[The Globe and Mail]]''.

On October 16, 2006, Bouchard declared to [[TVA Nouvelles|TVA news]]  reporter Paul Larocque, that the population of the province is not working enough and that it should be more productive in order to produce more resources for the population. He also added that his generation had contracted 75% of the province's current debt and that the future generations should not be handling the burden of paying for the previous ones.<ref name="lcn.canoe.com">{{cite web|url=http://lcn.canoe.com/infos/national/archives/2006/10/20061016-172121.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130118234411/http://lcn.canoe.com/infos/national/archives/2006/10/20061016-172121.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 18, 2013 |title="Un an après "Pour un Québec lucide"" Interview with Paul Larocque. LCN, 16 October 2006 |publisher=Lcn.canoe.com |date=October 16, 2006 |access-date=June 30, 2010 }}</ref>

==Legacy==
Bouchard's government implemented some controversial policies, including cuts to the province's [[health care]] spending in order to balance the provincial budget, and the amalgamation of Quebec's larger cities undertaken by his successor [[Bernard Landry]]. Other aspects of his legacy include the creation of a low-cost, universal public daycare system, the implementation of a universal system of pharmacare,<ref name=hebert/> the birth of ''Emploi Québec'', and achieving a balanced budget. He is remembered for his sometimes short fuse when provoked and his unforgiving demands for excellence in those he worked with, but also for his charm and eloquence, and was appreciated as a formidable foe by his political adversaries. Bouchard has stated that he will not return to politics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lcn.canoe.com/lcn/infos/national/archives/2006/05/20060512-114538.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120604204840/http://lcn.canoe.com/lcn/infos/national/archives/2006/05/20060512-114538.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 4, 2012|title=""La porte reste fermée"" LCN, May 12, 2006|publisher=Lcn.canoe.com|date=April 23, 2009|access-date=June 30, 2010}}</ref>

==Elections as party leader==
He won the [[1998 Quebec general election|1998 election]] and resigned in 2001. Bouchard is the only PQ leader to be Premier of Quebec for his entire leadership and the only non-interim PQ leader to never lose an election.

==Honours==
*[[Queen's Privy Council for Canada|Member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]] March 31, 1988.
*[[125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal]] (1992)
* On April 7, 2000, Lucien Bouchard received a [[Doctorate]] ''[[Honoris causa]]'' of Law from the [[Lumière University Lyon 2]].
*[[Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal]] (2002)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/125-43382|title = Recipients|date = June 11, 2018}}</ref>
* Commander of the [[Legion of Honour]] (2002)<ref name="legion">{{cite journal|date=September 28, 2002|title=Government House. Awards to Canadians|url=http://publications.gc.ca/gazette/archives/p1/2002/2002-09-28/pdf/g1-13639.pdf|volume=136|issue=39|page=2894|journal=[[Canada Gazette]]}}</ref>
* On October 5, 2006, Lucien Bouchard received a second [[Doctorate]] ''[[Honoris causa]]'' of Law, this time from the Law Faculty of the [[Université de Montréal]].
* On April 27, 2007, Lucien Bouchard received a third [[Doctorate]] ''[[Honoris causa]]'' from the [[Université du Québec à Chicoutimi]] (UQAC).
* Grand Commander of the [[National Order of Quebec]] (2008)
* [[Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal]] (2012)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gg.ca/honour.aspx?id=802&t=13&ln=Bouchard|title = Recipients|date = June 11, 2018}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Quebec premiers]]
*[[Nicknames of Quebec premiers]]
*[[Quebec sovereignty movement]]
*[[History of Quebec]]
*[[Politics of Quebec]]
*[[Politics of Canada]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book
    | last      = Hébert
    | first     = Chantal
    | others    = With Jean Lapierre
    | title     = The Morning After: The 1995 Referendum and the Day that Almost Was
    | location  = Toronto
    | publisher = Alfred A Knopf Canada
    | isbn      = 978-0-345-80762-5
    | ref       = {{sfnRef|Hébert|Lapierre|2014}}
    | year      = 2014
    | url       = https://archive.org/details/morningafter19950000hebe
    | url-access= registration
  }}
*{{cite book|first=Lawrence |last=Martin |title=The antagonist : a biography of Lucien Bouchard|location=Toronto |publisher=Viking |year=1997 |isbn=067087437X }}
*{{cite book|first=Michel |last=Vastel |title=Lucien Bouchard : en attendant la suite |location=Outremont, Qc |publisher=Lanctôt Editeur |year=1996|isbn=2894850093|language=fr }}

==Further reading==
===In English===
* {{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/lucien-bouchard|title=Lucien Bouchard|encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]|access-date=October 8, 2019}}
* Bouchard, Lucien (1994): ''On the Record'', Toronto: Stoddart [translated by Dominique Clift]
* Cornellier, Manon (1995). ''The Bloc'', Toronto: James Lorimer & Co. [translated by Robert Chodos, Simon Horn and Wanda Taylor]

===In French===
* Beauregard, Denis. "[http://www.francogene.com/genealogie/politiciens/bouchard.php Généalogie de Lucien Bouchard]", in ''FrancoGene'', 2003
* Bouchard, Lucien (1992). ''À visage découvert'', Montreal: Boréal
* Bouchard, Lucien (1996). ''Lucien Bouchard mot à mot'', Montreal: Stanké, 384 p. [prepared by Rémi Maillard]
* Caron, Jean-François (2015), "Lucien Bouchard, le pragmatisme politique", Québec: Les Presses de l'Université Laval
* Côté, André-Philippe and David, Michel (2001). ''Les années Bouchard'', Sillery: Septentrion
* Duguay, Nicolas. [http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/dossiers/tetes/bouchard/index.html Lucien Bouchard profile] in ''Radio-Canada.ca'', 2001
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080718193554/http://www.vigile.net/+-Bouchard-Lucien-+ Bouchard profile in ''Vigile.net''], 2008
* [http://agora.qc.ca/mot.nsf/Dossiers/Lucien_Bouchard Bouchard profile in ''L'Encyclopédie de L'Agora''], updated May 25, 2006

==External links==
{{Commons category|Lucien Bouchard}}
*{{Quebec MNA biography|bouchard-lucien-2191}}
*{{Canadian Parliament links|ID=4866}}
*[http://agora.qc.ca/mot.nsf/Dossiers/Lucien_Bouchard Agora biography] {{in lang|fr}}
*[http://bilan.usherbrooke.ca/bilan/pages/biographies/100.html Bilan du Siècle biography] {{in lang|fr}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927204511/http://www.cerium.ca/article355.html Lucien Bouchard page at CÉRIUM]

{{QCPremiers}}
{{Canadian federal opposition leaders}}
{{Bloc Québécois}}
{{Canadian federal election, 1993A}}
{{Bouchard Ministry}}
{{Mulroney Ministry}}
{{CA-Ministers of the Environment}}
{{CA-Secretaries of State of Canada}}
{{Canadian Newsmaker of the Year}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bouchard, Lucien}}
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