Bernard "Ben" C. Grandmaître , (born June 24, 1933) is a former politician from

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. He was a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member of the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

from 1984 to 1999 who represented the riding of

Ottawa East Old Ottawa East or just Ottawa East (''Vieil Ottawa Est'' in French) is a neighbourhood in Capital Ward in central Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located south of Nicholas Street and between the Rideau Canal and the Rideau River, with Avenue Road ...

. He served as a

cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, � ...

in the government of

David Peterson David Robert Peterson (born December 28, 1943) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 20th premier of Ontario from 1985 to 1990. He was the first Liberal officeholder in 42 years, ending the so-called Tory dynasty. Backgro ...

Background

Grandmaître was born in Eastview,

, and educated at

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

schools. He owned a small business in

Vanier, Ontario Vanier, formerly Eastview, is a neighbourhood in the Rideau-Vanier Ward of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada's east end. Historically francophone and working class, the neighbourhood was a separate city until being amalgamated into Ottawa in 2001. It no lon ...

for thirteen years. He was named a life member of the ''Centre francophone de Vanier'', and was active in the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

Politics

Grandmaître was an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

on the Vanier city council from 1969 to 1974, and served as its

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

from 1974 to 1980 and from 1982 to 1984. He ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1981 provincial election, but lost to

Bob MacQuarrie Robert Waldron MacQuarrie (November 24, 1926 – January 11, 2007) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1985, as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. MacQuarrie was bo ...

in the riding of

Carleton East Carleton East was an electoral Riding (division), riding in Ontario, Canada. It was created for the 1967 election and was abolished in 1999 into Carleton—Gloucester and Ottawa—Vanier (provincial electoral district), Ottawa—Vanier. From 1986 ...

(future

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cabinet minister

Evelyn Gigantes Evelyn Adelaide Gigantes (born 1 November 1942) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She served as a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on three occasions between 1975 and 1995, and was a prominent cabinet m ...

finished third).

In government

On December 13, 1984, he was elected in a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

to succeed retiring MPP

Albert Roy Albert J. Roy (born February 23, 1939) is a jurist and former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1984 as a member of the Ontario Liberal Party. Background Roy was born in Saskatchewan a ...

in the riding of

. This riding is one of the safest Liberal seats in the province, and Grandmaitre was returned without difficulty in the 1985 provincial election. The Liberals formed a

minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and Cabinet (government), cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or Coalition government, coalition of parties do ...

after this election, and Grandmaître was appointed as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Minister responsible for Francophone Affairs. In the latter capacity, he played a major role in passing the province's

French Language Services Act The ''French Language Services Act'' (french: Loi sur les services en français) (the ''Act'') is a law in the province of Ontario, Canada which is intended to protect the rights of Franco-Ontarians, or French-speaking people, in the province. ...

in 1986. The Liberals won a landslide majority in the 1987 election, and Grandmaître defeated his nearest opponent by almost 15,000 votes. He appointed as Minister of Revenue on September 29, 1987, while retaining responsibility for Francophone Affairs. He was dropped from cabinet on August 2, 1989.

Cabinet positions

In opposition

The Liberals were defeated by the NDP in the 1990 election, although Grandmaître again retained his seat without difficulty. He was re-elected again in the 1995 election, and retired in 1999. He endorsed

Dalton McGuinty Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. (born July 19, 1955) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nearl ...

's bid to lead the Ontario Liberal Party in 1996.

Electoral record

Honours and awards

In 2013 he was made a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

. His citation reads, "for fostering the vitality and growth of Ontario's francophone community." There is an arena named after him in Ottawa and a French Catholic school in the Riverside South neighbourhood of Ottawa that bears his name.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grandmaitre, Bernard 1933 births Franco-Ontarian people Mayors of Eastview and Vanier Members of the Executive Council of Ontario Members of the Order of Canada Living people Ontario Liberal Party MPPs People from the United Counties of Prescott and Russell