Lucien Rivard (June 16, 1914 – February 3, 2002) was a

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

criminal known for a sensational

prison escape A prison escape (referred as a bust out, breakout, jailbreak, or prison break) is the act of an inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part of authorities to recapture the ...

in 1965.

Background

Rivard had been engaged in

robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...

and smuggling drugs since the 1940s. He has been described as a "petty crook" in his early years, but in the 1950s he moved to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and operated a

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

, and became involved in the

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

business. In 1958 he moved back to Laval, Quebec, and operated the business "Domaine Idéal" to continue dealing drugs and weapons. In 1965, Rivard was in a Montreal prison, but used a water hose to climb a wall and escape. He was missing for four months before being caught and extradited to the United States. During his absence, he wrote letters to various people, telling the Prime Minister of Canada Lester B. Pearson "Life is short, you know. I don't intend to be in jail for the rest of my life."

Aftermath

Allegations of

bribery Bribery is the Offer and acceptance, offering, Gift, giving, Offer and acceptance, receiving, or Solicitation, soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With reg ...

regarding the government of Canada during Rivard's escape provoked an investigation, and

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Guy Favreau Guy Favreau, (May 20, 1917 – July 11, 1967) was a Canadian lawyer, politician and judge. Born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Léopold Favreau and Béatrice Gagnon, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts and an LL.B. from the Université de Mon ...

left office as a consequence. Favreau had been gaining prestige at the time, and when he left, Prime Minister Pearson sought out new

MPs to replace him, namely

Jean Marchand Jean Marchand, (December 20, 1918 – August 28, 1988) was a French Canadian public figure, trade unionist and politician in Quebec, Canada. Life and career During the 1949 Asbestos Strike in Quebec, Marchand led the striking workers as s ...

Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau ( , ; October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000), also referred to by his initials PET, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada The prime mini ...

and

Gérard Pelletier Gérard Pelletier, (June 21, 1919 – June 22, 1997) was a Canadian journalist and politician. Career Pelletier initially worked as a journalist for ''Le Devoir'', a French-language newspaper in Montreal, Quebec. In 1961 he became editor-i ...

. Trudeau became prime minister in 1968. The escape inspired the song "The Gallic Pimpernel." In addition, the

Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...

voted Rivard the

Canadian Newsmaker of the Year The Canadian Newsmaker of the Year is a title awarded by The Canadian Press (CP) annually since 1946, based on a survey of editors and broadcasters across the country on which Canadian has had the most influence on the news in a given year. Crite ...

for 1965 - the first time a convicted criminal had been given that title. In 2006, it was announced that the Quebec government would help sponsor the film ''

The American Trap ''The American Trap'' (french: Le Piège américain) is a 2008 Canadian drama film from Quebec, directed by Charles Binamé. The film stars Rémy Girard as Lucien Rivard, a Canadian working in the criminal underworld of Havana, Cuba who becomes enm ...

(Le piège américain)'', to be directed by Charles Binamé with Rémy Girard to play Lucien Rivard. The escape also inspired the song "A Government Inquiry" by

The Brothers-in-Law The Brothers-in-Law was a Canadian satirical musical group that was active from 1963 to 1970. They recorded six albums and generated occasional controversy because of their subject matter. History The members were songwriter Alec Somerville on b ...

in their album ''Oh, Oh Canada'' (Arc A636), and comedian Rich Little to parody Prime Minister Lester Pearson singing "Old Man Rivard".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivard, Lucien 1914 births 2002 deaths 20th-century Canadian criminals Canadian escapees Canadian drug traffickers Canadian male criminals Criminals from Quebec Escapees from Canadian detention Fugitives Fugitives wanted by Canada People extradited from Canada to the United States People from Laval, Quebec