![Pierre Péladeau Pierre tombale](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Pierre_P%C3%A9ladeau_Pierre_tombale.JPG)
Pierre Péladeau, (April 11, 1925 – December 24, 1997) was a
French-Canadian
French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fr ...
businessman. He was the founder of
Quebecor Inc., a Canadian media and telecommunications conglomerate in
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 ...
.
He was the father of billionaire
Pierre Karl Péladeau
Pierre Karl Péladeau (born 16 October 1961), also known by his initials PKP, is a Canadian businessman, billionaire and former politician. He was also the MNA for Saint-Jérôme. Péladeau is the president and CEO of Quebecor Inc. He used to ...
, former
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois (; ; PQ) is a sovereignist and social democratic provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. The PQ advocates national sovereignty for Quebec involving independence of the province of Quebec from Canada and establishin ...
leader.
Biography
Péladeau was born in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
on April 11, 1925 as the youngest of seven children of Henri Péladeau, who had a successful timber business. Whilst on a sales trip to Europe in 1929, the stock market crashed and on his fathers return to Montreal he found that his two partners had taken control of the business. This event undoubtedly affected Pierre Peladeau's attitude to business and his business partners.
Péladeau had four children,
Erik, Isabelle,
Pierre Karl, and Anne-Marie, with his first wife, Raymonde Chopin, who died in 1976.
Pierre Karl Péladeau would serve as CEO of Quebecor before serving one year as leader of the
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois (; ; PQ) is a sovereignist and social democratic provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. The PQ advocates national sovereignty for Quebec involving independence of the province of Quebec from Canada and establishin ...
from May 2015 to May 2016. Érik Péladeau served as a former Vice-Chairman of Quebecor Inc. He had two children, Simon-Pierre and Esther with his second wife, Line Parisien, whom he divorced and regretted it.
Péladeau had a relationship with Manon Blanchette that produced one son and he ended his relationship with his long term partner, Anne Béland.
Péladeau's time spent with Quebecor meant that he was often an absent father to his children.
In 1987 Péladeau told ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'' that "I've had all the women I wanted, when I wanted them."
Péladeau also openly boasted that he only spoke English when he could make a profit by doing so.
In 1989, Péladeau said that women had no place on corporate boards because "they seduce too much."
In 1990, Péladeau was quoted in
l'Actualite magazine saying that Jews "take up too much space'" in Quebec, and was forced to issue a statement of apology claiming that he meant it in the context of Jewish fashion designers getting the lion's share of coverage from Montreal newspapers.
Education and career
He attended College Jean-de-Brebeuf (a private school also attended by
Pierre Elliott 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 from 1968 to 1979 and ...
). He then went on to complete a degree in philosophy at the
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-de ...
, and a
law degree
A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers. But while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not confer a license themselves. A legal license is gra ...
at
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
.
While studying for the bar exam in 1950, Péladeau purchased a struggling
community paper
Community paper is a term used by publishers, advertisers and readers to describe a range of publications that share a common service to their local community and commerce. Their predominant medium being newsprint, often free and published at regul ...
, ''Le Journal de Rosemont'', including their printing works, with a $1,500 loan from his mother, Elmire, which became "Nouvelles et Potins" .
In 1964, the employees of
''La Presse'', the major Montréal French-language newspaper, went on strike, giving Péladeau the room to create his own newspaper, ''
Le Journal de Montréal
''Le Journal de Montréal'' is a daily French-language tabloid newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Quebec and is also the largest French-language daily newspaper in North America. ...
''.
Quebecor
Péladeau would create
Quebecor
Quebecor Inc. is a Canadian diversified media and telecommunications company serving Québec based in Montreal. It was spelled Quebecor in both English and French until May 2012, when shareholders voted to add the acute accent, Québecor, in F ...
in 1965, with ''Le Journal de Montréal'' as its flagship publication.
In 1977, Péladeau expanded Quebecor into the United States by starting a daily sports-heavy tabloid called ''
The Philadelphia Journal,'' which was unsuccessful and ended its publication run in 1981.
Péladeau later spoke of his failed venture and the loss of his 14 million USD investment as "the most expensive MBA in the United States."
Péladeau also went on to acquire printing businesses in France and the United Kingdom, printing "Paris Match" amongst many other well known publications both in Europe and the USA.
In 1983, Quebecor bought the ''
Winnipeg Sun
The ''Winnipeg Sun'' is a daily tabloid newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
It is owned by Postmedia following its acquisition of Sun Media, and shares many characteristics typical of Sun tabloids, including an emphasis on local news sto ...
''.
Despite Péladeau's strong support for
Quebec sovereignty
The Quebec sovereignty movement (french: Mouvement souverainiste du Québec) is a political movement whose objective is to achieve the sovereignty of Quebec, a province of Canada since 1867, including in all matters related to any provision o ...
, he chaired a committee in charge of organization Montreal's
Canada Day
Canada Day (french: Fête du Canada), formerly known as Dominion Day (french: Fête du Dominion), is the national day of Canada. A federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 18 ...
celebrations in 1987.
Péladeau started ''The Daily News of Montreal'' in 1988 in a partnership with British newspaper magnate,
Robert Maxwell
Ian Robert Maxwell (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch; 10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovak-born British media proprietor, member of parliament (MP), suspected spy, and fraudster.
Early in his life, Maxwell escaped from N ...
, but it closed two years later.
Death and honours
Péladeau suffered a heart attack on December 2, 1997, and fell into a coma.
On December 24, Péladeau died at
Hotel-Dieu Hospital in Montreal at the age of 72.
A private memorial ceremony for Péladeau was planned for December 29 in
Sainte Adele's Pavilion des Arts.
At the time of his death, Quebecor had 6.3 billion
CAD
Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve co ...
in revenue and ''Le Journal de Montreal'' was the Canadian newspaper with the third largest circulation as well as the largest French newspaper in Quebec
Quebecor Printing was North America's second-largest commercial printer.
Péladeau left the company to his heirs, and his son, Pierre Karl Péladeau would become president and CEO in 1999.
In 1987, Péladeau 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 ...
. In 1989, he was made an Officer of the
National Order of Quebec
The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Gove ...
.
In 1999, Quebecor established an annual bursary for young Quebec entrepreneurs award in his name.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peladeau, Pierre
1925 births
1997 deaths
Members of the Order of Canada
Officers of the National Order of Quebec
Quebecor people
Pierre
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
Quebec sovereigntists
People from Outremont, Quebec
Canadian mass media company founders
Canadian newspaper chain founders
20th-century Canadian newspaper publishers (people)
Université de Montréal alumni
McGill University Faculty of Law alumni
Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery