Jocelyn Coulon
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Jocelyn Coulon (born May 22, 1957) is an
author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
, columnist,
journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
,
political analyst Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
, and an international research expert 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 ...
, Canada. He is well known for authoring various military and other international-related works. Coulon ran in a 2007 by-election for the Liberal Party of Canada in which he lost to the New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate
Thomas Mulcair Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) Thomas is a male given name of Aramaic origins. The English spelling "Thomas" is a transliteration; through Latin "Thomas", of the approximate Greek translite ...
.


Professional and educational background

Coulon attended 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- ...
and obtained a diploma in political sciences. He later became a columnist and journalist for
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
newspaper ''
Le Devoir ''Le Devoir'' (, "Duty") is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and throughout Canada. It was founded by journalist and politician Henri Bourassa in 1910. ''Le Devoir'' is one of few independent large-c ...
'' and was in charge of the international news section. He worked as a journalist between 1985 and 1999 and later wrote opinions at '' La Presse''. He was also director of monthly revue ''Aéromag'' from 1981 to 1984. Before entering politics, he was also a researcher on various related international affairs, especially peace operations. He was the director of Francophone Network on Peace Operations of the
Centre d'études et de recherches internationales de l'Université de Montréal The Montréal Centre for International Studies (french: Centre d'études et de recherches internationales), known as Cérium, is a research centre of the Université de Montréal specializing in international studies. Goals of Cérium Launched i ...
between 2005 and 2016.


Politics

In 2007, Coulon entered federal politics when he was handpicked by Liberal leader
Stéphane Dion Stéphane Maurice Dion (born 28 September 1955) is a Canadian diplomat, academic and former politician who has been the Canadian ambassador to France and Monaco since 2022 and special envoy to the European Union since 2017. Dion was Leader of ...
to run as 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 ...
candidate for
Outremont Outremont is an affluent residential borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It consists entirely of the former city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec. The neighbourhood is inhabited largely by fran ...
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 ...
that was held on September 17, 2007. The seat was vacated by former Transportation Minister
Jean Lapierre Jean-Charles Lapierre (May 7, 1956 – March 29, 2016) was a Canadian politician and television and radio broadcaster. After retiring from the government in 2007, he served as a political analyst in a variety of venues. He was Paul Martin's Qu ...
who pursued his career as a political analyst at
TVA The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a Federal government of the United States, federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, an ...
. Coulon faced former provincial
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 ...
Environment Minister An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of an ...
Thomas Mulcair Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) Thomas is a male given name of Aramaic origins. The English spelling "Thomas" is a transliteration; through Latin "Thomas", of the approximate Greek translite ...
from the NDP. During his campaign, Coulon criticized the
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
government of Stephen Harper on the handling of the
War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...
, accusing them of complying with the policy of US President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
. His nomination was heavily criticized by the
B'nai Brith Canada B'nai Brith Canada ( ; BBC; from he, בני ברית, b'né brit, Children of the Covenant) is a Canadian Jewish service organization and advocacy group. It is the Canadian chapter of B'nai B'rith International. Mission The organization prese ...
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
group which accused him of being
anti-American Anti-Americanism (also called anti-American sentiment) is prejudice, fear, or hatred of the United States, its government, its foreign policy, or Americans in general. Political scientist Brendon O'Connor at the United States Studies Centr ...
and
anti-Israel Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the modern State of Israel, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the region of Palestin ...
because of his views on
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
issues such as the
Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam ...
-
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
-
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
conflict. The Quebec-Israel Committee however, stated that B'Nai Brith's statements were exaggerated and that Coulon had every right to be the Liberal candidate. These issues were thought to be important because the Jewish community in Outremont made up 10% of the riding population. While Outremont had been a Liberal stronghold since 1935 (except for the 1988 election), the NDP won their first House of Commons of Canada seat in the province of Quebec since 1990. Coulon received 28.5% of the vote while Mulcair finished with 48.6%. For the most part, the campaign was a tight race between the two candidates, however late polls pointed to an NDP victory, with visits from star party members
Ken Dryden Kenneth Wayne Dryden (born August 8, 1947) is a Canadian politician, lawyer, businessman, author, and former National Hockey League (NHL) goaltender. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was a Liber ...
and
Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...
unable to regain the lead for the Liberals. A Dion aide blamed the Outremont by-election on several factors, including poor organization, lack of communication, and lack of a clear policy on Quebec, while former MP
Jean Lapierre Jean-Charles Lapierre (May 7, 1956 – March 29, 2016) was a Canadian politician and television and radio broadcaster. After retiring from the government in 2007, he served as a political analyst in a variety of venues. He was Paul Martin's Qu ...
suggested that it was due to Dion's 14% approval rating in the province. The Conservatives focused their attacks on the leadership skills of Dion, who had been campaigning in the riding. In addition, the ''Halifax Chronicle-Herald'' reported that unidentified "Dion loyalists" were accusing
Michael Ignatieff Michael Grant Ignatieff (; born May 12, 1947) is a Canadian author, academic and former politician who served as the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011. Known for his work as a histo ...
supporters of undermining by-election efforts. Though Ignatieff phoned up Dion to deny the allegations, ''
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 ...
'' suggested that the report had a negative impact on the Liberals' morale, citing the NDP's widening lead after the article's release. The by-election was seen as a crucial test for Dion's leadership, as the Liberals were attempting to regain popularity in Quebec since the loss during the 2006 federal elections. Between 2016 and 2017, he was a senior political advisor and speechwriter to the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs.


Published works

* ''En première ligne: Grandeurs et misères du systeme militaire'' (On the front line: the lengths and miseries of the military system) (1991) * ''La dernière croisade: La Guerre du Golfe et le role caché du Canada'' (The last crusade: The
Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
and the hidden role of Canada) (1992) * ''Les Casques Bleus'' (Soldiers of Diplomacy: The United Nations, Peacekeeping, and The New World Order) (1994

* ''L'Agression: les États-Unis, l'Irak et le monde'' (The aggression, the United States, Iraq and the world) (2004) * ''Consolidation de la paix et fragilité étatique. L’ONU en République centrafricaine'', 2015 * ''Dictionnaire mondial des opérations de paix 1948-2016.'' * ''Un selfie avec Justin Trudeau : regard critique sur la diplomatie du Premier ministre'', 2018 (Canada is Not Back, 2019) * ''À quoi sert le Conseil de sécurité des Nations Unies?'', 2020 * ''Le Canada à la recherche d’une identité internationale'', 2021 * ''Marginalisé, réflexions sur l’isolement du Canada dans les relations internationales'', 2022 * Ma France : portraits et autres considérations, 2023.


References


External links


Coulon's Biography (Liberal Party)


{{DEFAULTSORT:Coulon, Jocelyn Living people Journalists from Montreal Writers from Montreal 1957 births Université de Montréal alumni Canadian non-fiction writers in French Liberal Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Quebec candidates for Member of Parliament Canadian male non-fiction writers