Pierre Laporte
| Pierre Laporte | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Chambly | |
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In office 1961–1970 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Théberge |
| Succeeded by | Jean Cournoyer |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
25 February 1921 Montreal, Quebec |
| Died | 17 October 1970 (aged 49) Quebec |
| Resting place | Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | Françoise Brouillet |
Pierre Laporte (25 February 1921 – 17 October 1970) was a French Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician who was the Deputy Premier and Minister of Labour of the province of Quebec before being kidnapped and assassinated by members of the group Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) during the October Crisis. Laporte's body was found in the trunk of Paul Rose's car.
Pierre Laporte, grandson of the famous Canadian statesman Alfred Leduc, was born in Montreal, Quebec, on 25 February 1921. He was a journalist with Le Devoir newspaper from 1945 to 1961, and was known for his crusading work against Quebec's then-Premier Maurice Duplessis. During his years in journalism, he published a number of series targeting the management of the Duplessis government. In 1954, Le Devoir ran a six-part series on problems during the construction of the Bersimis-1 generating station. In 1958, he was part of a team of Le Devoir reporters exposing the natural gas scandal, leading to the formation of the Salvas Commission, soon after the election of 1960.
After Duplessis' death, Laporte successfully ran for a seat in Chambly in the Quebec National Assembly and served in the government of Premier Jean Lesage. Laporte was a member of the Quebec Liberal Party, and considered to be a leading member of the party's left wing. After Lesage announced in 1969 that he would step down as party leader, Laporte ran to succeed him, but lost the 1970 Quebec Liberal Party leadership election to fellow cabinet member Robert Bourassa.
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