Pierre Pascau | |
---|---|
Born | 1938 Mauritius |
Died | February 28, 2017 Paris, France |
(aged 78–79)
Alma mater | Guildhall School of Music and Drama |
Occupation | Journalist |
Pierre Pascau (1938 – February 28, 2017) was a Mauritian-Canadian journalist.
Pascau was born in 1938 in Mauritius. At the age of nineteen he joined the Mauritius Broadcasting Service. For his work at the MBS, Pascau was awarded a three-year scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. While at Guildhall, he worked as a freelance reporter for the British Home Office.
In 1965, Pascau moved to Montreal, where he established himself as the host of a popular call-in talk show. He also worked as a reporter for CBC Radio's Cross Country Checkup and CBC Television's Hourglass. He later moved to CFCF-TV, Montreal's CTV affiliate. While in Montreal, Pascau established himself as one of the city's leading investigative reporters.
During the October Crisis Pascau, who was then working for CKLM, was contacted by the members of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) responsible for kidnapping British diplomat James Cross and served as an intermediary between them and the government.
In 1974, Pascau was chosen to co-host Canada AM. According to co-host Helen Hutchinson, Pascau was "all wrong" for the job because as someone who did not grow up in the country, he "couldn't ad-lib all sorts of facts about Canada to keep the conversation going". He was replaced by Norm Perry in 1975.
Pascau then moved to CKAC, where he hosted L'Informateur, a midday show that combined phone calls and interviews. L'Informateur spent ten years as the highest rated show in Montreal and attracted many politicians and newsmakers. He also gained a reputation as a "fiery Quebec nationalist". In May 1990, Pascau suddenly left the station, citing an ongoing dispute with fellow CKAC personality Suzanne Levesque. Pascau, a non-smoker, was upset that Levesque smoked in the studio while hosting the program that preceded his. However, station management claimed that Pascau was using this as an excuse to leave the station for CKVL. He was replaced by André Arthur.