Laurier LaPierre
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The Honourable Laurier L. LaPierre (born November 21, 1929) is a retired Canadian Senator and former broadcaster, journalist and author. He is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.
LaPierre is best known for having been co-host with Patrick Watson of the notorious public affairs show This Hour Has Seven Days in the 1960s. After the show's cancellation, LaPierre moved to politics as a "star candidate" for the New Democratic Party in the 1968 federal election. The party was hoping that he would help achieve an electoral breakthrough in Quebec, but he only managed to come in a distant second place in the riding of Lachine with 19.5% of the vote
He returned to broadcasting for the next several decades until his appointment to the Senate in June 2001. As a member of the Liberal caucus, LaPierre was an outspoken supporter of Jean Chrétien against supporters of rival Paul Martin.
LaPierre has a PhD in history from the University of Toronto and has written several books including Quebec: A Tale of Love; Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the Romance of Canada; 1759: The Battle for Canada; Québec hier et aujourd'hui; and, The Apprenticeship of Canada, 1876-1914. He has written articles for The Financial Post, International Review, Canadian Forum and Encyclopædia Britannica. He has been an activist with EGALE, a lobby group for gay and lesbian rights since coming out as a homosexual in the late 1980s. He retired from the Upper House upon reaching mandatory retirement age of 75 on November 21, 2004.
In 1994, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
External link
- Senator Laurier L. LaPierre (http://sen.parl.gc.ca/llapierre/eng/home.html)