Guy Tardif facts for kids

Guy Tardif (born May 30, 1935 – died May 24, 2005) was a Canadian politician from Quebec. He was a member of the Parti Québécois, a political party in Quebec, and served in the National Assembly of Quebec (Quebec's parliament) from 1976 to 1985. He was also a cabinet minister in the governments led by René Lévesque and Pierre-Marc Johnson. Guy Tardif was the grandfather of Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who became a professional gridiron football player.

Early Life and Education

Guy Tardif was born in Montreal, a large city in Quebec. He went to school there and later studied at the University of Ottawa and the Université de Montréal.

Before becoming a politician, he worked as an officer for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) from 1955 to 1960. He also taught and worked as an assistant for the Montreal Police Service from 1963 to 1970.

He earned a master's degree in criminology in 1966. Criminology is the study of crime and criminal behavior. In 1974, he received his Ph.D. (a very high university degree) from the Université de Montréal. His special research was about police and politics in Quebec. Guy Tardif also wrote many articles about police and prison issues. He worked as an advisor for different government groups before starting his political career.

Becoming a Government Minister

Guy Tardif was first elected to the Quebec parliament in the 1976 provincial election. He won in the Montreal area of Crémazie. His party, the Parti Québécois, won a big victory and formed the government for the first time.

On November 26, 1976, Premier René Lévesque chose Guy Tardif to be the Minister of Municipal Affairs. This job involved looking after cities, towns, and local governments.

Helping Cities and Towns

As Minister of Municipal Affairs, Guy Tardif made some important decisions. In 1979, he ended a special government control over the Montreal suburb of St. Leonard. This control had been put in place because of problems with local government.

He also allowed the town of Buckingham to split back into four smaller towns. This happened after the people there voted for it. The previous government had merged them into one big town.

Guy Tardif was also praised for making it fairer for cities to get money from the province. He set up a system that helped take politics out of how local governments received funding.

Working on Housing and Planning

On November 6, 1980, Premier Lévesque changed some of his ministers' jobs. Guy Tardif became the Minister of State responsible for Planning and the Minister responsible for Housing. This meant he was in charge of how land was used and making sure people had homes.

In December 1980, some questions were raised about a person he had hired to manage repairs for low-rent housing. Tardif explained that the government had cancelled the contract once they found problems. He also called for a special committee to look into the issues.

Focus on Housing and Consumer Rights

During the 1981 provincial election, Guy Tardif promised a new program to help families with young children buy homes. He was re-elected in Crémazie, and the Parti Québécois won again.

After a government change on April 30, 1981, he kept his job as the minister for housing. He also became the Minister of Consumer Protection. This meant he helped protect the rights of people buying goods and services.

In August 1981, Tardif launched the housing loan program he had promised. As consumer affairs minister, he also worked with the federal government on issues like protecting consumers. He believed that Quebec should have control over these laws.

Guy Tardif also worked on a big project called Corvée-Habitation. This project aimed to build fifty thousand low-income homes. He convinced construction unions and contractors to work together to make it happen. Many years later, this project was seen as one of his greatest achievements.

Minister of Transport

In 1984, there was a disagreement within the Parti Québécois about Quebec's independence. Guy Tardif initially supported a stronger push for independence. However, when some ministers left the government over this issue, he decided to stay.

On November 27, 1984, Premier Lévesque made Guy Tardif the Minister of Transport. In this role, he looked after roads, public transportation, and airports.

In April 1985, he announced that a Quebec agency had bought a part of Nordair, an airline based in Montreal. The plan was to combine Nordair with Quebecair, another airline owned by the province.

He also announced in August 1985 that Quebec was ending freeway tolls. This meant drivers no longer had to pay to use certain highways around Montreal.

Guy Tardif also asked a cycling group to organize a bike tour in Montreal's east end. This event grew into the Tour de l'Île de Montréal, which became one of the largest cycling tours in the world.

End of His Political Career

René Lévesque stepped down as premier in June 1985. Pierre-Marc Johnson became the new leader and premier in October 1985. He kept Guy Tardif as the Minister of Transport.

However, Guy Tardif was not re-elected in the 1985 provincial election. The Liberal Party won the election, and he left his government job on December 12, 1985. People who worked with him said he was known for working very hard, sometimes even calling people late at night to discuss work.

After Politics

After leaving politics, Guy Tardif started a company in 1989 called Le Clos Saint-Denis. They grew fruit and made wine. In 1999, he introduced a new type of ice cider called Pommes de Glace.

He also went back to teaching in 1989, becoming a criminology professor at the Université de Montréal. Some people tried to convince him to run for mayor of Montreal in 1990, but he decided not to.

Guy Tardif passed away on May 24, 2005.

Electoral record