Pierre Duchesne | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Pierre Duchesne

Pierre Duchesne, lawyer, politician, lieutenant-governor of QUÉBEC (b at La Malbaie, Qué 27 Feb 1940). Pierre Duchesne grew up in La Malbaie as one of 10 children. In 1955 he entered the Chicoutimi Seminary, where he pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Duchesne, Pierre

Pierre Duchesne, lawyer, politician, lieutenant-governor of QUÉBEC (b at La Malbaie, Qué 27 Feb 1940). Pierre Duchesne grew up in La Malbaie as one of 10 children. In 1955 he entered the Chicoutimi Seminary, where he pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then attended LAVAL UNIVERSITY, where he completed a law degree.

Pierre Duchesne entered politics in the early 1970s, first as a notary in Sept-Îles and then as a member of the National Assembly of Québec in 1974. During his time at the National Assembly he occupied several positions, eventually becoming general secretary in 1984. Throughout his career he was a regular lecturer at professional associations and a contributor to specialized magazines, publishing articles about parliamentary procedure and administration on topics such as security in parliamentary settings. Duchesne also organized a collective publication entitled La Procédure parlementaire du Québec and authored Règlement annoté de l'Assemblée nationale. He retired from the National Assembly in 2001 but continued to serve as a special counsellor until 2003.

Pierre Duchesne pursued many philanthropic endeavours both during his career and after retirement. He has sat on several boards for chambers of commerce, hospitals, sports and leisure groups and other non-profit organizations including the Club Richelieu. In recognition of his political and community work he was made an officer of the Ordre de la Pléiade (an award that recognizes contributions to Francophonie culture and community).

On 7 June 2007 Pierre Duchesne was sworn in as Québec's 28th lieutenant-governor, succeeding Lise THIBAULT.