Gérald Godin

Gérald Godin studied at Séminaire Saint-Joseph de Trois-Rivières. The recorded working language is French. The field of work recorded is Canadian literature in French, opinion journalism and Canadian poetry. Positions recorded include Member of the National Assembly of Quebec. Works named in the authority record are Montreal Tango. Distinctions recorded are Prix Québec-Paris.

• Name — Gérald Godin • Born — 13 November 1938 • Birthplace — Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada • Died — 12 October 1994 • Place of death — Montreal, Quebec, Canada • Occupation — Poet; journalist; politician • Party — Parti Québécois • Office — Member for Mercier • Term Start — 1976 • Term End — 1994 • Predecessor — Robert Bourassa • Office2 — Minister of Cultural Communities and Immigration • Spouse — Pauline Julien

Born in Trois-Rivières, he worked as a journalist at La Presse and other newspapers and magazines. His most important poetry collection, Les cantouques: poèmes en langue verte, populaire et quelquefois française, was published in 1967. He was among those arrested under the War Measures Act during the October Crisis in 1970.

In the 1976 Quebec provincial election, he won a seat as a candidate for the Parti Québécois (PQ), heavily defeating incumbent Premier Robert Bourassa in his own riding of Mercier. He served in various cabinet posts in the governments of René Lévesque and Pierre-Marc Johnson. His most notable role was Minister of Cultural Communities and Immigration. Godin saw immigrants as the future of Quebec’s sovereigntist movement by believing that they should be welcomed and acknowledged that they left due to negative impact of authoritarianism in their home country. However, he felt that immigrants should respect Quebec history and integrate into Québécois society. Godin also avoided scapegoating immigrants. In 1984, during an interview with Radio Canada on the topic of undocumented immigrants, he rejected the idea of that Canada borders should be tighten towards poorer countries, by responding that countries like Canada should utilize their strengths. In 1993, after the Charlottetown Accord failed to pass, Godin was furious when Jacques Parizeau, who proclaimed that sovereignty could be achieved without Anglophones and Allophones of Quebec, by telling Le Devoir that Parizeau comment 'scraped' previous effort of outreach done by the PQ.

His life companion was the Québécois singer Pauline Julien. Godin died from brain cancer in October 1994.