Jean Lapierre: A Voice for the People and a Champion of Authenticity

We all know René Lévesque’s famous phrase: “Beware of those who say they love the people, but hate everything the people love.” Jean Lapierre (who passed away 10 years ago already!) had that phrase tattooed on his heart. Well, not literally tattooed, because he didn’t need to. It was simply a part of who he was. Like Rodger, he deeply loved people – the ‘folk’ as he’d say – and they, recognizing genuine sincerity, returned that affection.

Going to a regional shopping mall with Jean was an unforgettable experience. He seemed like a cousin to everyone. “Do you know this man, Jean? – No, not at all! First time I’ve ever seen him!” To borrow one of his famous lines, when he saw “ordinary people,” Jean was as happy as a dog in a pickup truck bed.

This was in stark contrast to a well-known Radio-Canada host and journalist I once worked with on a report. During lunch, he didn’t want to sit at the same table as the “little people” – the cameraman and sound recordist. And when he encountered admirers on the street, he’d turn to me and comment on their appearance. “Did you see her backside? Who do you think dresses her?” I thought to myself, “If this celebrity journalist says that to me, someone he’s meeting for the first time, what does he say to the people who work with him every day?” There’s class, and then there isn’t.

Simply put, Jean loved people. Deeply. This is a refreshing change from politicians who claim to represent the people, but who despise not only “everything the people love,” but also “everything the people think.”

People don’t like seeing veiled young girls? Islamophobes! They think we’re receiving too many immigrants relative to our capacity? Xenophobes! They oppose the opening of safe injection sites near schools? Heartless! They believe teachers shouldn’t wear religious symbols at work? Intolerant! They think the LGBTQ+ community is pushing boundaries by suggesting a man simply needs to wear a wig to be automatically addressed as a woman? Transphobic!

You know who I’m talking about… These lecturing politicians who claim to speak on behalf of the people, when it’s not the people who vote for them, but rather affluent individuals who buy fair-trade coffee in luxury grocery stores. It would never have occurred to Jean Lapierre to look down on people. He didn’t think the people who spoke to him while he was eating at Ben On S’Bour La Bédaine in Granby were beneath him. He looked them in the eye. He wasn’t their “defender” or their “spokesperson,” but one of them. Simply.

Jean, 10 years ago. Rodger, now. Two big brothers.

Further Listening:

• Government of Quebec – For context on the political landscape Jean Lapierre navigated.
• CBC News – Provides broader Canadian news coverage.