Editing Pierre Laporte (section)

==Life and career==
[[File:LaPorte de Quebec (5802230245).jpg|thumb|right|[[Pierre Laporte Bridge]]]]
Pierre Laporte, grandson of the Liberal politician [[Alfred Leduc]], was born in [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], on 25 February 1921. He was a journalist with ''[[Le Devoir]]'' newspaper from 1945 to 1961, and was known for his crusading work against Quebec's then-Premier [[Maurice Duplessis]]. In 1950, he graduated from the Law School at the Université de Montreal, and was hired by ''Le Devoir'' shortly afterwards.{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=63}}

During his years in journalism, he published a number of series targeting the management of the Duplessis government. At the same time that he criticized the ''Union Nationale'' government in public, he wrote campaign pamphlets for the ''Union Nationale'' during elections.{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=63}}  In 1954, ''Le Devoir'' ran a six-part series on problems during the construction of the [[Bersimis-1 generating station]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Richard |last=Landry |title=Le projet d'aménagement de la rivière Bersimis, 1952-1956 |language=fr|publisher=Université du Québec à Montréal |date=February 2009 |pages=87–90 |url=http://www.archipel.uqam.ca/1957/1/M10824.pdf}}</ref> Laporte alleged that the government had taken kickbacks from construction companies building the dam.{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=63}} In a speech, Duplessis called Laporte "a man without a heart, a pig, a snake and a slothy individual" whose journalism "pandered to the vilest instincts of yellow journalism and the most ignoble sentiments".{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=63}} Duplessis referred to Laporte as a writer for a "Bolshevik journal".{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=63}} In 1954, Laporte published a column in the left-wing newspaper ''Vrai'' where he wrote: "The ''Union Nationale'' is rotten. Those who don’t have eyes to see clearly...at least have a nose to smell. It’s a rotten fruit, whose stink wafts all the way to the provincial borders."<ref name="Scott">{{cite news |last1=Scott |first1=Marian |title=October Crisis: Who was Pierre Laporte, really? |url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/pierre-laporte-quebecers-still-divided-over-tragic-victim-of-the-october-crisis |access-date=2 March 2023 |publisher=The Montreal Gazette |date=13 October 2020}}</ref> In 1958, he was part of a team of ''Le Devoir'' reporters exposing the natural gas scandal, leading to the formation of the Salvas Commission, soon after the [[1960 Quebec general election|election of 1960]].<ref name="Gingras">{{cite book |publisher=Libre-Expression |title=Le Devoir |url=https://archive.org/details/ledevoir0000ging |url-access=registration |first=Pierre-Philippe |last=Gingras|place=Montréal |year=1985 |isbn=2-89111-204-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/ledevoir0000ging/page/165 165]}}</ref> Laporte's biographer, Jean-Charles Panneton, stated:<blockquote>Pierre Laporte was very courageous. He was a pioneer of investigative journalism in an era when investigative journalism was not practiced, when the media were very docile toward the government of Maurice Duplessis.<ref name="Scott" /></blockquote>Laporte was very close to his wife, Françoise, whom he adored.{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=65}} One who knew him stated:<blockquote>Pierre was the type of guy who went fishing with his wife. When he went travelling, he would always think how he could take his wife. He wouldn't go to a stag party. And he would introduce his wife with eyes that {{nowrap|big{{tsp}}{{mdash}}{{tsp}}}}the way [a] young fellow would introduce his girl to relatives.{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=65}}</blockquote>Peter Edwards, the crime correspondent of ''[[The Toronto Star]]'', wrote in 1990 that Laporte was a "devoted family man".{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=65}}

After Duplessis's death, Laporte successfully ran for the ''Parti libéral du Québec'' for a seat in [[Chambly (provincial electoral district)|Chambly]] in the [[Quebec National Assembly]] and served in the government of Premier [[Jean Lesage]]. Laporte was a member of the [[Quebec Liberal Party]], and considered to be a leading member of the party's [[left wing]]. Laporte was elected in a by-election in 1961.<ref name="Cooper">{{cite web |last1=Cooper |first1=Celine |title=Pierre Laporte |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/pierre-laporte |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |access-date=1 March 2023}}</ref> Laporte served as minister of municipal affairs from 1962 to 1966.<ref name="Cooper"/> In 1962, he was involved in a scandal which it emerged that he lobbied successfully for the Quebec government to rent construction equipment from a firm he owned, leading to charges of conflict of interest violations.{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=63}} Several Québécois newspapers printed cartoons that mockingly showed Laporte leading hundreds of bulldozers and tractors into Quebec City for the government to rent.{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=63}}  In 1962, Laporte was the leading force behind a bill passed in the National Assembly that disqualified from holding office, J. Aldéo Léo Rémillard, the ''Union Nationale'' mayor of [[Ville Jacques-Cartier]], on the account of his criminal record.<ref name="Scott"/> Laporte also served as minister of cultural affairs from 1964 to 1966.<ref name="Cooper"/> In 1965, Laporte introduced the bill that led to the merger of several municipalities that created the city of [[Laval, Quebec|Laval]].<ref name="Scott"/>

Laporte took a populist line, presenting himself as the defender of the "little guy".{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=63-64}} In a speech, Laporte warned that the Liberals must look after the interests of the "average men" as he stated: "Otherwise, the masses, like those of France in 1789 or Germany in 1933, will be swept away in an undoubtedly unacceptable excess, one that has been sown by our faults and our omissions".{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=64}} He was frequently accused of accepting kickbacks during his time in office with his nickname being {{em|"Monsieur Dix Pour Cent"}} ("Mister Ten Percent").{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=64}} In the [[1966 Quebec general election]], the ''Parti libéral du Québec'' government of Lesage was defeated by the ''Union Nationale'', and Laporte sat on the opposition benches for the next four years. The ''Union Nationale'' premier Daniel Johnson Sr. called Laporte {{em|"le roi des patroneux"}} ("king of the porkbarrel").{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=63}}  After Lesage announced in 1969 that he would step down as party leader, Laporte ran to succeed him, but lost the [[Quebec Liberal Party leadership elections#1970 leadership convention|1970 Quebec Liberal Party leadership election]] to fellow cabinet member [[Robert Bourassa]].

Laporte was a frequent customer at the Victoria Club (which served as an illegal gambling house) owned by the gangster Frank D'Asti, a ''capo'' of the [[Cotroni crime family|Cotroni family]], and he was known as a good friend of D'Asti.{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=61}} Starting in the autumn of 1969, D'Asti was Laporte's principal campaign contributor in his leadership bid.{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=61}} Likewise, D'Asti contributed heavily to Laporte's campaign in the 1970 election.{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=61}} Laporte's two principal aides, René Gagnon and Jacques Côté, met with D'Asti and another Cotroni family ''capo'', Nicolo Di{{nbs}}Iorio, to pick up briefcases full of cash during both Laporte's 1969 leadership bid and again in the 1970 provincial election, which was won by the Liberals.{{sfn|Schneider|2009|p=257-258}} On 16 April 1970, a [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] (RCMP) surveillance team observed Laporte, Gagnon, and Côté meeting with D'Asti and Di{{nbs}}Iorio in an apartment in Montreal.{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=62-63}} The RCMP surveillance team's report stated that Di{{nbs}}Iorio, D'Asti, and Côté together entered Gagnon's apartment and were subsequently joined by Laporte at about "1740 hours"; Laporte later left at about "1850 hours".{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=62}} Gagnon and Côté later stated the meeting was called by D'Asti and Di{{nbs}}Iorio who wanted to warn Laporte about allegations of electoral fraud in the Montreal area.{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=63}} According to Gagnon, the meeting ended with Laporte asking the two Mafiosi to "please keep Monsieur Côté informed of the developments in this affair".{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=63}}

On 3 May 1970, in a room that was wiretapped by the police, D'Asti talked with Di{{nbs}}Iorio, Angelo Lanzo and Romeo Bucci about their hopes that Laporte would be appointed Attorney-General of Quebec.{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=61}} A Royal Canadian Mounted Police summary dated 17 September 1970 stated:<blockquote>They [D'Asti and Di{{nbs}}Iorio] foresaw that they would be able to get favors from Laporte{{nbs}}[...] They were very hopeful that Laporte would be appointed justice minister. At that time, René Gagnon and Jacques Côté were working hard to assure them that prospects were good and this would come about. Their aim was to obtain financial contributions for the campaign{{nbs}}[...] They were very disappointed when Laporte was named minister of labour and immigration instead of minister of justice. However, they have been assured since then, mainly by Côté, that they would have no problems with Justice Minister Jerôme Choquette.{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=61}}</blockquote>The situation with Laporte was considered highly sensitive by the authorities in Ottawa who made it clear that they did not want the Mounties investigating Laporte.{{sfn|Edwards|1990|p=61}}

After the [[1970 Quebec general election|Quebec general election in 1970]], Premier Bourassa advised the [[Lieutenant Governor of Quebec|Lieutenant Governor]] to appoint Laporte as Deputy Premier, Parliamentary Leader, Minister of Immigration, and Minister of Labour and Manpower.<ref>[http://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/deputes/laporte-pierre-3983/biographie.html "Pierre LAPORTE (1921-1970)"]</ref>