Jean-Guy Deschamps

Last updated April 11, 2019

Jean-Guy Deschamps is a former politician in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He served on the Montreal city council from 1994 to 2001 as a member of Vision Montreal and was also an elected commissioner on the Montreal Catholic School Commission (MCSC) from 1977 to 1994.

Montreal is the most populous municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec and the second-most populous municipality in Canada. Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-peaked hill in the heart of the city. The city is centred on the Island of Montreal, which took its name from the same source as the city, and a few much smaller peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard. It has a distinct four-season continental climate with warm to hot summers and cold, snowy winters.

Quebec is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is bordered to the west by the province of Ontario and the bodies of water James Bay and Hudson Bay; to the north by Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay; to the east by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador; and to the south by the province of New Brunswick and the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. It also shares maritime borders with Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. Quebec is Canada's largest province by area and its second-largest administrative division; only the territory of Nunavut is larger. It is historically and politically considered to be part of Central Canada.

Vision Montreal was a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1994 and dissolved in April 2014. Between 2001 and 2013 it formed the official opposition on Montreal City Council.

Private life and school commissioner

Deschamps worked as an insurance broker in private life.^[1] He was elected as a commissioner for the MCSC's tenth ward in the 1977 school board elections, as a candidate of the conservative Movement scolaire confessionnel (MSC),^[2] and was re-elected in 1980,^[3] 1983, 1987, and 1990.^[4] The MSC was the dominant political force on the MCSC during this period, and Deschamps was aligned with the commission's leadership.

In June 1986, a Quebec Superior Court judge questioned the "motives and objectivity" of three school commissioners, including Deschamps, who had voted to switch construction contracts from two firms to three other companies. The judge specifically criticized what he described as "the narrowness and the chauvinism" of Deschamps's motives.^[5]

The Superior Court of Quebec is the highest trial Court in the Province of Quebec, Canada. It consists of 157 judges who are appointed by the federal government. Appeals from this Court are taken to the Quebec Court of Appeal.

City councillor

Deschamps was first elected to Montreal city council in the 1994 municipal election for the east-end division of Tétreaultville. Vision Montreal won a majority of council seats in this election, and Deschamps served as a backbench supporter of Pierre Bourque's administration.

Pierre Bourque, CQ is a businessman and politician in Quebec, Canada. He founded the Vision Montreal political party and served as mayor of Montreal from 1994 to 2001.

Deschamps held the largely ceremonial position of "pro-mayor" for a six-month term in early 1997. Beginning in January of that year, Bourque's leadership came under serious threat from dissident members of Vision Montreal; had he been forced to resign, Deschamps would have ascended to the position of mayor on a temporary basis.^[6] In the event, Bourque was able to secure his position and remained as mayor.

The Vision Montreal Crisis of 1997 was one of the most severe internal party crises in Montreal politics.

In February 1997, Bourque appointed Deschamps to the city's economic development committee.^[7] Later in the year, after his term as pro-mayor had ended, rumours circulated that Deschamps was considering resigning from Vision Montreal.^[8] He ultimately remained a member and was re-elected under its banner in the 1998 municipal election.

Vision Montreal won a second consecutive majority in the 1998 election, and Deschamps continued to serve as a backbench supporter of Bourque's administration. He did not seek re-election in 2001.

Electoral record

Montreal municipal election, 1998 : City Councillor, Tétreauville
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Vision Montreal	Jean-Guy Deschamps(incumbent)	3,605	54.60
	New Montreal	Jacques Gendron	1,511	22.89
	Montreal Citizens' Movement	Danielle Biron	906	13.72
	Team Montreal	Arthur Prince	580	8.79
Total valid votes			6,602	100
Source: Municipal Election Results (1998), City of Montreal.

Montreal municipal election, 1994 : City Councillor, Tétreauville
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Vision Montreal	Jean-Guy Deschamps	3,465	55.03
	Montreal Citizens' Movement	Nicole Milhomme (incumbent)	1,846	29.32
	Independent	Joseph Salerno	804	12.77
	Democratic Coalition–Ecology Montreal	Sylvain Lapalme	181	2.87
Total valid votes			6,296	100
Source: Municipal Election Results (1843–2005), City of Montreal.

Montreal Catholic School Commission election, 1990: Commissioner, Ward Ten
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Movement scolaire confessionnel	Jean-Guy Deschamps(incumbent)	elected
Source: "Board election results," Montreal Gazette, 19 November 1990, A4.

Montreal Catholic School Commission election, 1987: Commissioner, Ward Ten
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Movement scolaire confessionnel	Jean-Guy Deschamps(incumbent)	2,408	66.56
	-	Jean Quintal	1,210	33.44
Total valid votes			3,618	100
Source: "Winners of election for boards on island," Montreal Gazette, 16 November 1987, A6.

Montreal Catholic School Commission election, 1983: Commissioner, Ward Ten
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Movement scolaire confessionnel	Jean-Guy Deschamps(incumbent)		76
Source: "Nouvelle victoire du MSC à la CECM," Le Devoir, 14 June 1983, A1.

Montreal Catholic School Commission election, 1980: Commissioner, Ward Ten
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Movement scolaire confessionnel	Jean-Guy Deschamps(incumbent)	2,435	68.42
	Supported by the Association provincial des enseignants catholiques	Albert Berardinucci	1,124	33.44
Total valid votes			3,559	100
Sources: Le Devoir, 6 June 1980, p. 2; Le Devoir, 10 June 1980, p. 1; Montreal Gazette, 11 June 1980, p. 118.

Montreal Catholic School Commission election, 1977: Commissioner, Ward Ten
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Movement scolaire confessionnel	Jean-Guy Deschamps	elected
	Independent	John Galipeau
	Independent	Andre Cote
Sources: Le Devoir, 7 June 1977, p. 3 (party affiliations); Montreal Star, 14 June 1977, A10.

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References

↑ "Who is running for seats on eight school boards," Montreal Gazette, 14 November 1986, H16.
↑ Le Devoir, 7 June 1977, p. 3; Montreal Star, 14 June 1977, A10.
↑ Le Devoir, 6 June 1980, p. 2; Le Devoir, 10 June 1980, p. 1; Montreal Gazette, 11 June 1980, p. 118.
↑ "Board election results," Montreal Gazette, 19 November 1990, A4.
↑ Debbie Parkes, "School contract switch irks judge," Montreal Gazette, 19 June 1986, D14.
↑ Peggy Curran, "Montreal at risk of drifting in perpetual political limbo," Montreal Gazette, 17 January 1997, A3.
↑ Aaron Derfel, "Mayor packs committees with Vision councillors," Montreal Gazette, 20 February 1997, A4.
↑ Michelle Lalonde, "Bourque sees no changes despite exits: Four more Vision councillors said to be on verge of quitting party," Montreal Gazette, 22 July 1997, A3.

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[1] "Who is running for seats on eight school boards," Montreal Gazette, 14 November 1986, H16.

[2] Le Devoir, 7 June 1977, p. 3; Montreal Star, 14 June 1977, A10.

[3] Le Devoir, 6 June 1980, p. 2; Le Devoir, 10 June 1980, p. 1; Montreal Gazette, 11 June 1980, p. 118.

[4] "Board election results," Montreal Gazette, 19 November 1990, A4.

[5] Debbie Parkes, "School contract switch irks judge," Montreal Gazette, 19 June 1986, D14.

[6] Peggy Curran, "Montreal at risk of drifting in perpetual political limbo," Montreal Gazette, 17 January 1997, A3.

[7] Aaron Derfel, "Mayor packs committees with Vision councillors," Montreal Gazette, 20 February 1997, A4.

[8] Michelle Lalonde, "Bourque sees no changes despite exits: Four more Vision councillors said to be on verge of quitting party," Montreal Gazette, 22 July 1997, A3.