Apr. 4, 1968- Kennedy Government sworn in. Robert Stanfield becomes Minister of Health and Deputy Prime Minister.
May 6, 1968- Premier Johnson dissolves the Assemblee for a June 25 election. Unfortunately, despite the peppy image of the government, the effects of a near quarter-century of incumbency take their toll.
June 25, 1968- provincial election.
excerpted from
Journals by Robert F. Kennedy
Mar. 26, 1969: The
St-Leonard riots caused considerable angst on the part of the Italo-Canadian community and among language nationalists in Quebec. Therefore, the Liberal Lajoie government saw fit to introduce
Loi 63, which mandated that all immigrants and English-speaking Quebecers receive a working knowledge of French in school. A fortunate minority, including myself, were fortunate to have a parent from both language groups, but this was a rare exception in Quebec from the 1960's onward. I told caucus that this was in line with what my brother, the Prime Minister, had proposed on the federal level and we all voted in favour. This could lead down a dangerous path..."
May 10, 1969: Dad died today at 78. Jack, Ted and I held a private funeral away from the spotlight. Maman was quite distraught, as we all were. It gave him solace to see all his sons in positions of leadership in the country.
July 26, 1969: Jack says he will not renew Jack Pickersgill's tenure as Clerk of the Privy Council when it expires in 1971. The man's talented, but we can't have a Liberal wheelhorse as Mandarin-in-Chief.
Oct. 4, 1969: I believe we are on a good track for the next election. The voters might want to give the Grits another kick at the can in '72 however. What we have is a unified caucus around the idea of a modern conservatism. Not opposition to change, but policies conducive to controlled change. Apart from provincial insurance, already adopted in other provinces, there's no need to expand the statist spiderweb any further. I'll hang on till we win, and then we'll start moving quickly. If Jack can stay till then, it'll be a hell of a blast.
Jan. 4, 1970: Jack met with President Humphrey to discuss bilateral relations, it went off without a hitch. Good rapport between the two.
Feb. 15, 1970: Jack received an honorary degree from McGill yesterday, which he was quite pleased about. The major issues are the economy and the language situation, G-L isn't doing so well on either issue. If he gives way to his nationalists, the future of minorities such as myself will be in question. J-G (Jean-Guy Cardinal) & myself have managed to craft a policy acceptable to everyone, namely the status quo. I've been getting good marks from Claude Ryan in
Le Devoir , contrasting the "creative, moderate, family-oriented policies of Robert Kennedy's
Union Nationale. By contrast, the Government gives the impression of using the language situation as a political tool, as well as an inclination towards
dirigisme." He's generally more critical of Jack than me, though I like good press clippings, he's not my PR man.
Apr. 24, 1970: I'm thinking of a shadow Cabinet reshuffle. In the next election, we need to attract younger candidates and organizers, rather than being the inheritor, from Duplessis-Sauve-Johnson-myself. Nowhere is it written that the deputy automatically inherits their predecessor's talents or vices.
The Sussex Years, by John F. Kennedy
May 5, 1970: Kent State shootings today due to Vietnam protests. To Humphrey's credit, he's finishing what Nixon started, namely Vietnamization and a drawdown of US forces. Under no circumstances will these people be afforded amnesty.
Sept. 23, 1970- Prime Minister Kennedy introduces C-79, "Essential Services Act" which proposes the banning of strikes in essential services such as transport, medical, and emergency services.
Oct. 4, 1970- C-79 is passed on a party-line vote and sent to the Senate.
Oct. 13, 1970- C-79 receives Royal Assent.
Nov. 4, 1970- Rene Levesque becomes the main anchor at TVA, Quebec's only private TV network.
Jan. 17, 1971- Prime Minister Kennedy leaves for a European tour.
Jan. 22, 1971: Met with Heath, Pompidou, Brandt and the Italians. They are happy to see a Democrat in office but are somewhat uneasy with Humphrey's Vietnam policies.
Mar. 29, 1971: Bobby and I have begun thinking about the next election. What I'm having Michael Starr do is introduce a bill to require multinationals, specifically Canadian divisions of US companies, to have a certain number of Canadians on their board.
Apr. 10, 1971: C-131 "Corporate Canadianization Act" is introduced in the Commons by Prime Minister Kennedy.
Apr. 29, 1971- C-131 receives Royal Assent.
July 23, 1971- Premier Gerin-Lajoie announces a Commission on the French Language, to study the situation "in depth".
Sept. 10, 1971: This will not turn out well, G-L is playing with fire and he'll burn all of us with it. It's obvious he's playing to the crowd, such as Ryan et al.
Oct. 26, 1971: When Heath nationalized Rolls-Royce, I was shocked. Since when do Tory governments expropriate private companies?
Jan. 16, 1972- Prime Minister Kennedy holds a federal-provincial conference with the premiers.
Jan. 24, 1972: F-P Conference went OK, but G-L is going off on a tangent, proposing state-run auto insurance and more language legislation.
Mar. 4, 1972: Spoke to caucus today, reminded them that we must be election-ready. We have 85 of 108 candidates lined up so far, and I expect the process to be complete soon. If you don't start preparing in Jan. we could be caught off-guard. Jack told me he won't pull the plug till the fall. More to do these days, with Bob Jr. heading to McGill in Sept.
April 23, 1972- Premier Gerin-Lajoie dissolves the National Assembly for a June 7 election.
June 7, 1972- provincial election, 108 seats, 67% turnout.
Liberals: 55 seats, 48.8%
Union Nationale: 53 seats, 51.2%
Incumbent Premier: Paul Gerin-Lajoie (Lib)
June 17, 1972: Well we missed it by one. Some are mad, but I say better luck next time.
Sept. 10, 1972- Prime Minister Kennedy dissolves Parliament for an Oct. 16 election.
Oct. 16, 1972- federal election, 264 seats.
Progressive Conservatives: 152 seats
Liberals: 75 seats
NDP: 19 seats
Socred: 14 seats
Incumbent Prime Minister: John F. Kennedy (PC)
HUMPHREY NARROWLY RE-ELECTED 287-251
Jan. 5, 1973- Opening of the 30th Parliament. Gov. Gen. Roland Michener delivers the Throne Speech, outlining the governments plan to "improve Canadians' economic and social freedom"
Feb. 25, 1973- Prime Minister Kennedy introduces C-13, a bill proposing the elimination of the 11% sales tax on building materials "so that all citizens can improve their home, and simultaneously build community values."
Mar. 10, 1973- C-13 receives Royal Assent.
Apr. 3, 1973- Robert Kennedy receives a 97% vote of confidence at the post-election leadership review.
May 6, 1973: At a Cabinet meeting today, we discussed indexing the tax brackets to inflation, so that they don't spiral out of control. Finance, Revenue and BoC agree, so we'll introduce legislation in the fall.
June 10, 1973- Parliament recesses for the summer.
June 12, 1973- National Assembly recesses.
Sept. 10, 1973- With Parliament back in session, Prime Minister Kennedy introduces legislation, C-113, to index tax brackets to inflation.
Sept. 26, 1973- Passed on third reading 197-67, with 40 Liberals voting in favour.
Oct. 6, 1973-
EGYPT, SYRIA ATTACK ISRAEL, WAR DECLARED IN MIDEAST
Oct. 26, 1973-
UNSC MANDATES CEASEFIRE, ISRAELIS WERE WITHIN 100 KM OF CAIRO
Oct. 29, 1973-
OPEC IMPOSES WESTERN EMBARGO
Nov. 19, 1973- Prime Minister Kennedy introduces wage and price controls to stabilize the oil-shocked economy.
Dec. 9, 1973- Prime Minister Kennedy meets Western premiers, including his fellow Tory Peter Lougheed of Alberta, to discuss an increase in domestic production. Lougheed argues that exports are far more financially lucrative, but he and the Prime Minister agree on a deal to increase domestic production by 10%.
Jan. 14, 1974: Quebec
Commission sur l'Etat de la langue francaise, known as the Gendron Commission, reports to Premier Gerin-Lajoie, calling
for a strengthened
Loi 63. The Premier accepts the recommendation but his caucus is divided.
Feb. 3, 1974 (Journals, Robert F. Kennedy): This is quite explosive. Their caucus is divided, and I told caucus that we should see the draft bill before committing ourselves to voting aye or nay. Considering that the Liberals have a one-seat majority, that could cause a snap election. I don't want to fight an election on the language issue, it will tear the province and the parties apart. Spoke to Jack about it, says he'll back 110% as usual.
Feb. 20, 1974: The proposal was defeated in the Liberal caucus. That was a close one, and apparently G-L's authority is waning. Hope they don't move in time for '76.
Apr. 7, 1974- Prime Minister Kennedy announces plans for a "Canadian Youth League", privately funded, to encourage young people to enter public life.
May 6, 1974- After Prime Ministerial lobbying of Canada's wealthiest men, including the Bronfmans, Eatons, Birks, and the Simards, the Canadian Youth League is established under their patronage.
Sept. 27, 1974: UN Leader Robert Kennedy unveils the new Unionist manifesto, proposing civil-service reform, strict campaign-finance laws, tax cuts and "getting the economy moving again". One major plank is the proposal to expand Dorval Airport in lieu of the proposed Mirabel project, which he privately detests as "
a white elephant guaranteed to perpetuate the Liberal License Raj, and cause our grandchildren debts because some venal man in the Bunker (premier's underground office) wants to win an election."
Nov. 10, 1974: Polls are showing that our manifesto has the support of 57% of the populace, and we're beating the Liberals by 8 or 9 points, translating to 60-65 seats in the Assembly.
Jan. 14, 1975-
NVA LAUNCH FINAL OFFENSIVE INTO VIETNAM, HUMPHREY PLEDGES AIR SUPPORT
Mar. 16, 1975-
ARVN REPULSE NVA WITH HEAVY LOSSES, THIEU ANNOUNCES ELECTION IN SEPT, THIRD TERM YES
May 8, 1975- Prime Minister Kennedy joins President Humphrey, Prime Minister Wilson and President Giscard at the 30th Anniversary VE Day celebrations.
PM GANDHI DECLARES EMERGENCY RULE
July 17, 1975-
"This is CBC Breaking News. Quebec Premier Paul Gerin-Lajoie has been ousted by caucus this morning. Finance Minister Robert Bourassa is now Premier of Quebec. Unionist Leader Robert Kennedy has refused comment."
July 30, 1975: This is interesting, now they have a man younger than me. The only problem is that
he looks like a university sophomore out of 60's Harvard. Quite interested to see what M. Ryan has to say in
Le Devoir , especially the Anglo press and the rest of the country.
Le Devoir editorial, July 18, 1975 by Claude Ryan
"The replacement of M. Gerin-Lajoie was hardly unexpected. Ever since his attempt to divide the province on language, he has faced considerable resistance within his caucus and Cabinet. The manner in which this was done suggests the coup was a mixture of his opponents and those who felt that his language policy was too moderate. M. Bourassa fits in both categories..."
Maclean's, "Cabinet Coup" , Peter C. Newman, July 25, 1975
"Mr. Bourassa's ascent to power, while not expected via coup, was anticipated after the ex-premier's retirement. The governing Liberals face gridlock in the Assembly, in effect governing with Unionist consent due to the tie, excluding the Speaker. Unionist Leader Robert Kennedy has an approval rating of 73%, compared to 53% for Mr. Bourassa, and the latest polls show the Unionists winning a majority with 72 seats in the 108 seat Assembly."
Sept. 10, 1975-
THIEU REELECTED WITH 63% OF VOTE
Nov. 4, 1975: I believe we've got a good hand going in. Teddy says that there are cost overruns associated with the Olympics. I've talked to him and Mayor Drapeau, but it appears Drapeau has gotten involved in the License Raj as well.
Jan. 3, 1976- Edouard Kennedy is promoted to Chairman of the Executive Committee, in effect deputy Mayor.
Mar. 10, 1976: Jack told me he'd prefer to wait another year before dissolution. I agree and soon all three of us will be at the top of our respective greasy poles.
Apr. 27, 1976- Premier Bourassa rolls out a revised Liberal platform, calling for a state-run auto insurance plan.
May 10, 1976: It's quite obvious Bourassa is from the left of the party. I haven't heard such leftist claptrap since Jack defeated Trudeau last time.
June 4, 1976- Premier Bourassa dissolves the Assemblee Nationale for a July 16 election.
July 16, 1976- Provincial election, 110 Assemblee seats.
"This is CBC News election coverage. As of 7:30, the Unionists are winning their traditional rural base throughout Quebec, and have confirmed 35 seats to 10 Liberals... "PROJECTION: UNION NATIONALE VICTORY. We can now declare that the UN has won a majority government, and that Robert Kennedy, in a remarkable comeback, has been elected Premier."
Union Nationale: 81 seats, 56.3%
Liberals: 29 seats 43.7%
Incumbent Premier: Robert Bourassa (Liberal)
Premier-designate: Robert F. Kennedy (UN)
