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Marcel Parent, who was the provincial Liberal MNA for Sauvé before becoming the first mayor of the borough of Montréal-Nord and speaker of Montreal city council, died on Aug. 22 at the age of 92.
His death was announced Monday by his family and the borough, which he led from 2001 to 2009.
Born in Montreal on April 6, 1932, Parent earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education and recreation from the Université de Montréal in 1954. He subsequently worked in the education and recreation sector in Montreal, notably for the 1976 Olympic Games and as president of the Montreal Catholic School Commission from 1983 to 1984.
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Elected Liberal MP for Sauvé in a by-election in 1984, he was re-elected in the general elections of 1985, 1989 and 1994. He did not run again in 1998.
In 2001 he entered Montreal municipal politics as a city councillor with Gérald Tremblay’s Montreal Island Citizens Union, and was named the chair of the Montréal-Nord borough council and speaker of Montreal City Council. Less than six months into the job, he resigned in protest over constant bickering between Tremblay and Vision Montréal leader Pierre Bourque in council meetings. He returned to the job three weeks later with the promise that they would behave themselves.
Parent was re-elected as councillor in 2005 and became the first mayor of this borough, and remained speaker of city council for a second term. He chose not run for re-election in 2009.
During his terms as mayor of Montréal-Nord, he was notably responsible for the creation of an urban planning department, the construction of the Maison culturelle et communautaire de Montréal-Nord, as well as the development of two new parks, Langelier-Marie-Victorin and Garon-Amos, according to a statement from the borough.
“Mr. Parent loved public service,” current borough mayor Christine Black said in the statement. “As councillor, as mayor of Montréal-Nord and as MNA in the riding of Sauvé, he served our population with integrity, compassion and devotion. The borough offers its sincere condolences to his family, friends and those who had the privilege of knowing him.”
His daughters Lise and Johanne Parent emphasized that they are losing a father, but that citizens “are losing a man who, throughout his life, whether in school, municipal life or in Quebec City, was driven by a great motivation: to create living environments that offer everyone the opportunity to lead a good and beautiful life.”
Commemorative events will be held in his honour and details about them will be released later.
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