Solange chaput roland biography of martin

Honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec

"O.Q." redirects here. For other uses, see OQ.

The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as l'Ordre national du Québec, and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant GovernorJean-Pierre Côté granted royal assent to the Loi sur l'Ordre national du Québec (National Order of Quebec Act), the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to honour current or former Quebec residents for conspicuous achievements in any field, being thus described as the highest honour in Quebec. In 1986, the order was expanded to include honorary membership for people outside Quebec.

Structure and appointment

Although the National Order of Quebec was established with the granting of royal assent by Quebec's lieutenant governor and the Canadian sovereign is the fount of honour, the viceroy does not, as in other provinces, form an explicit part of the organization. Instead, the monarch's representative is related to the order only by virtue of his or her place in council, collectively termed the government of Quebec, to which the constitution of the Order of Quebec makes specific reference.

The order contains three grades, each with accordant post-nominal letters and place in the Canadian order of precedence for honours, decorations, and medals. They are, in descending hierarchical order:

• Grand Officer (grand officier/grande officière; GOQ)
• Officer (officier/officière; OQ)
• Knight (chevalier/chevalière; CQ)

Nominations to the National Order of Quebec are sought in Quebec's daily and weekly media publications and are directed to the Council of the National Order of Quebec, elected by and amongst the members of the order for a period of three years

1st Session, 37th Parliament,
Volume 139, Issue 67

Tuesday, November 6, 2001
The Honourable Dan Hays, Speaker

• SENATORS' STATEMENTS
• ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS
• QUESTION PERIOD
• ORDERS OF THE DAY

THE SENATE

Tuesday, November 6, 2001

The Senate met at 2:00 p.m., the Speaker in the Chair.

Prayers.

[Translation]

The Late Honourable Solange Chaput-Roland, O.C., O.N.Q.

Tributes

Hon. John Lynch-Staunton (Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, there are many personalities whose mere name triggers contradictory reactions and not always positive ones. Exceptions to that rule are few and far between, particularly in artistic and political endeavours.

Solange Chaput-Rolland, who passed away last week, is one of the most notable examples of that latter exceptional category. All of the commentaries since her passing, and they are still forthcoming, are unanimous about her extraordinary contribution to her province and her country.

Author, editorial writer, senator, member of commissions of inquiry, unequalled champion of Canadian unity, passionate Quebecer always, she brought to all of those pursuits a firmness of resolve and a vigour that never ceased to arouse astonishment and admiration in all, even those who might be furiously opposed to her stand.

Solange joined us at the invitation of Prime Minister Mulroney and was a faithful member of the Conservative caucus for close to six years. She was not a partisan in the true meaning of that word. As I said when she was about to leave this place, Solange's true party was Canada, and her party policy was unity.

With her exceptional intelligence and the most eloquent of voices and pens, Solange focussed all of her talents and her entire life first and foremost on promoting Canada, which could not have been dearer to her heart, and her province, which was more to her than just one essential component of our country; it was more of a guarantee of its survival.

Appendices

Bibliographie