Former President of the Conseil du Patronat du Quebec (CPQ) Ghislain Dufour has died.
From 1986 to 1997 Mr. Dufour was chairman of the organization, which now represents around 70,000 employers.
The CPQ paid tribute to him in a press release today, recognizing him as a man who shaped Quebec Inc. and who has been recognized “as a leading authority” on industrial relations and economics.
“Mr. Dufour’s legacy is undeniable as he is credited with founding the CPQ in its current form. In holding the position of general manager, then president and chief executive officer for nearly three decades, Mr. Dufour represented the voice of employers at pivotal years in Quebec’s history,” said Karl Blackburn, current CEO of CPQ.
Ghislain Dufour worked for the CPQ from 1969 and was its spokesman for 28 years. He was the main architect of a unified management structure in Quebec.
Born in Matane in 1938, he holds a master’s degree in Industrial Relations from the University of Montreal. He started his management career at the Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont. He then joined the Center for Business Leaders before the CPQ was formed.
Ghislain Dufour was a 1992 member of the Bélanger-Campeau Commission on Quebec’s political and constitutional future and organizer of the 1991 and 1993 economic meetings to promote Quebec’s development. After his mandates at the CPQ, Mr. Dufour joined the PR firm NATIONAL.
Throughout his career, Mr. Dufour has received numerous awards from various organizations as well as from Laval University and the University of Montreal. He was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in 1989 and an officer of the National Order of Quebec in 1998.
On Twitter, the Quebec Chambers of Commerce Association expressed its deep sadness at the loss of Ghislain Dufour.
“We will miss his leadership and commitment to business and economic development in Quebec,” the association said.