Not everyone knows it, but Bernard Lemaire, the founder of Cascades, was also a television star.
• Also read: Cascades co-founder Bernard Lemaire has died
• Also read: Politicians and entrepreneurs pay tribute to Bernard Lemaire
But a star named Raymond Laflamme for the needs of the series L’or et le papier, broadcast on Radio-Canada and in France (on France 3). This Raymond Laflamme, played by the actor Raymond Bouchard, was actually Bernard Lemaire, who has just died at the age of 87. This figure, who was a copy of Lemaire, had a profound influence on Raymond Bouchard, just as the “real” Bernard Lemaire had an influence on everyone who worked with him at Kingsey Falls and the other Cascades factories.
Bernard Lemaire retired when the series’ final broadcasts were broadcast in France. He was just 56 years old when he handed over management to his brothers Laurent and Alain. But it is Bernard who is particularly remembered by the French who worked for Cascades. He had disrupted their habits. Throughout filming, Raymond Bouchard took great pleasure in highlighting the behavior of Bernard Lemaire and seeing how much this Quebec boss surprised the French actors. It surprised France 3 viewers just as much.
It was Andréanne Bournival, then program director at Radio-Canada, who came up with the idea of a series inspired by the founder of Cascades, an authentic visionary of recycling and management. Bernard Lemaire believed as much in participatory management as he did in blind faith in recycling, two practices that were rarely talked about at the time.
Bernard Lemaire, co-founder of Cascades, in 2019 archive photo, Pierre-Paul Poulin
The doors disappear
For example, to promote relationships between management and employees, he required all Cascades managers to keep their office doors open. To a manager who had not complied with this instruction, Bernard Lemaire himself, with the help of a colleague, had removed the door to his office to send it to the warehouse.
Bernard Lemaire believed that “participatory management” was the key to the success of any modern company. He certainly wasn’t wrong, considering the progress made by Cascades, which has been recycling paper since 1962. Bernard Lemaire’s leadership style, which he passed on to his brothers Laurent and Alain, worked wonders. In 1964, about ten people worked at the old “recycling” paper mill in Kingsey Falls, and Cascades’ sales did not exceed $300,000. Today, Cascades generates nearly $5 billion in revenue and employs 10,000 people in Canada, the United States and Europe.
It is this industrial epic, one of the most notable in Quebec Inc., that is told in the Gold and Paper series. In 1990 she won the Gémeaux for best series, director Jean Beaudin for best direction and Marina Orsini and Raymond Bouchard won the Gémeaux for best female and male leads. On the evening of the gala, Raymond Bouchard dedicated his trophy to Bernard Lemaire. He deserves it.
AN IRRESISTIBLE SHOW
Since September 17th, I haven’t been able to tune in to Révolution once, easily the best variety show of the season, all channels combined. Mel Charlot, who joined judges Lydia Bouchard and Jean-Marc Généreux, is as emotional as I am about the contestants’ stunning performances. I’m amazed at her talent and, my goodness, I think Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse, the host, is just as much as I am. An irresistible show.
