LHONORABLE JOSEPH-PHILIPPE GUAY, C.P.

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LHONORABLE JOSEPH-PHILIPPE GUAY, C.P. Jos, comme tout le monde lappelait, est ne le 4 octobre 1915, le troisieme des treize enfants de Philippe Guay et dAlexandrine Dupuis, a Saint-Vital dans la maison de ses grand-parents, Abraham Guay, membre fondateur de lUnion nationale metisse de Saint-Joseph et ami fidele de Louis Riel, et Esther Beaugrand dit Champagne, cette derniere ayant contribue son sang metis a la famille, un sujet tabou a lepoque. Peu apres, toute la famille demenagea a Sainte-Anne des Chenes ou Jos frequentait fierement lecole primaire dirigee par les Soeurs Grises. En 1928, la famille demenagea de nouveau au quartier de Brooklyn a Winnipeg et Jos, qui ne connaissait ni langlais ni la ville, sest trouve un emploi chez Eaton livrant des messages en bicyclette! Eventuellement, il fut promu a travailler dans la pharmacie chez Eaton et ensuite ay vendre des souliers. Au debut de la deuxieme guerre mondiale, Jos et son frere Alphonse se sont portes volontaires a la Marine tandis que leurs freres, Gerard et Lucien, ont joint lAviation pour y laisser leurs vies dans le champ dhonneur. Jos pour sa part devint instructeur au H.M.S. Chippawa a Winnipeg. En 1941, Jos epousa Marguerite Bouvier, une infirmiere originaire de Meyronne en Saskatchewan. Ils ont eu six enfants, Renald (Robin), Claudette (Gerald), Marjolaine (Clayton), Gerard, Gilbert et Lanyse (Bill). En 1950, a la demande de la soeur mourante de Marguerite, Angeline, Jos et Marguerite ont ramene son nouveau-ne, Remi Cecile Smith, quils ont eleve comme leur propre fils. Au mois de janvier 1948, Jos et Marguerite quitterent avec regret la Paroisse du Sacre-Coeur et setablirent a Saint-Boniface. Comme etait son habitude, Jos participait activement comme Chevalier de Colomb et aux autres activites de lEglise catholique. Il assuma la responsabilite pour un prelevement de fonds qui permit la construction du Grand Seminaire de lArchidiosese de Saint-Boniface. En 1957, son devouement fut reconnu officiellement par le Pape Pie XII qui le nomma a lOrdre de Saint-Gregoire le Grand. En 1956, Jos fut elu echevin du quartier 4 de la ville de Saint-Boniface et, en 1960, maire de la ville. En 1958, Jos sest porte acquereur du magasin et cordonnerie "Les chaussures Guay" sis au boulevard Provencher. En 1967, Jos devint actif dans le parti Liberal du Canada et fut elu depute de la circonscription federale de Saint-Boniface en juin 1968. Le Premier Ministre, lHonorable Pierre Elliott Trudeau, et Jos, deux hommes dorigine tres differente, developperent une relation damitie et de respect mutuel qui permit a Jos de livrer des resultats concrets parfois surprenants pour les gens de Saint-Boniface, notamment la Monnaie Canadienne, a Southdale, lOffice de commercialisation du poisson deau douce, chemin Plessis, et Le Centre de traitements des donnees de Revenu Canada, rue Reendeers, ou Jos negotia personnellement lachat du site par telephone avec le proprietaire en dix minutes lorsquil etait Ministre du Revenu national! Re-elu en 1972 et en 1974, Jos fut dabord nomme Secretaire parlementaire au ministre de lExpansion economique regionale, Whip en chef du parti Liberal entre 1975 et 1977, nomme ministre dEtat et assermente au Conseil prive en 1976. Il devint ministre dEtat pour le multiculturalisme en 1977 et finalement ministre du Revenu national en 1977 et 1978. Cest a ce moment que Jos negocia sa nomination au Senat avec lHonorable Pierre Elliott Trudeau se basant sur son origine metisse et transformant ainsi un tabou familial en fier atout! Il en resultat une premiere du cote historique puisque le nouveau senateur garda son poste de Whip en chef pendant quelque temps nonobstant son nouveau role. Jos siega de facon assidue au Senat jusqua sa retraite en 1990. Jos sest toujours interesse au systeme juridique et, des sa premiere election comme depute federal en 1968, portait une attention particuliere lors des nominations ou promotions des juges. Il instiga le paiement des honoraires dans la cause Forest, un geste sans precedent a lepoque, qui mena a la creation eventuelle du Conseil des contestations judiciaires daujourdhui. Ce dont Jos etait le plus fier cependant cetait de pouvoir utiliser son poste pour aider les gens quels que soient leurs defis. Il avait le don remarquable de se souvenir des noms des individus aussi bien que de tous les details personnels que ceux-ci avaient partages avec lui, un talent qui permit a Jos de se faire des amis partout ou il est passe. Jos laisse dans le deuil son epouse, Marguerite, ses sept enfants, son frere Alphonse, six soeurs, Geraldine, Marguerite (Peggy), Therese, Evelyne, Yvette et Lorraine, dix-sept petits-enfants, Karine (Gerald), Rodrigue, Marjolaine, Dominique, Philippe (Karen), Marquis, Robaire (Nicole), Jeannelle (Gyula), Jerome, Christian, Gabriele, Martin, Michel, Rielle (John), Francois, Joseph, Madeleine, et une arriere petite-fille, Jada Michelle. Les funerailles auront lieu le vendredi 3 aout 2001 en la Cathedrale de Saint-Boniface a 10h. Une contribution a loeuvre charitable de votre choix serait appreciee. HON. JOSEPH-PHILIPPE GUAY, P.C. Joe was a people person. From humble beginnings, Joe developed a remarkable ability to remember individual names and the personal details others shared with him which assisted him in assessing their respective needs. Invariably, Joe was more than willing to help anyone who asked. This enabled Joe to make lifelong friends wherever he went. Born on October 4, 1915 in St. Vital, Joe was proud to have been educated by the Grey Nuns in St. Anne, Manitoba. In 1928, his family moved to the Brookland area in Winnipeg and Joe, who did not know the city and could not yet speak English, was hired by Eatons to deliver messages by bicycle! Eventually, he was promoted to work in Eatons pharmacy and later to sell shoes there. With the outbreak of the Second World War, Joe and his brother Alphonse volunteered for the Navy while their brothers, Gerard and Lucien, joined the Air Force, where both were killed in the line of duty. Joe became drill instructor at H.M.S. Chippawa in Winnipeg. In 1941, Joe married Marguerite Bouvier, a registered nurse from Meyronne, Saskatchewan. Together, they had six children, Renald (Robin), Claudette (Gerald), Marjolaine (Clayton), Gerard, Gilbert and Lanyse (Bill). In 1950, responding to one of Marguerites sisters, Angelines deathbed request, Joe and Marguerite returned to their family home in St. Boniface with Angelines newborn, Remi Cecile Smith, whom they raised as their own son. In January 1948, with a heavy heart Joe and Marguerite moved from la Paroisse du Sacre-Coeur in Winnipeg and purchased a home in St. Boniface. As was his habit, Joe was very active in the Knights of Columbus and other Catholic church activities. He led a drive to fund the construction of the Grand Seminaire of the Archdiocese of St. Boniface. His dedication was acknowledged officially in 1957 when Pope Pius XII knighted him as a member of the Order of St. Gregory the Great. Elected as alderman of Ward 4 of the City of St. Boniface in 1956, Joe was subsequently elected mayor in 1960. Meanwhile, in 1958, he had purchased the shoe repair shop/store known as "Guay Shoes" on Provencher Boulevard. In 1967, Joe became active in the Liberal Party of Canada and was elected Member of Parliament for St. Boniface in June, 1968. Notwithstanding their different backrounds, Joe developed a friendly rapport based upon mutual respect with the Honourable Pierre Elliott Trudeau. This enabled Joe to deliver concrete symbols of the federal presence to his constituency, notably the Royal Canadian Mint in Southdale, the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation on Plessis Road and Revenue Canadas Data Processing Centre on Reendeers in Transcona. Joe was proud of having personnally negotiated by telephone the purchase of the Data Treatment site as Minister of National Revenue in about ten minutes! Re-elected as M.P. for St. Boniface in 1972 and 1974, Joe became Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, then to the Minister of Regional Economic Expansion in 1974 and Minister without Portfolio in 1976, Chief Government Whip of the Liberal Party between 1975 and 1977, Minister of State for Multi-culturalism in 1977, and finally Minister of National Revenue from 1977 to 1978. Joe was named to the Senate in 1978 and nevertheless, as a historical first, retained his position as Whip for several months. Joe served diligently in the Senate until his retirement in 1990. Joe was always very interested in the judicial system and, commencing when he was first elected as an M.P. in 1968, took great care when it came to the nomination or promotion of judges. He saw to it that the legal fees in the Forest case were paid by the Federal Government which was a novelty at the time leading to the eventual creation of the Court Challenges Programme of today. What Joe was most proud of however was being able to use his position to help ordinary persons anyway he could. Joe will be greatly missed by his wife, Marguerite; his seven children; his brother Alphonse; his six sisters, Geraldine, Marguerite (Peggy), Therese, Evelyne, Yvette and Lorraine; his 17 grandchildren, Karine (Gerald), Rodrigue, Marjolaine, Dominique, Philippe (Karen), Marquis, Robaire (Nicole), Jeannelle (Gyula), Jerome, Christian, Gabriele, Martin, Michel, Rielle (John), Francois, Joseph, Madeleine, and his one great-grandaughter, Jada Michelle. Joes funeral will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, August 3, 2001 at St. Boniface Cathedral. A contribution to the charity of your choice would be appreciated.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 02, 2001