Frank Howard (columnist)
Encyclopedia
Frank Howard was a Canadian journalist
(and columnist
) who wrote for the Ottawa Citizen
, The Globe and Mail
, The Montreal Gazette, The Montreal Star
and The Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph
. He was born on January 3, 1931 in Montreal
, Canada
to anglophone parents, but grew up in a francophone community attending l'Academie Roussin in Pointe-aux-Trembles. As a young man, he also attended Queen's university in Kingston, Ontario, returning to Quebec
(the francophone province) in the 1950s and 60s to cover the Quiet Revolution
for the anglophone press. As a bilingual anglophone writing during the 1960s, he was an influential figure in the Canadian political scene at a time when there was little communication between anglophone and francophone communities. According to John Gray (Canadian author)
of the Globe and Mail, Frank Howard sought to introduce English and French Canada to one another. During the Quiet Revolution, nationalist sentiment ran high and the two ethnicities were seen as something like 'Two Solitudes
' As an anglophone and a political moderate, Frank Howard was sympathetic to Quebec grievances without supporting separatist goals. At the Gazette, and later at the Globe and Mail, Mr. Howard broke many important stories including the infamous "Vive le Québec libre" speech by Charles de Gaulle
as well as covering other seminal moments in Quebec history such as the founding of the Parti Québécois and the 'nationalization' of Quebec Hydro. He worked with both René Lévesque
(who became the first separatist Premier of Quebec) and Pierre Trudeau
(who was the Prime Minister of Canada).
In 1969 Frank Howard was recruited by the Canadian federal government under Trudeau for work in the Department of Communications (he became Director of Information under Eric Kierans
). There, among other things, he wrote speeches for Kierans during the October crisis
. He left the civil service in the 1970s and began a daily column on the federal bureaucracy. The column, called 'The Bureaucrats,' ran in the Ottawa Citizen for 20 years. He died on February 26, 2008 in Mexico of complications related to lung cancer.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
(and columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
) who wrote for the Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Citizen
The Ottawa Citizen is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Canada. According to the Canadian Newspaper Association, the paper had a 2008 weekly circulation of 900,197.- History :...
, The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, The Montreal Gazette, The Montreal Star
Montreal Star
The Montreal Star was an English-language Canadian newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It folded in 1979 following an eight-month pressmen's strike....
and The Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph
Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph
The Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph, founded by William Brown as the Quebec Gazette on 21 June 1764, claims to be the oldest newspaper in North America...
. He was born on January 3, 1931 in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to anglophone parents, but grew up in a francophone community attending l'Academie Roussin in Pointe-aux-Trembles. As a young man, he also attended Queen's university in Kingston, Ontario, returning to Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
(the francophone province) in the 1950s and 60s to cover the Quiet Revolution
Quiet Revolution
The Quiet Revolution was the 1960s period of intense change in Quebec, Canada, characterized by the rapid and effective secularization of society, the creation of a welfare state and a re-alignment of politics into federalist and separatist factions...
for the anglophone press. As a bilingual anglophone writing during the 1960s, he was an influential figure in the Canadian political scene at a time when there was little communication between anglophone and francophone communities. According to John Gray (Canadian author)
John Gray (Canadian author)
John Gray is a Canadian journalist and author whose work includes Paul Martin: The Power of Ambition, a biography with an emphasis on Martin's life-long quest to be Prime Minister. A former journalist with the Ottawa Citizen, Gray also had many roles in 20 years of work for The Globe and Mail,...
of the Globe and Mail, Frank Howard sought to introduce English and French Canada to one another. During the Quiet Revolution, nationalist sentiment ran high and the two ethnicities were seen as something like 'Two Solitudes
Two Solitudes
The term Two Solitudes may refer to:* Two Solitudes , a 1945 novel by Hugh MacLennan*Two Solitudes , 1978 motion picture written and directed by Lionel Chetwynd, based on the 1945 novel...
' As an anglophone and a political moderate, Frank Howard was sympathetic to Quebec grievances without supporting separatist goals. At the Gazette, and later at the Globe and Mail, Mr. Howard broke many important stories including the infamous "Vive le Québec libre" speech by Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
as well as covering other seminal moments in Quebec history such as the founding of the Parti Québécois and the 'nationalization' of Quebec Hydro. He worked with both René Lévesque
René Lévesque
René Lévesque was a reporter, a minister of the government of Quebec, , the founder of the Parti Québécois political party and the 23rd Premier of Quebec...
(who became the first separatist Premier of Quebec) and Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
(who was the Prime Minister of Canada).
In 1969 Frank Howard was recruited by the Canadian federal government under Trudeau for work in the Department of Communications (he became Director of Information under Eric Kierans
Eric Kierans
Eric William Kierans, PC, OC was a Canadian economist and politician.-Life and career:Born in Montreal on Feb. 2, 1914, Kierans grew up in the working-class Saint-Henri neighbourhood; his father worked at Canadian Car and Foundry and his mother came to Canada as a domestic...
). There, among other things, he wrote speeches for Kierans during the October crisis
October Crisis
The October Crisis was a series of events triggered by two kidnappings of government officials by members of the Front de libération du Québec during October 1970 in the province of Quebec, mainly in the Montreal metropolitan area.The circumstances ultimately culminated in the only peacetime use...
. He left the civil service in the 1970s and began a daily column on the federal bureaucracy. The column, called 'The Bureaucrats,' ran in the Ottawa Citizen for 20 years. He died on February 26, 2008 in Mexico of complications related to lung cancer.
External links
- http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080301.OBHOWARD01//TPStory/Obituaries
- http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=490d4f9d-436f-40c4-a7c2-bcce176a5dbd
- http://www.qctonline.com/node/447
- http://books.google.ca/books?id=E5AIU2qChy0C&pg=PA87&dq=%22Frank+Howard%22+Eric+Kierans&sig=fAFTAJFegv7hGT2JdWprhbxqPmo#PPA1,M1