Charles-Albert Poissant (1925–2011) was a Canadian businessman, philanthropist, and prominent figure in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

's economic landscape. Born in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Quebec, Poissant dedicated much of his life to entrepreneurship and charitable initiatives, with his philanthropic efforts primarily focused on advancing education and healthcare sectors in Canada. As a Québécois business leader, Poissant contributed to the province's commercial development while simultaneously championing social causes. His philanthropic legacy includes substantial support for educational institutions, medical research, and healthcare infrastructure, reflecting his commitment to fostering community well-being and accessibility to critical services.

Biography

Charles-Albert Poissant was born in

, Quebec. He married and had four children, and earned a diploma from the Hautes Études commerciales (

HEC Montréal HEC Montréal (; English: ''High Commercial Studies of Montreal'') is a bilingual public business school located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1907, HEC Montréal is the graduate business school of the Université de Montréal and is ...

) in 1953. Beginning his career as a trainee at Middleton Hope & Co., an English-speaking chartered accounting firm later known as

KPMG KPMG is a multinational professional services network, based in London, United Kingdom. As one of the Big Four accounting firms, along with Ernst & Young (EY), Deloitte, and PwC. KPMG is a network of firms in 145 countries with 275,288 emplo ...

, Poissant rose to become Senior Associate for

, and ultimately served as National Manager for nearly a decade (Mercure, 2007). A key figure in Québec's business community, Poissant acted as the principal collaborator and advisor to

Pierre Péladeau Pierre Péladeau (April 12, 1925 – December 24, 1997) was a Canadian businessman. He was the founder of Quebecor, Quebecor Inc., a Canadian media and telecommunications conglomerate in Quebec, Canada. He was the father of billionaire Pierre ...

, founder of

Quebecor Quebecor Inc. is a Canadian diversified media and telecommunications company serving Quebec based in Montreal. It was spelled Quebecor in both English and French until May 2012, when shareholders voted to add the acute accent, Québecor, in ...

, from the company's inception in 1950. He played a central role in expanding the Quebecor empire, notably negotiating major acquisitions. From 1987 to 1997, he served as President and CEO of

Donohue Inc. Donohue Inc. was a Canadian company founded in 1920 as Murray River Power and Pulp Co. Limited and incorporated in Quebec. The company changed its name to Donohue Brothers Limited, in 1921, then to Donohue Company Limited, in 1970, and to Donohue I ...

, and in 1999, he became Chairman of the Board of

Inc., marking him as the first Francophone President and Chief Executive Officer of a Canadian newsprint producer. Deeply engaged in civic and professional organizations, Poissant held leadership roles including President of the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec, member of the Bélanger-Campeau Commission on

's political and constitutional future, President of the Triennial Advisory Committee on judicial compensation for the

Court of Quebec The Court of Quebec () is a court of first instance in the Province of Quebec, Canada. The court has jurisdiction over civil matters, criminal and penal matters as well as over youth matters The court sits in administrative matters as well, a ...

, and President of the Canadian branch of the

International Fiscal Association The International Fiscal Association (IFA) is a non-governmental and non-sectoral international organisation dealing with fiscal matters. It was established in 1938 and its headquarters are in the Netherlands. The objects of IFA are the study and ...

. He also served on the executive committees of

National Bank of Canada The National Bank of Canada () is the sixth largest commercial bank in Canada. It is headquartered in Montreal, and has branches in most Canadian provinces and 2.4 million personal clients. National Bank is the largest bank in Quebec, and the se ...

Hydro-Québec Hydro-Québec () is a Canadian Crown corporations of Canada#Quebec, Crown corporation public utility headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. It manages the electricity generation, generation, electric power transmission, transmission and electricity ...

, First Choice Networks Inc., and the

Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal The Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal is a district general hospital in the Cartierville neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, bordering on Saint-Laurent. It is one of the largest teaching hospitals affiliated with the Université de ...

, among others. From 1998 onward, Poissant focused on philanthropy, contributing his expertise to educational and healthcare initiatives. He joined the boards of the

Université du Québec à Montréal The (UQAM; ), is a French language, French-language public university, public research university based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest constituent element of the system. UQAM was founded on April 9, 1969, by the government o ...

Foundation, the

Foundation, the Paul Gérin-Lajoie Foundation, and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. Additionally, he served as President of the Corporation des Jeux du Québec and ambassador for the Jeux du Québec finals in

Matane Matane () is a town on the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec, Canada, on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River at the mouth of the Matane River. The town is the seat for the La Matanie Regional County Municipality. In addition to Matane itse ...

. Until his death, he maintained an office at

's Saint-Jacques Street headquarters in

, which he visited daily. In his later years, Poissant prioritized issues of governance and international development, particularly the effectiveness of aid from wealthy nations to developing regions. Drawing from his modest upbringing, he championed structured, ethical assistance programs. In 2006, he helped establish the C-A Poissant Chair at UQAM to study and improve the management of aid funds, aiming to develop a code of ethics for national and international development practices. Reflecting on his lifelong optimism, Poissant credited a mantra inspired by French psychologist Émile Coué: “Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.” Philippe Mercure (2007) noted this philosophy guided both his business success and personal demeanor. Even at age 82, colleagues such as communications manager Anne Béland remarked, “He wants to change the world.” Charles-Albert Poissant died on 11 March 2011.

Awards

Throughout his career, Charles-Albert Poissant received numerous prestigious honours and recognitions: * 1984: Named a Fellow of the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec. * 1996: Appointed as a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. * 1999: Awarded an honorary doctorate in law studies from

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

Publications

Charles-Albert Poissant authored several works reflecting his business philosophy and experiences: * ''Donohue : L'histoire d'un grand succès québécois''. Québec Amérique, 1998. * ''How to Think Like a Millionaire: Ten of the Richest Men in the World and the Secrets of Their Success''. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2001. * ''Réussir. Programmer son succès''. Éditions Logiques, 2007.

Philanthropy

Charles-Albert Poissant supported or contributed to several philanthropic initiatives and organizations, primarily in education, healthcare, and international development:

The Paul-Gérin-Lajoie Foundation

Sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the foundation focuses on improving educational outcomes in Burkina Faso by training teachers and administrators to enhance the quality of classroom materials and pedagogy.

The CNIB Foundation

A national registered charity, the CNIB Foundation promotes vision health and independence for Canadians with sight loss through research, public education, and community support programs. Its mission centres on advancing accessibility and quality of life for individuals living with vision impairment.

'' Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal'' Foundation

The foundation raises funds to support the hospital’s priority projects, including the acquisition of advanced medical equipment, research initiatives, clinical training programs, and improvements to patient care services.

''Chaire Charles-Albert Poissant de transplantation cornéenne de l'
Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (; UdeM; ) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on M ...
'' (Charles-Albert Poissant Chair in Corneal Transplantation)

Established at the University of Montreal, this chair aims to refine corneal transplant techniques through innovations in laser technology, improving surgical precision and patient outcomes.

''Chaire Charles-Albert Poissant sur la gouvernance et l'aide au développement de l' UQAM'' (Charles-Albert Poissant Chair in Governance and Development Aid)

Based at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), this research initiative examines transparency in international aid flows and evaluates the effectiveness of development strategies. Its goal is to establish ethical frameworks for national and global cooperation programs.

''Prenez position pour l' UQAM'' Campaign (Take a Stand for UQAM)

Chaired by National Bank CEO Réal Raymond, an ESG-UQAM graduate, this fundraising campaign has secured CAD 53 million from corporate partners, alumni, and community donors. Funds support student scholarships, infrastructure development, and academic programming at UQAM.

Quotes

About

: * (Poissant, 2007) * (Poissant, 2007) * (Laprade, 2007) About

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

: * M. Poissant mentions legendary hockey player

quote: (Laprade, 2007). About David Spielberg (in his book "How to Think Like a Millionaire"): * (Paquin, 1998) About his book « Réussir. Programmer son succès » * * (Laprade, 2007)

Bibliography

Books and Publications

* Poissant, Charles-Albert. ''How to Think Like a Millionaire: Ten of the Richest Men in the World and the Secrets of Their Success''. Toronto:

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the " Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster. HarperCollins is h ...

, 2001. * Poissant, Charles-Albert. ''Réussir. Programmer son succès'' 'Succeed: Programming Your Success'' Montreal: Éditions Logiques, 2007.

Journalistic Profiles

* Laprade, Yvon. "À 82 ans, Charles-Albert Poissant devient écrivain" At 82, Charles-Albert Poissant Becomes an Author" ''

Journal de Montréal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of personal secretive thoughts and as open book to personal therapy or used to feel connected to onesel ...

'', 17 September 2007. * Mercure, Philippe. "Charles-Albert Poissant ou programmer son subconscient" Charles-Albert Poissant: Programming the Subconscious" ''

La Presse is a French-language online newspaper published daily in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1884, it is now owned by an independent nonprofit trust. ' was formerly a broadsheet daily, considered a newspaper of record in Canada. Its Sunday edi ...

'', 20 October 2007. * Paquin, Yves. "Going Against the Grain." ''CAMagazine'', November 1998.

Institutional references

* Chaire C.A. Poissant de recherche sur la gouvernance et l’aide au développement .A. Poissant Chair in Governance and Development Aid Research "Presentation of Charles-Albert Poissant." Université du Québec à Montréal, n.d.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poissant, Charles-Albert 1925 births Members of the Order of Canada Businesspeople from Montreal 2011 deaths Quebecor people HEC Montréal alumni