Denise Bombardier
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Denise Bombardier (; born Marie Louise Yvette Denise Bombardier, January 18, 1941 – July 4, 2023) was a Canadian journalist, essayist, novelist and media personality who worked for the French-language television network Radio-Canada for over 30 years. Bombardier was a defender of the international
Francophonie The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important a ...
and often invited by Bernard Pivot to discuss the psyche of the French and the situation of the
French language French ( or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-R ...
in France.


Biography

Denise Bombardier obtained a master's degree in
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
from the
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 ...
in 1971 and a
doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...
in
sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
three years later from the Sorbonne. Bombardier began her professional career as a
research assistant A research assistant (RA) is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract, by a university, research institute, or privately held organization to provide assistance in academic or private research endeavors. Research assistants work under ...
on the Radio-Canada television program ''Aujourd'hui''. Starting in 1975 she hosted a number of programs such as ''Présent international'', ''Hebdo-dimanche'', ''Noir sur blanc'' (1979–1983), '' Le Point'' and ''Entre les lignes''. She hosted ''Trait-d'union'' from 1987 to 1988, and participated on ''Aujourd'hui dimanche'' (1988–1991) and ''L'Envers de la médaille''. ''Noir sur blanc'' was the first public affairs program to be hosted by a woman in Quebec. There Bombardier interviewed
Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...
Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...
, novelist Georges Simenon,
Prime Minister of Israel The prime minister of Israel (, Hebrew abbreviations, Hebrew abbreviation: ; , ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief executive of the Israel, State of Israel. Israel is a parliamentary republic with a President of Isra ...
Golda Meir Golda Meir (; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was the prime minister of Israel, serving from 1969 to 1974. She was Israel's first and only female head of government. Born into a Jewish family in Kyiv, Kiev, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine) ...
,
President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the po ...
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and his successor François Mitterrand. In 1999, she hosted and produced the science program '' Les Années lumières'' on Radio-Canada radio. Bombardier wrote a number of articles in the press, some of which were controversial. Her articles appeared in ''
Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...
'', ''
Le Devoir (, ) is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and throughout Canada. It was founded by journalist and politician Henri Bourassa in 1910. is one of few independent large-circulation newspapers in Quebec ...
'', '' L'Express de Toronto'', ''
Châtelaine ''Châtelaine'' is a French language, French-language magazine of women's lifestyles, published in Quebec by St. Joseph Communications. History and profile The magazine was first published in 1960 by Maclean-Hunter Publishing. It covers issues ...
'', '' Le Point'' and '' L'Actualité''. She also wrote ''La Voix de la France'' (1975), ''Une enfance à l'eau bénite'' (1985), ''Aimez-moi les uns les autres'' (1999), ''Nos chères amies'' (2008), and ''L'énigmatique Céline Dion'' (2009). In 2003, she was fired via e-mail from the public television network Radio-Canada for engaging in a debate on
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
against Louis Godbout, spokesperson for the Quebec Gay Archives, during an interview-format segment of ''Le Point'', an evening information show. She has been scathing about reality television programs, especially Quebec's '' Star Académie''. In 2007, Bombardier wrote the song "La diva" for
Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the " Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had a significant impact on popular musi ...
, included on the album '' D'elles''. She also followed Céline Dion during her '' Taking Chances World Tour'' as research for her book ''L'énigmatique Céline Dion''. Bombardier died on July 4, 2023, following a brief battle with cancer. She was 82. She was married three times. She left her first husband in 1970 for an affair with producer Claude Sylvestre of Radio-Canada, marrying him in 1973. In 1985 on a trip to Paris, she was introduced to then-Canadian ambassador
Lucien Bouchard Lucien Bouchard (; born December 22, 1938) is a Canadian lawyer, diplomat and retired politician. A minister for two years in the 24th Canadian Ministry, Mulroney cabinet, Bouchard then founded and led the Bloc Québécois and became Leader ...
. She left her husband, flew back to Paris and moved into the Canadian embassy with her young son. After six months, she returned to Montreal and her husband. Within a year, the couple split again. She finally found love with Irishman James "Jim" Jackson, a professor of French literature from Dublin. She is survived by one son, Guillaume Sylvestre and two grandchildren.


Views

In 1990, during a television confrontation on a French book programme "Apostrophes", Bombardier said of the writer Gabriel Matzneff: "Some older men like to attract little children with sweets. Mr Matzneff does it with his reputation." Bombardier added, "How did they do afterward, these young girls?" At the time, she was insulted in the press by Josyane Savigneau. But, in January 2020, writer and editor Vanessa Springora "publishes a book, ''Le Consentement'', a memoir of having been sexually abused by Matzneff between the ages of 14 and 16, when he was more than three times her age. It sparks an international furore, and Matzneff, driven from Paris, takes refuge on the Italian Riviera. The Paris prosecutor’s office opens an investigation after an 'analysis' of the book. Matzneff is set to stand trial in September this year," reports the Guardian. In 2019, Bombardier wrote the column "The Decline of the Whites." She started by noting the demographic fact that in many US cities, whites are already in the minority, and she stated that by 2050, in such countries as Canada, New Zealand and the US, whites could become a minority group.


Bibliography

* ''La Voix de la France'' (1975) * ''Une enfance à l'eau bénite'' (1985) * ''Le mal de l'âme'' (with Claude Saint-Laurent, 1989) * ''Tremblement de cœur'' (1990) * ''La déroute des sexes'' (1993) * ''Nos hommes'' (1995) * ''Aimez-moi les uns les autres'' (1999) * ''Lettre ouverte aux Français qui se croient le nombril du monde'' (2000) * ''Propos d'une moraliste'' (2003) * ''Et quoi encore!'' (2004) * ''Sans complaisance'' (2005) * ''Nos chères amies'' (2008) * ''L'énigmatique Céline Dion'' (2009) * ''L'Anglais'' (2012) * Une vie sans peur et sans regret. Mémoires (2019)


Selected filmography

* ''Présent international'' * ''Hebdo-dimanche'' * ''Noir sur blanc'' * ''Point'' * ''Entre les lignes''. * ''Trait-d'union'' (1987–1988) * ''Aujourd'hui dimanche'' (1988–1991) * ''L'Envers de la médaille'' * ''Parlez-moi des hommes, parlez-moi des femmes'' (2001–2002)


Awards and recognition

* In 1993, she was made a Knight of the
Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
. * In 2000, she was made a Knight of the
National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec ( French: ), also known as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governor Jean-Pierre Côté granted royal assent to the (Natio ...
. * In 2015, she was made 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 ...
.


In media

Bombardier championed '' Next Episode'' by Hubert Aquin (translation of ''Prochain épisode'' by Sheila Fischman) in '' Canada Reads 2003''. In the 2007 edition of ''Canada Reads'', an "all-star" competition pitting the five winning advocates from previous years against each other, Bombardier returned to champion
Gabrielle Roy Gabrielle Roy (; March 22, 1909July 13, 1983) was a Canadian author from St. Boniface, Manitoba and one of the major figures in French Canadian literature. Early life Roy was born in 1909 in Saint-Boniface (now part of Winnipeg), Manitoba, an ...
's novel ''
Children of My Heart ''Children of My Heart'' is a novel by Gabrielle Roy, published in 1977. The novel, Roy's last published work of fiction, was originally published in French as ''Ces enfants de ma vie''. The novel's protagonist is "Gabrielle Roy", a young teach ...
''.


References


External links

*
Article at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/
* * '' Souvenirs'', vol. 1, n° 1, Les Éditions Télémédia Inc., 1989. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bombardier, Denise 1941 births 2023 deaths Canadian television journalists Canadian radio journalists Knights of the National Order of Quebec Université de Montréal alumni Canadian women television journalists Journalists from Montreal Members of the Order of Canada Officers of the Legion of Honour Canadian women radio journalists Quebec sovereigntists Quebecor people Conservatism in Canada