Bernard Grandmaître
Bernard C. Grandmaître, was a Canadian politician from Ontario. He was a [Ontario Ontario Liberal Party|Liberal Party|Liberal] member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1984 to 1999 who represented the riding of Ottawa East. He served as a cabinet minister in the government of David Peterson.
Background
Grandmaître was born in Eastview, Ontario, and educated at Ottawa schools. He owned a small business in Vanier, Ontario for 13 years. He was named a life member of the Centre francophone de Vanier, and was active in the Knights of Columbus.Grandmaître died on October 28, 2025, at the age of 92.
Politics
Grandmaître was an alderman on the Vanier city council from 1969 to 1974, and served as its mayor from 1974 to 1980 and from 1982 to 1984.He ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1981 provincial election, but lost to Bob MacQuarrie in the riding of Carleton East.
In government
On December 13, 1984, Grandmaître was elected in a by-election to succeed retiring MPP Albert Roy in the riding of Ottawa East. This riding is one of the safest Liberal seats in the province, and Grandmaître was returned without difficulty in the 1985 provincial election.The Liberals formed a minority government after this election, and Grandmaître was appointed Minister of Municipal Affairs and Minister responsible for Francophone Affairs. In the latter capacity, he played a major role in passing the province's French Language Services Act in 1986.
The Liberals won a landslide majority in the 1987 election, and Grandmaître defeated his nearest opponent by almost 15,000 votes. He was appointed Minister of Revenue on September 29, 1987, while retaining responsibility for Francophone Affairs. His term in cabinet ended on August 2, 1989.