- Lucien Rivard
Lucien Rivard (b. June 16, 1914, d. February 3, 2002) was a
Quebec criminal known for a sensationalprison escape in 1965."Man who triggered Pearson scandal dies," "Daily Mercury", Guelph, Ontario: February 14, 2002, pg. A.11.]Rivard had been engaged in
robbery and smuggling drugs since the 1940s. He has been described as a "petty crook"Alan Hustak, "Rivard rocked Ottawa: Drug-smuggler and escape artist dies peacefully at 83," "The Gazette," Montreal, Quebec: February 14, 2002. pg. A.4.] in his early years, but in the 1950s he moved toCuba and operated acasino , and became involved in theheroin business. In 1958 he moved back toLaval, Quebec , and operated the business "Domaine Idéal" to continue dealing drugs and weapons.In 1965, Rivard was in a
Montreal prison, but used a water hose to climb a wall and escape. He was missing for four months before being caught and extradited to theUnited States . During his absence, he wrote letters to various people, telling thePrime Minister of Canada Lester B. Pearson "Life is short, you know. I don't intend to be in jail for the rest of my life."Tu Thanh Ha, "Montreal mobster nearly sank Liberals," "The Globe and Mail ", Toronto, Ontario: February 14, 2002. pg. A.3.]Aftermath
Allegations of
bribery regarding thegovernment of Canada during Rivard's escape provoked an investigation, and Attorney GeneralGuy Favreau left office as a consequence. Favreau had been gaining prestige at the time, and when he left, Prime Minister Pearson sought out newQuebec MPs to replace him, namelyJean Marchand ,Pierre Trudeau andGérard Pelletier . Trudeau became prime minister in 1968.The escape inspired the song "The Gallic Pimpernel." In addition, the
Canadian Press voted Rivard the title ofCanadian Newsmaker of the Year for 1965. ["Newsmakers since 1946," "Trail Times", Trail, B.C.: December 27, 2001. pg. 13.] In 2006, it was announced that the Quebec government would help sponsor a film called "Le piège Américain ", to be directed byCharles Binamé , withRémy Girard to play Lucien Rivard. ["Six Quebec films get green light," "The Gazette", Montreal, Quebec: December 3, 2006. pg. A.29.]References
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