Honorary degree citation - Roch Bolduc
By: Hubert Guindon, June 1983
Mr. Chancellor, I have the honour to present to you Roch Bolduc, a distinguished public servant, a man of bold thought and discreet action, a man with a great concern for the public good.
He has well served the people and the government of Quebec for over thirty years, under seven premiers and three political parties; he has served well in times of trying conflict and in times of elating growth. At all times he earned the admiration of all for his selflessness, his integrity and his commitment.
Becomingly unnoticed on the stage of public affairs during his career, public recognition was nonetheless bestowed upon him before it ended when, in 1980, Governor General Edward Schreyer awarded him the Vanier Medal, reserved for individuals with a record of outstanding public service.
Un homme d'action, ai-je dit, car en effet Roch Bolduc a été l'architecte et le maitre-d'oeuvre du développement de la fonction publique moderne au Québec. Il est également un homme réfléchi qui a puisé constamment dans le savoir créé dans les sciences sociales de son époque. Un grand clerc de l'Etat, Roch Bolduc s'est toujours distingué du commun des administrateurs et du fonctionnaire moyen, d'abord par sa passion pour la lecture et le monde des idées qu'il n'a jamais abandonné durant sa carrière et ensuite par le respect profond, parfois gênant, qu'il a toujours exprimé envers le monde académique en général et les sciences sociales en particulier.
Monsieur Bolduc has been not only the architect of the public service but he has become a serious critic of the excessive growth of the State. In a series of scholarly articles he imparted to the public his reflections on the relations between state and society that he experienced over the last quarter of a century.
Roch Bolduc has also been concerned in the training of future public servants and in this respect, Mr. Chancellor, we have been fortunate at Concordia to recruit him as an active friend. He has greatly facilitated the development of a master's programme in public policy and public administration with the political science department. Furthermore he was and is of great assistance to the School of Community and Public Affairs both as a member of its Board of Advisors and a visiting lecturer for our senior students.
Quite bluntly, Mr. Chancellor, we hope to secure his continued and increased participation in our educational endeavours related to the public service. Yet, were these expectations not to be met, we still would be proud to publicly recognize the great contribution he has made to the realm of public affairs in our society.
Mr. Chancellor, it is therefore a privilege to present to you, on behalf of the Senate and by the authority of the Board of Governors, Roch Bolduc, that you may confer on him the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.
