Honorary degree citation - Guy Saint-Pierre
By: Tom Sankar, June 1992
Mr. Chancellor, I have the honour to present to you Guy Saint-Pierre, eminent industrialist and distinguished engineer, who has made immense contributions to the development of engineering in Québec and in Canada. En route to his present position as President and Chief Executive Officer of the SNC Group Inc., Canada's largest engineering firm with more than 6,600 employees and operations in over 50 countries, he has achieved distinction as an Athione Fellow, military officer, registrar of the Corporation of Engineers of Québec, Minister of Education and then Minister of Industry and Commerce of Québec, director of diverse Canadian corporations, executive of several provincial and national organizations, governor of l'Université de Montréal, and recently the honorary chair of the Festival of Engineering '92.
Monsieur Saint-Pierre est né à Windsor Mills, au Québec. II a fait des études à Victoriaville et obtenu un B.Sc.A. en génie civil à l'Université Laval avec la Médaille d'excellence décernée par cet établissement. He continued his studies as an Athione Fellow at the famous Imperial College of Science and Technology where he earned a post-graduate diploma and then an M.Sc. in 1959. De 1959 à 1964, il a été Officier du Génie de l'Armée canadienne, à Camp Gagetown, au Nouveau-Brunswick, et de 1964 à 19l6, il a été directeur et reistraire de la Corporation des ingénieurs du Québec. De 1970 à 1972, il a été ministre de 1'Education au sein du gouvernement Libéral du Québec et, de 1972 à 1976, ministre de l'Industrie et du Commerce. Après une carrière remarquable à l'Assemblée nationale, il est devenu adjoint au président de John Labatt Limitée en 1977 et président de la firme Ogilvie Mills Limitée, de 1978 à 1988.
Monsieur Saint-Pierre est membre de la Chambre de commerce de Montréal, de l'Institut des ingénieurs du Canada, de l'Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec et du Conseil canadien des chefs d'entreprises. Il est ex-président de l'Association des manufacturiers canadiens. Il est aussi gouverneur du Conseil du patronat du Québec et membre du Conseil de l'Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal.
Mr. Saint-Pierre's distinguished services to the profession of engineering and to business have been long and wide-ranging. He is presently Chairman and Director of the Conference Board of Canada and serves on the Boards of an impressive list of corporations -- the Royal Bank of Canada, General Motors of Canada, Suncor, Stelco, SNC Group, etc. He has been a motivating force behind the recent Festival of Engineering '92, a nationwide celebration, to increase public awareness of engineers' contributions to our quality of life and to foster community pride in our achievements. The official logo of the Festival is a graphic representing the heart, mind and vision of engineering, which in a way reflects Mr. Saint-Pierre's own dedication to the profession. His interests in education started with his wide-reaching reforms in Québec as its Minister of Education in the early 70s and has continued since. The birth of Concordia University from its parent institutions, Sir George Williams and Loyola, took shape under his ministerial guidance and he has since maintained a keen interest in our University and its development.
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, Guy Saint-Pierre, so that you may confer on him the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.
