Victor Goldbloom
CC OQ
4th Commissioner of Official Languages
In office
1991–1999
Preceded byD'Iberville Fortier
Succeeded byDyane Adam
Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for D'Arcy-McGee
In office
1966–1979
Succeeded byHerbert Marx
Minister of Municipal Affairs
and the Environment
In office
1973–1976
Personal details
Born
Victor Charles Goldbloom

(1923-07-31)July 31, 1923
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
DiedFebruary 15, 2016(2016-02-15) (aged 92)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Political partyLiberal
Spouse
Sheila Barshay-Rothstein
​
​
(m. 1948)​
Children

Victor Charles Goldbloom CC OQ (July 31, 1923 – February 15, 2016) was a Canadian pediatrician, lecturer, and politician.

Early life and education

He was born in Montreal, the son of Alton Goldbloom and Annie Ballon. He studied at Selwyn House School[1] and Lower Canada College. He studied at McGill University receiving his BSc in 1944, his MD in 1945, his DipEd in 1950 and his DLitt in 1992. Dr. Goldbloom was assistant resident at the Babies' Hospital of the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, in New York.[2]

Career

He was elected in 1966 as the MNA for the Montreal riding of D'Arcy-McGee. He was re-elected in 1970, 1973, and 1976. While Robert Bourassa was Premier of Quebec, Goldbloom was Minister of State responsible for Quality of Environment (1970–73). In 1973, he was appointed Minister of Municipal Affairs as well as Quebec's first Minister of the Environment, serving in both positions until the Liberal government's defeat in 1976.[3] Goldbloom was in charge of the Olympic Installations Board for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.[2][4]

He was the first member of the Jewish community to become a cabinet minister in the Quebec government. He kept his seat in the 1976 provincial election that defeated the Liberal government and sat on the Opposition benches until he resigned his seat on October 16, 1979 after Claude Ryan became Liberal leader.

Subsequently, from 1980 to 1987, he was CEO of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews.

From 1991 until 1999, he was Canada's fourth Commissioner of Official Languages. During his tenure, Commissioner Goldbloom conducted two comprehensive studies. The first study examined the availability of services in both official languages in offices designated bilingual, which concluded that the federal government's bilingualism was not yet fully implemented nor functional. The second study focused on the implementation of Part VII of the Official Languages Act by the federal government and suggested different ways that Section 41 of the Official Languages Act could be implemented. In this report, Goldbloom suggested assigning a role of Coordinator of Language Policy at the Privy Council Office.[5]

In 2009, he expressed concerns on the state of Catholic-Jewish relations after the lifting of the excommunications of the bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X.[6] Goldbloom died of a heart attack at Montreal in February 2016.[7][8]

Family

In June 1948, he married Sheila Barshay (1925-2022) of Montreal, a social worker who was later named to the Order of Canada.[9] Their sons are Michael Goldbloom, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Bishop's University and former publisher of the Toronto Star and the Montreal Gazette,[10] and Jonathan Goldbloom, founder and president of Jonathan Goldbloom & Associates. Their daughter, Susan Restler, lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Honours

Sheila and Victor Goldbloom Distinguished Community Service Award

In June 2009, the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) established the Sheila and Victor Goldbloom Distinguished Community Service Award in their honor.

In September 2009, the first awards were presented to lawyer and longtime promoter of quality and English rights Casper Bloom, Eastern Townships-based health-care advocate Marjorie Goodfellow, and researcher Jack Jedwab, who has contributed to the knowledge and understanding of English-speaking Quebec.

Electoral record

1966 Quebec general election: D'Arcy-McGee
Party Candidate Votes%
LiberalVictor Goldbloom24,70990.57
Union NationaleBoris Garmaise1,5485.67
RINLouise Belzile8953.28
Ralliement nationalGilles Côté1290.47
Total valid votes 27,281100.00
Rejected and declined ballots 699
Turnout 27,98060.88
Electors on the lists 45,962
Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec.
1970 Quebec general election: D'Arcy-McGee
Party Candidate Votes%±%
LiberalVictor Charles Goldbloom36,54390.41-0.17
Parti QuébécoisPaul Unterberg3,2307.99N/A
Union NationaleLéonard Rosen6471.60-4.07
1973 Quebec general election: D'Arcy-McGee
Party Candidate Votes%±%
LiberalVictor Charles Goldbloom26,95893.77+3.36
Parti QuébécoisJacqueline Dugas1,2214.25-3.74
Ralliement créditisteJohn Holmes4181.45N/A
Union NationaleFlorian Prévost1520,53-1.07
1976 Quebec general election: D'Arcy-McGee
Party Candidate Votes%±%
LiberalVictor Charles Goldbloom21,24868.03-25.74
Union NationaleBarry Fridhandler7,05822.60+22.07
Parti QuébécoisJacques Mackay1,4764.73+0.48
  Democratic Alliance Elie Chalouh 950 3.04 –
  Independent Max Wollach 417 1.33 –
Ralliement créditisteGaëtan Gauthier830.27-1.18

References

  1. ↑ Selwyn House School | Obituary: Victor Goldbloom '37
  2. 1 2 "Victor Charles GOLDBLOOM". Assemble Nationale Quebec. Quebec National Assembly. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  3. ↑ "Victor Goldbloom, former Quebec cabinet minister, dead at 92". CBC News. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  4. ↑ "Former official languages commissioner Victor Goldbloom dies aged 92". Toronto Sun. Canadian Press. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  5. ↑ "The Commissioner of Official Languages - Biographical Notes". www.officiallanguages.gc.ca. The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  6. ↑ "Story". Calgary Herald. 2014-05-22. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  7. ↑ "Turkish troops roll into Iraq | CTV Montreal News". Montreal.ctvnews.ca. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  8. ↑ "Public servant Victor Goldbloom remembered as a unifying force".
  9. ↑ Fitterman, Lisa (17 July 2022). "Social worker Sheila Barshay Goldbloom had an abiding sense of duty to her community". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  10. ↑ "Biography". Bishop's University. Retrieved April 27, 2023. Michael Goldbloom, C.M., is the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Bishop's University.
  11. ↑ "Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops - Pope Benedict XVI grants papal honours on two Canadian pioneers in ecumenical dialogue and interfaith conversations". Cccb.ca. 2012-08-16. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  12. ↑ "Official Report * Table of Contents * Number 272-A (Official Version)". Parl.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
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