Roland Arpin


Roland Arpin was a Canadian educator, communicator, and public administrator. He is best known as the Deputy Minister for Education and Culture, as Director of Working Groups who reports to the Government of Quebec, and as the second Director General of the Musée de la Civilisation.

Biography

In Montreal, where he was born in 1934, Roland Arpin devoted several years of studies to his training as a teacher. He first obtained a certificate of higher education and then a baccalaureate in pedagogy at the University of Montreal, following the completion of a bachelor's degree from the same university. He then began his career as an educator. He taught for 12 years, from primary to university. He then became a school administrator, from the Directorate of Personnel to the General Directorate at Collège de Maisonneuve for five years. Then, from 1972 to 1975, he became president of the Fédération des Collèges d’enseignement général et professionnel
and the Center for Research and Animation in Education.

Responsibilities

In 1975, Roland Arpin became Assistant Deputy Minister for Planning and Budget Planning at the Quebec Ministry of Education. He was then responsible for policy and planning activities, economic and demographic studies, private education, the teaching resources department, computer science and continuing education.
R. Arpin was appointed Deputy Minister of Cultural Affairs in 1980 and then Secretary of the Conseil du trésor in 1984. This function placed him at the heart of government administration. Many government missions led him abroad. From 1976 to 1980, for instance, he served on the of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris, where he served as Vice-President for two years. In addition, he undertook many personal travels, taking him to the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Africa.
In 1987, he was given the mission of founding the Museum of Civilization in Quebec City, which opened its doors the following year. He was the institution's director until 2001.
In February 1991, the Minister of Cultural Affairs entrusted him with the responsibility of developing a draft cultural policy for Quebec. In the same year, the Direction des Musées de France entrusted him with the mandate to carry out an evaluation and prepare a recovery plan for the National Museum of Folk Arts and Traditions, located in Paris.
In 2001, Roland Arpin set up the Société du :fr:400e_anniversaire_de_Québec|400e anniversaire de Québec, of which he was the first president and general manager, until 2004, when he retired aged 70 years old. Roland Arpin then said:
“There was some clearing work to be done, I did it. This organisation had to be given a boost. It is done. I consider that was my mandate. The years that remain before 2008 will be years of tug-of-war between the federal, provincial and municipal governments. I don't feel like going through this. There are battles that we don't feel like fighting."
And, questioned about his lasting work, the Museum that he founded and directed in Quebec City before, he concludes:
“It's the synthesis of my career. It sums up my profession as an educator, my taste for quality public service and the necessary openness that we must have on the world. "
He died at the age of 76, on September 2nd, 2010, from Parkinson's disease.

Awards and honors

  1. La complémentarité du secteur privé dans la poursuite des objectifs fondamentaux du système public de santé au Québec : rapport du groupe de travail, 120 p. ;
  2. La présence du privé dans la santé au Québec : état détaillé de la situation, 48 p. ;
  3. Constats et recommandations sur les pistes à explorer : synthèse, 60 p..