André Picard (journalist)

A Franco-Ontarian, Picard was born in Ottawa, Ontario, and grew up in North Bay. He attended the École secondaire catholique Algonquin, a French-language catholic high school.[1][2][3]

Picard attended the University of Ottawa and completed a B.Adm in 1986, but Picard credits his extra-curricular activities with having a greater influence on his career. Compelled by a friend to write a music column for the Fulcrum, a student newspaper, he ended up managing the Arts section, before being chosen as Editor-in-chief in 1983. His work at the Fulcrum gave him a taste of the impact journalism can have on the community and, ultimately, on public policy.[4] Later, he got a degree in journalism from Carleton University, but credits his years at the student newspaper as his most valuable formative experience.[3]

During his time at the Fulcrum, he met the woman he would later marry, Michelle Lalonde. Their wedding took place on the University of Ottawa campus.[4][3] They have two children and live in Montreal since 1989, where Lalonde writes for The Gazette.[5][3][6]

Picard briefly worked for the Canadian University Press, a news service that provided content for student newspapers.[4] The Globe and Mail hired him in 1987 for its business section. When major news outlets started covering the AIDS epidemic, the Globe transferred him to the general news section and assigned that story to him, since he had already written about AIDS for the Globe as a Summer intern.[4][7] Picard's stories often explored the human side of the issue and went beyond the stereotype of the AIDS victims.[2] He joined other journalists covering health issues differently, enabling a conversation between health professionals, patients and the public.[8]

Health care officially became Picard's beat at the Globe and Mail in 1990. His stories on contaminated blood scandals, with an emphasis on the victims' compensation, contributed to the establishment of a commission of inquiry and ultimately, to regulation changes. He received the Michener Award in 1993, the same year the commission began its work.[2][9] His first book, The Gift of Death: Confronting Canada’s Tainted Blood Tragedy, was published in 1995 and became a best-seller.[6][9]

Throughout his career, Picard developed an interest for prevention and social determinants of health. His goal as a journalist and a communicator is to bring about concrete changes: "I see myself as an activist, certainly, but I advocate for better health care policies, not on behalf of a group or a specific person. I try to explain the issues fairly and in the end, to come out on the side of what is just"[9].

He was one of the first journalists to report on SARS-CoV-2 in 2020 and continued to follow it as the pandemic developed. He was recruited by the Trudeau Foundation to participate in a committee formed to engage and educate the public on the implications of the pandemic.[5]

As a columnist, Picard prefers to present the facts. He often devotes more space to presenting various points of view than to his own opinion, noted his colleague Paul Taylor: "He’s evidence-based, and unless you know what the evidence says, it’s hard to know what he’ll say." He consults with experts to check his facts and meets them at academic conferences.[3] In 2012, Philippe Couillard introduced him by saying that "André, in my view, is the most thoughtful and certainly often courageous public writer we have on the health care sector in our country".[6]

• Picard, André (1995). The Gift of Death: Confronting Canada's Tainted Blood Tragedy. Harper Collins Canada. ISBN 978-0-00255-415-2.
• Picard, André (1997). A Call to Alms: The New Face of Charity in Canada. Atkinson Charitable Foundation.
• Picard, André (2020). Critical Care: Canadian nurses speak for change. Harper Collins Canada. ISBN 978-0-00255-726-9.
• Picard, André (2013). The Path to Health Care Reform: Policy and Politics. Conference Board of Canada.
• Picard, André (2017). Matters of Life and Death: Public Health Issues in Canada. Douglas & McIntyre. ISBN 978-1-77162-154-0.

• 1993: Michener Award for meritorious public service journalism.[5]
• 1996: Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy, Atkinson Foundation.[10]
• 2002: Centennial Prize, Pan American Health Organization.[5]
• 2005: Public Health Hero, Canadian Public Health Association.[5]
• 2007: Champion of Mental Health, Canadian Public Health Association.[5]
• 2008: Award of Excellence for Health Care Reporting, Canadian Nurses Association and Canadian Medical Association (with 12 other Globe and Mail writers).[5]
• 2009: Best column, National Newspaper Awards.[11]
• 2011: Hyman Solomon Award for Excellence in Public Policy Journalism, Public Policy Forum.[5]
• 2018: Lifetime Achievement Award, Canadian Blood Services.[12]
• 2020: Owen Adams Award of Honour, Canadian Medical Association.[9]
• 2021: CJF Tribute, Canadian Journalism Foundation.[13]

He received honorary doctorates from six institutions[5]: University of Ontario Institute of Technology, the University of Manitoba,[9] Laurentian University, Carleton University,[14] the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto.[15]