Michel Gratton (journalist)

Michel Gratton (December 30, 1952 – January 13, 2011) was a Canadian journalist. He held the post of Press Secretary for Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney from 1984 to 1987.[1][2]

He worked as a journalist for the Ottawa Sun and Le Droit.[3]

In 1987, he published a book So, What Are the Boys Saying? about his time working with Prime Minister Mulroney.[4]

In November 1986, allegations were reported in the media of "sexist conduct" by Gratton. Due to media attention to the matter, he resigned as Mulroney's press secretary in March 1987.[5][6] Gratton apologized to three women journalists in 1986 for "unbecoming conduct". One of those women has accused Gratton of sexual assault and harassment. None of the women went to police and no charges were ever laid against Gratton.[7]

Gratton played an important role in the campaign to prevent the closure of Montfort Hospital in Ottawa during the 1990s.[4]

In 2011, École secondaire Michel-Gratton in Windsor, Ontario was named in his honour.[7] The name was abandoned after the school board became aware of the earlier allegations of misconduct.[8]

References
  1. "Michel Gratton Obituary - Maison Funeraire Racine, Robert & Gauthi - Ottawa ON".
  2. Catherine Lamontagne (January 14, 2011). "Michel Gratton s'est éteint". Le Droit (in French). Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  3. "Hundreds pay respects to Michel Gratton". London Free Press. January 22, 2011.
  4. "Ex-Mulroney aide hailed as franco-Ontarian 'monument'". Globe and Mail. January 17, 2011.
  5. "Parliament Hill harassment by '80s PM aide Michel Gratton recounted by ex-reporters". CBC News. November 27, 2014.
  6. Newman, Peter C (2011). The Secret Mulroney Tapes: Unguarded Confessions of a Prime Minister. p. 281. ISBN 978-0307370747.
  7. "Ontario high school named after political aide Michel Gratton shocked by accusations". CBC Radio. November 28, 2014.
  8. "Une école secondaire de Windsor abandonne le nom de Michel Gratton" (in French). Radio Canada Windsor. April 20, 2016.
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