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Gerard Docquier was an unusual labour leader and a complex man.

Unlike many who achieve senior union office, he was plagued with self-doubt, freely admitted it and seemed almost immune to the spotlight and any kind of self-promotion. It drove many of his staff crazy, but that was Gerard. Fortunately, the flip-side of his self-doubt was a genuine gravitas, dignity, and intellect. Those qualities did us a lot of good in key moments of our history, even if they seemed an odd fit with the rambunctious political life of our Union.

A Steelworker since 1953, Gerard had seen everything bosses could throw at the movement, in countless organizing campaigns and picket line battles. He had few illusions. But he always had hope, and a shrewd, steady imagination that he applied to improving the way the Union served workers within and beyond its ranks.

What follows may sound like a breathtaking claim, but I will make it anyway: Gerard’s fourteen years as National Director resulted in a record of creative achievement unmatched to that point by any leader of any Union in Canada. The record speaks for itself.

Upon being elected in 1977 as the Union’s first francophone National Director, he presided over the new, path-breaking ‘Back to the Locals’ project that resulted in the best union education program in the country.

During the brutal recession of the early ’80s, Gerard campaigned for sophisticated training and adjustment programs before it became conventional wisdom to do so. He was an early champion of multi-stakeholder and labour-management instruments like the Canadian Labour Market and Productivity Centre (CLMPC), and made a lasting impact on thousands of workers’ lives by spearheading the creation of the Canadian Steel Trade and Employment Congress (CSTEC) in 1985. CSTEC became the model for several such sectoral initiatives in the years to follow.

Indeed, 1985 proved to be one of the most eventful years in the Union’s life. A lifelong internationalist, Gerard provided the key political leadership in founding the Steelworkers Humanity Fund, another model that others in the labour movement soon followed.

That same year, he kicked off labour’s fight against the proposed Canada-US free trade agreement with a powerful report dissenting from the Royal Commission on Canada’s Economic Prospects. And still in 1985, he handily defeated the only political challenge to his leadership since his first election in 1977.

In his remaining years as National Director, Gerard supported every effort to make the Steelworkers a more inclusive organization; he helped accelerate the emerging women-of-steel initiatives, modernized our job evaluation program, and highlighted the Union’s growing internal diversity with the slogan ‘Everybody’s Union’ adopted at the last National Policy Conference he chaired in 1989.

It was no surprise that Gerard’s first post upon leaving the Steelworkers was to co-chair the Canadian Labour Force Development Board. It was a natural fit.

For all of his self-doubts, Gerard Docquier knew that his record was a good one, but his humility and grace kept him from shouting it from the rooftops. He was content to let other leaders and activists share the acclaim for the Union’s good work, as long as the members were being served with the best programs the Steelworkers could offer.

This was a trade unionist of real achievements and a man of decency and integrity. Gerard Docquier has left an enduring and positive legacy. We are honoured to have had Gerard as one of our leaders.

– David Mackenzie worked for the United Steelworkers from 1976 to 2004. He served as assistant to Gerard Docquier from 1987 to 1991.