Paul Desmarais, Sr. (born January 4, 1927, in Sudbury, Ontario) is a Canadian financier. He is also one of the ten richest persons in Canada and is considered to be one of the country's most powerful men. January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1927 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Greater Sudbury (2001 census population 155,219) is a city in Northern Ontario. ... According to Canadian Business Magazine 2004, the ten richest Canadians are: Kenneth Thomson and family (Thomson Corporation) $22. ...

Desmarais took control of his family's bus service, Sudbury Bus Lines, in 1951. He then acquired additional bus lines in the Ottawa area and Quebec City (including Quebec Autobus and Provincial Transport). By 1968, Desmarais's holding company, Trans-Canada Corporation Fund (TCCF), owned the bus line Provincial Transport, an interest in Toronto-based Imperial Life Assurance and Gesca Ltée, (which had an interest in the Montreal paper La Presse). That year TCCF made a share-exchange offer with Power Corporation of Canada, headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, whereby Paul Desmarais became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... {{Canadian City/Disable Field={{{Disable Motto Link}}}}} Motto: Advance Ottawa/Ottawa en avant City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Location. ... Motto: Don de Dieu feray valoir (Gift of God shall make prosper) Area: 547. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... ... La Presse is a major French-language daily newspaper in Montreal, Quebec. ... Power Corporation is a major Canadian company with interests in a number of industries, such as media, pulp and paper, and finance. ... This article needs cleanup. ...

Amongst its numerous worldwide holdings, Desmarais' Power Corporation of Canada owns about 15% of Groupe Bruxelles Lambert, one of Belgium's top ten companies which, in 2001 acquired a 25% interest in the German-based global publishing giant, Bertelsmann AG whose subsidiaries include Random House. Through his holdings, Paul Desmarais is also the largest shareholder of the giant French oil conglomerate, TotalFinaElf. 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bertelsmann is a transnational media corporation founded in 1835, based in Gütersloh, Germany. ... Random House is a publishing division of the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG, which it acquired in 1998. ... Total SA is a French oil company. ...

Desmarais has been publicly accused of having close business ties with Saddam Hussein, which Desmarais has refuted. His oil company, Total_S.A., made a deal with Saddam giving it exploration rights to 25% of Iraq's oil reserves. BNP Paribas, the bank which handled the money for the Oil-for-Food Programme, is owned by a holding company controlled by Desmarais. [1] (http://acepilots.com/unscam/archives/001890.html)Moreover Maurice Strong who has resigned from his duties at the United Nations pending an investigation of his role with oil for food was a close associate of Desmarais's and a past president of Power Corporation. Saddam Hussein Saddām Hussein ʻAbd al-Majīd al-Tikrīt, also spelled Husayn or Hussain; Arabic صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي; born April 28, 1937 1) was President of Iraq from 1979 until 2003. ... Total new logo Total SA (NYSE: TOT) is a French oil company, and one of the top four oil companies in the world (along with Shell, BP, and ExxonMobil). ... BNP Paribas ( Euronext: BNP) ( TYO: 8665) is one of the main banks in Europe and France. ... The Oil-for-Food Programme was established by the United Nations in 1996 to allow Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange for food, medicine and the like. ...

In 1974, Desmarais named employee Paul Martin, Jr. as president of a Power Corporation subsidiary, Canada Steamship Lines Inc.. In 1981, he sold the company to Laurence Pathy and Paul Martin, Jr., the latter of whom became Prime Minister of Canada on December 12, 2003. In 1978 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 1986. Desmarais is a staunch opponent of the Quebec sovereignty movement. 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... The Right Honourable Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, (born August 28, 1938 in Windsor, Ontario) is the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, succeeding Jean Chrétien on December 12, 2003. ... Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) is a Canadian shipping company with headquarters in Montreal, Quebec. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Prime Minister of Canada, the head of the Canadian government, is usually the leader of the political party with the most seats in the Canadian House of Commons. ... December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... The Order of Canada is Canadas highest civilian honour, awarded to those who adhere to the Orders motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam meaning they desire a better country. ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Quebec sovereignty movement is a political movement for the attainment of sovereignty for Quebec, a province of the Canadian federation. ...

Paul Desmarais sits on the Advisory Board of the giant American corporation, the Carlyle Group. The Carlyle Group is a Washington, D.C. based global private equity investment firm with more than $24 billion of equity capital. ...

Desmarais has two sons: Paul Jr. and André Desmarais (who is married to former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's daughter France) and two daughters, Sophie and Louise. Paul Desmarais, Jr. ... André Desmarais (born October 26, 1956, in Ottawa, Ontario) is a Canadian businessman. ... The Right Honourable Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien, PC (born January 11, 1934) was the twentieth Prime Minister of Canada, serving from November 4, 1993, to December 12, 2003. ...