Interview with Jacques A. Catudal, founding president of the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Laval

Interview with Jacques A. Catudal, founding president of the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Laval

[Music: soft classical piano]

Title on screen on black background: Interview with Jacques A. Catudal.

Text on screen on black background: Founder of the Chambre de commerce de Laval in 1967.

Interview scene with Jacques A. Catudal, alone in front of the camera, sitting in a chair. The interviewer is behind the camera. The background, behind Mr. Catudal, reads “Centre de documentation : Histoire et généalogie” [Documentation Centre: History and Genealogy] and “Fonds d’archives privées” [Private Archival Holdings].

Jacques A. Catudal: People know me as Jacques Catudal. But legally, I have to have the “A.” And um…I’m a former salesman, store owner, um…I had a store called Mobilier de bureau unique.

[Music: soft classical piano] 

Text on screen on black background: “In 1965, the 14 municipalities on Île Jésus merged to become the City of Laval. At that time, Laval had nine local chambers of commerce and one regional one. Jacques A. Catudal was the president of the regional chamber.”

Return to the interview shot.

Jacques A. Catudal: My role was to make the Chambre de commerce de Laval the only chamber of commerce. That was quite a challenge! When we merged, we didn’t get the 300 members that were required by the provincial chamber – it’s in their charter – to become an independent chamber. We were counting on the members of the former chambers all coming to us. But, I have to say that parochialism was really strong at the time.

[Music: soft classical piano]

Text on screen on black background: “A new single chamber couldn’t be created without the agreement of the nine existing chambers.”

Return to the interview shot.

Jacques A. Catudal: Because each chamber of commerce had to eliminate, had to cancel its charter, on the condition that a charter of the Chambre de commerce de la ville de Laval was accepted by the government. It was difficult, really hard [laughter] at some points, for some chambers, [to get] their directors to agree to have a single chamber of commerce.

[Music: soft classical piano]

Text on screen on black background: “After two years of discussions, the nine local chambers agreed to merge. On March 26, 1968, the chamber of commerce was officially recognized by the City.”

Return to the interview shot.

Jacques A. Catudal: And when we merged two years later, we were sworn in by Mayor Tétreault. We were the first association that merged, and that asked to have its officers sworn in at city hall.

Things have changed…we had… it gave us more means to exert influence than a chamber of commerce for Sainte-Dorothée, Vimont, Auteuil, Chomedey, Pont-Viau or Laval-des-Rapides.

[Final music: soft classical piano]

Text on screen on black background: “Jacques A. Catudal, Founding President, Chambre de commerce de Laval.”