Mackenzie Jacques

Mackenzie "Jack" Jacques was an Independent who served as the first Secretary of Elections of the Republic of YAPi until his death in 2020.

Childhood

Born on September 30, 1972, in Montreal, Canada, Mackenzie Jacques grew up in a working-class family. His parents divorced at the age of eight. In school, Jacques was often struggling with school and ended up barely passing his grades. Nonetheless, he got accepted into McGill University and graduated with a Ph.D. in political science.

Professional career

While waiting for his Ph.D., Mackenzie Jacques taught history in high schools for the English Montreal and Lester B. Pearson School Boards. He later moved on to teach political science at multiple colleges in Montreal, including Vanier College, John Abbot College and Saint-Laurent College.

Political career

Mackenzie Jacques ran for the Quebec Liberal Party in the provincial electoral district of Crémazie in 2008 but ended up second place behind Parti Québécois incumbent Lisette Lapointe.

However, Jacques was elected in 2009 as a Montreal city councillor for the district of Côte-de-Liesse in the borough of Saint-Laurent. He was re-elected in 2013 and 2017. Jacques resigned in 2018 to become Dean of the University of Concordia’s Fine Arts Faculty.

Mackenzie Jacques briefly ran for Parliament in the July 13, 2020 as an independent before redrawing for personal reasons.

Secretary of Elections

Mackenzie Jacques was appointed to the position of Secretary of Elections by President Madeline Meadows. His term saw him set a precedence of neutrality and impartialness in elections.

Death

Mackenzie Jacques died on July 28, 2020, following a car accident. Reactions to Jacques’ death was instant as both sides of the political spectrum praised his life and work as Secretary of Elections. Jacques was investigating into some "election campaign irregularities" at the time of his death.

Personal life

Mackenzie Jacques was married to Émélise Roy in 1996 until their divorce in 2010. They had one son, Alistair who was born in 2001.

Jacques is also the half-brother of Canadian singer and Reform parliamentary candidate Charlie Juliette. Their shared mother, Marjorie Jacques (née Robitaille), died when Jacques and Juliette were eighteen and two, respectively.