Lucien Rivard wasn’t just a criminal—he was a character who would go on to shake up Canada’s political world and become one of the most talked-about fugitives in the country’s history. Born on June 16, 1915, in Montreal, Quebec, Rivard’s early life was filled with small-time crime.
But over the decades he would become something more—a man whose story involved international drug deals, a wild prison break and even letters to Canada’s prime minister.
From Petty Crime to International Trafficking
Rivard’s life of crime began in the 1940s. At first he committed minor robberies, but as the years went by, his ambitions grew. By the 1950s, he had moved to Cuba and was running a casino. Behind the scenes however, he was heavily involved in heroin trafficking. This led to powerful connections in the criminal underworld.
When he returned to Canada in 1958, he settled in Laval, just outside of Montreal. There, he continued his illegal activities under the name of a fake business, Domaine Idéal. It wasn’t just drugs anymore—Rivard was now also involved in weapons trafficking. Eventually, U.S. authorities charged him with narcotics smuggling, and he was arrested in Montreal in 1965 while facing extradition.
Many described him as a “gentleman’s bandit”—a man who could charm people, while hiding a dangerous lifestyle. That reputation would only grow after what happened next.
The Escape from Bordeaux Jail
On March 2, 1965, Lucien Rivard carried out what would become one of the most unbelievable jailbreaks in Canadian history. According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, Rivard asked the prison guards for a garden hose. He said he needed it to flood the skating rink in the prison yard because the ice was melting in the spring weather.
But Rivard had something else in mind.
With the help of fellow inmate André Durocher, he used the hose to climb over the 25-foot prison wall. One eyewitness said it was “something out of a movie,” referring to the strange and clever way the escape was done. The prison guards had handed him the hoses themselves not realizing he would use them to flee.
Right after the escape, a massive manhunt began. Police officers, immigration agents and U.S. border guards joined in the search. But Rivard was good at hiding. For nearly four months he stayed ahead of the law.
Eventually police found him at a chalet not far from Montreal. It was July 16, 1965. Rivard had been relaxing even preparing to go swimming when officers moved in, per CBC.
One inspector said, “We’ve received plenty of reports and checked them all, but none led us to Rivard until that day.”
A Political Earthquake in Ottawa
The escape wasn’t just a major embarrassment for the prison system. It soon became a full-blown political crisis.
Rumors began to spread that Rivard—or people close to him—had paid bribes to slow down his extradition or help him escape. These accusations reached high into the Canadian government, specifically the Liberal Party under Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson.
The biggest blow came when Justice Minister Guy Favreau resigned. He had been a rising star in politics and his departure was a huge loss for Pearson’s cabinet. As The National Post reported, Favreau said simply, “Oh my God,” when he learned of the escape showing how shocked he was.
After the scandal Pearson brought new faces into his team, including Jean Marchand, Gérard Pelletier and Pierre Trudeau. Trudeau would later become prime minister in 1968.
Rivard Writes from the Shadows
While on the run Rivard wasn’t exactly hiding in silence. He wrote letters to several people including Prime Minister Pearson. In one of them he famously wrote, “Life is short, you know. I don’t intend to be in jail for the rest of my life.”
These letters only added to his growing image as a bold daring fugitive.
And the public couldn’t get enough of the story. In Quebec Rivard was sometimes seen as a folk hero. His escape was all over the newspapers and inspired songs and jokes. Comedian Rich Little even did a parody of Prime Minister Pearson singing “Old Man Rivard.”
But not everyone believed the escape story as it was told.
Were There Really Garden Hoses?
Years after the escape some people started asking questions. Was the garden hose story even true?
According to later reports including from journalists who covered the case Rivard might have used a set of keys instead. One journalist said, “There never were any garden hoses; it was a set of keys that allowed him to walk out the front door.”
This new version made the whole escape seem less like a clever trick, and more like a case of inside help. If true it raised serious concerns about corruption inside the prison.
Either way, the public had already been swept up in the dramatic tale of Rivard’s jailbreak.
After his recapture, Rivard was finally sent to the United States. He was found guilty of smuggling heroin and sentenced to 20 years in prison. But he only served nine years before being deported back to Canada.
Lucien Rivard died on February 3, 2002, according to EBSCO.
A Scandal That Overshadowed a Nation’s Progress
Even after his death his story lived on. In 2006, the Quebec government supported a film about his life called The American Trap (Le piège américain). Actor Rémy Girard played the role of Rivard showing how his story had become part of Canadian culture.
The Rivard affair was more than just a jailbreak. It changed politics, exposed weaknesses in Canada’s justice system and shifted the public’s attention away from important national progress.
At the time Prime Minister Pearson was introducing major changes, like Canada’s medicare system and the new national flag. But as historian Robert Fulford noted, “The media lost interest in the way Ottawa was changing the country. Instead, they focused on corruption scandals like the Rivard affair, which distorted public perception during that era.”
Lucien Rivard’s escape remains one of the most unforgettable moments in Canadian criminal history—a story where crime politics and public opinion collided in a way that still sparks curiosity today.
