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Jean Charest | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Charest in 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 29th Premier of Quebec | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office April 29, 2003 – September 19, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lieutenant Governor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Bernard Landry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Pauline Marois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office June 25, 1993 – November 4, 1993 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Kim Campbell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Don Mazankowski | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Sheila Copps | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | John James Charest (1958-06-24)June 24, 1958 (age 67) Sherbrooke,Quebec, Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Conservative (federal) Quebec Liberal (provincial) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations | Progressive Conservative (before 2003) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence(s) | Westmount,Quebec, Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Université de Sherbrooke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John James "Jean"Charest (French pronunciation:[ʒɑ̃ʃɑʁɛ]; born June 24, 1958) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 29thpremier of Quebec from 2003 to 2012. Prior to that, he was amember of Parliament (MP) between 1984 and 1998. After holding several Cabinet posts from 1986 to 1990 and from 1991 to 1993, he was the leader of theProgressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998.
Born inSherbrooke,Quebec, Charest worked as a lawyer before becoming an MP following the1984 federal election. In 1986 he joinedBrian Mulroney's government as aminister of state, but resigned from cabinet in 1990 after improperly speaking to a judge about an active court case. He returned to cabinet in 1991 as theminister of the environment. Charest ran to succeed Mulroney as party leader and prime minister in the PCs'1993 leadership election, but placed second toKim Campbell. Charest served as Campbell'sindustry minister and deputy prime minister. After the PCs' defeat in the1993 election, Charest succeeded Campbell as party leader. He led the PCs to a minor recovery in the1997 election.
Charest left federal politics in 1998 and was elected to lead theQuebec Liberal Party, the province's mainfederalist political party. He became premier of Quebec after the Liberals won the2003 provincial election. He won two more elections until he lost the2012 election to thesovereigntistParti Quebecois (PQ) and resigned as premier. After politics, Charest worked as a consultant, including forHuawei on theMeng Wanzhou case and for its5G network plans in Canada, and joinedMcCarthy Tétrault LLP as a partner. Charest was a candidate in the2022 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election, finishing a distant second toPierre Poilievre.
Charest was born on June 24, 1958, inSherbrooke, in Quebec'sEastern Townships.[1] His parents are Rita (née Leonard), anIrish Quebecer, and Claude "Red" Charest, aFrench Canadian.[2] He obtained a law degree from theUniversité de Sherbrooke and was admitted to theBarreau du Québec in 1981. He is married to Michèle Dionne (since June 21, 1980), and they have three children, Amélie, Antoine, and Alexandra.[3]
Charest is fully bilingual in French and English. In the1980 Quebec referendum, he failed to vote because he was getting married.[4]
Charest worked as alawyer[5] until he was elected Progressive Conservative member of theParliament of Canada for theriding (electoral district) of Sherbrooke in the1984 election. From 1984 to 1986, Charest served as Assistant Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole of theHouse of Commons.
In 1986, at age 28, Charest was appointed to theCabinet ofPrime MinisterBrian Mulroney asminister of state (youth).[6] He was the youngest cabinet minister in Canadian history.[7]
Charest was appointedminister of state (fitness and amateur sport) in 1988,[6] but had to resign from cabinet in 1990 after improperly speaking to a judge about a case regarding theCanadian Track and Field Association.[8]
Charest was involved in the proposal of theMeech Lake Accord (which failed to be ratified in June 1990[9]) which would have given the province of Quebec the status of a "distinct society", extend provincial powers, and extensively change the constitution. In 1990, he led a commission that recommended a companion accord that would address the concerns of other provinces, assert that the distinct society clause would be subject to theCharter, and would feature greater protections for minority language rights in the provinces.[10] The recommendations caused Mulroney'senvironment minister andQuebec lieutenant,Lucien Bouchard, to view the companion accord as a betrayal of Meech.[11] Bouchard later resigned from Cabinet and founded theBloc Québécois, a pro-sovereigntist party.[12]
Charest returned to cabinet asminister of the environment in 1991. In that role, he led the Canadian delegation at the 1992Earth Summit inRio de Janeiro, Brazil.[13]
When Mulroney announced his retirement as PC leader and prime minister, Charest was a candidate for the leadership of the party at the1993 Progressive Conservative leadership convention.
Karlheinz Schreiber alleged he gave $30,000 in cash to Charest's campaign for the Tory leadership in 1993. However Charest himself says it was only $10,000 although federal leadership election rules permitted such cash donations.[14] As of 2007, rules against such donations for provincial party leadership campaigns still do not exist in Québec.[15]
Charest placed a strong second to Defence MinisterKim Campbell, who had held a large lead going into the convention. Charest served asDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Science and Technology in Campbell's short-lived cabinet.
In the1993 election, the PCs suffered the worst defeat for a governing party at the federal level. Only two of the party's 295 candidates were elected, Charest andElsie Wayne. Charest himself was re-elected fairly handily in Sherbrooke, taking 56 per cent of the vote. As the only surviving member of what turned out to be the last PC Cabinet, Charest was appointed interim party leader and confirmed in the post in April 1995. Charest, therefore, became the first person offrancophone descent to lead the Progressive Conservative Party.[16]
Charest participated in the 1994 class of theWorld Economic Forum'sGlobal Leaders for Tomorrow program.[17]
During the1995 referendum on Quebec's sovereignty, Charest was vice-president of the "No" campaign (Comité national des Québécoises et des Québécois pour le NON).
In the1997 federal election, Charest campaigned on securing national unity in Canada by recognizing Quebec as being a distinct society within Canada, along with the proposal of a "New Covenant" for Canadian confederation to be negotiated between the federal and provincial governments.[18] Charest and the PCs benefited from rapidly rising in popularity amongst all language groups in Quebec, where voters were found to have preferred Charest overGilles Duceppe, the leader of the Bloc Québécois.[19] In the election, the Tories received 18.8 per cent of the popular vote and won 20 seats, mostly inAtlantic Canada. Although the party's seat count had recovered (as they won only two seats in 1993), Charest considered the result a disappointment. While the Tories finished only half a point behindReform in terms of the popular vote, their support was too dispersed west of Quebec to translate into seats. They were also hampered by vote-splitting with Reform in rural central Ontario, a traditional Tory stronghold where Reform had made significant inroads.
In April 1998, Charest gave in to considerable public and political pressure,[20] especially among business circles, to leave federal politics and become leader of the Quebec Liberal Party. Charest was considered by many to be the best hope for thefederalist QLP to defeat thesovereigntistParti Québécois government.
In the1998 election, the Quebec Liberals received more votes than the PQ, but because the Liberal vote was concentrated in fewer ridings, the PQ won enough seats to form another majority government. Charest won his own riding of Sherbrooke with a majority of 907 votes.
In theApril 2003 election, Charest led the Quebec Liberals to a majority, ending nine years of PQ rule. He declared he had a mandate to reform health care, cut taxes, reduce spending and reduce the size of government.[21] Charest's Liberals won 76 seats, forming a majority government, and won his own riding of Sherbrooke with a majority of 2,597 votes.
Charest increased theQuebec sales tax (QST) thrice. In 2011, his government raised the rate from 7.5 per cent to 8.5 per cent before raising it to 9.5 per cent in 2012. The third and last hike came into effect in 2013, with the rate rising to 9.975 per cent.[22][23]
In October 2007, Quebec became the first province in Canada to implement acarbon tax. At the time it was implemented, the tax amounted to 0.8 cents per litre of gas and 0.9 cents per litre of diesel fuel.[24]

Much of thefiscal policy of the Charest government was based upon the expectation that new revenues could be obtained from a resolution of the fiscal imbalance believed to exist between the federal and provincial governments. TheHarper government was widely expected to address this issue through increasedequalization payments, while falling short of Quebec's overall demands.[25]
Charest was an early proponent of free trade with theEuropean Union, which eventually manifested in the 2016Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.[26]
In May 2011, Charest's government launched thePlan Nord, an economic development strategy to develop the natural resources extraction sector in the part of Quebec to the north of the 49th parallel. The plan, to be carried out over 25 years, would foster over C$80 billion in energy, mining, and forestry investments and create or consolidate 20,000 jobs a year for the duration.[27] The proposed plan, described as "a potential centrepiece" of Charest's political legacy, received the full support of the mining industry, theCrees andInuit representatives but was met with scepticism and downright opposition by theInnus and most environmentalists.[28]
Charest also attempted to distinguish himself on the issue of the environment. His vocal opposition to the federal decision to opt out of theKyoto Accord, and his insistence that Quebec would seek to meet its own Kyoto targets has earned him considerable support. His government set ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets, petroleum royalties, and a 2011-2020 Action Plan for Electric Vehicles.[29] He also established the Sustainable Development Act, which adds to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms the right for every person to live in a healthful environment in which biodiversity is preserved. In 2012, Charest was awarded the Fray International Sustainability Award for his work and advocacy towards sustainable development in politics.[30]
In the 2003 election, Charest had promised to allow the cities that had been forcibly merged by the Parti Québécois government to hold referendums which would allow todemerge and return to their previous situation. This promise was seen as key to his victory in many ridings, such as those in the suburbs aroundLongueuil andQuebec City and the continued support of the Anglophone community in the West Island ofMontreal. In office, however, Charest retreated from his promise. Municipalities were allowed to hold demerger referendums if at least 10 per cent of the electorate signed a petition calling for them, and only if more than 35 per cent participated in the voting process.[31] In some former municipalities, such asSaint Laurent on the Island of Montreal, the turnout of the vote was of 75.2 per cent in favour of a demerger, but it was invalidated because the voter turnout was just 28.6 per cent.[32]
The demerger process also resulted in the restructuring of the existingmegacities, with both these and the demerged cities handing over massive powers overtaxation and local services to the new "agglomeration councils". The makeup of these councils was based on the population of the municipalities involved, with the mayors having the right to unilaterally appoint all of the individuals who would represent their cities on the council. The resulting structure was seen by many to be less democratic than the one which had preceded it, as demergedmunicipalities were denied an effective voice, and the city councils of the major cities were substantially weakened by the power of the mayors to go over the heads of opposition councillors and exercise power through their appointees to theagglomeration body.
During his mandate as Premier, Charest made some efforts to expand the place of Québec in the international community. The province was granted representation atUNESCO, the cultural branch of theUnited Nations. Charest also voiced some support for theCalgary Declaration (1997), which recognized Quebec as "unique."[33]
During the debate in the Parliament of Canada overrecognizing Quebec as a nation within Canada, Charest stated that Quebec was a "nation" no matter what other parts of Canada said—that this was not up to anyone else to define.
In 2011, the Charest government decided to increase the tuition fees in all Quebec universities. Three major student unions began to organise demonstrations inMontreal and inQuebec City. In March 2012, many CEGEPs and universities voted for a student strike. The government faced major challenges when students demonstrated and went on strike by boycotting classes to protest planned tuition increases. Every month large demonstrations took place in several cities acrossQuebec. The Premier and his government were accused by some, including the students unions, thePQ andQuébec Solidaire of being too hard. On May 4, 2012, theQuebec Liberal Party held a party conference inVictoriaville and a student demonstration was suppressed bySûreté du Québec police.[34] On May 14, 2012, thenDeputy Premier andEducation minister,Line Beauchamp resigned[35] andMichelle Courchesne was appointedDeputy Premier andMinister of Education.[36] The government passedBill 78 to impose restrictions on protests; this caused controversy, with the Barreau du Québec, among others, expressing concern about possible infringement of constitutional rights. Bill 78 was revoked by thePauline Marois government.
On December 6, 2007, the Opposition urged Charest to testify to theHouse of Commons of CanadaEthics Committee in its investigation ofKarlheinz Schreiber. Schreiber told the committee he paid$30,000 in cash to Charest's brother to help fund Charest's 1993 leadership bid for the federalProgressive Conservative party.[37]
Charest's third term was marked by several allegations of questionable financing from the Quebec Liberal Party as well as a multitude of scandals in the construction sector in Quebec, the loss of $39.8 billion from theCaisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, and theMarc Bellemare (Charest's former justice minister) affair. Bellemare alleged in 2010 that he had been pressured by Quebec Liberal fundraisers during the appointment of judges in 2003. In response, the Charest government created the Bastarache commission, where Charest testified in defence.[38] Charest however refused to launch a public inquiry into the collusion and financing of political parties and corruption in the construction industry, despite a 2011 survey indicating that 77 per cent of Quebecers demanded such an inquiry.[39] Charest finally launched an inquiry in 2012 through the creation of theCharbonneau commission in response to rising discontent within the Quebec Liberal caucus.[40]
The Charest government was deeply unpopular during its first years in office, enjoying a public approval rating of below 50 per cent in most opinion polls and falling to the low twenties in voter support. In the first few weeks afterAndré Boisclair was elected leader of the PQ, polls showed that Charest and the Liberals would be roundly defeated in the next election. Boisclair did not perform well as Leader of the Opposition, and Charest's numbers recovered somewhat. A poll conducted byLéger Marketing forLe Devoir placed the Liberals at 34 per cent against 32 per cent for the PQ and 24 per cent for theADQ, with Charest obtaining a higher personal approval rating than the PQ leader. Liberal support, however remained heavily concentrated inAnglophone andAllophoneridings in the west of Montreal, meaning that the increase in support would not necessarily translate into seats.
On February 21, 2007, Charest asked the Lieutenant-Governor to dissolve theNational Assembly and call anelection on March 26, 2007. Charest conducted an extraordinary session the day before with Finance MinisterMichel Audet delivering the 2007 budget.
Prior to his call for an election, Charest revealed his platform which included income tax cuts of about $250 million. In the last week of the campaign, Charest promised an additional $700 million in tax cuts—some of it coming for the additional equalization money from the 2007 federal budget;[41] reduction of hospital wait times; improvement and increase of French courses at school; an increase of the number of daycare spaces; and an increase in tuition fees for university students ($50 per semester until 2012).[42] The last measure was met with criticism from students' associations, and a more-radical student association, the Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (formerly known as the CASSEE) had also considered a strike.[43]
Charest won aminority government in the election, and held onto his own seat. On election night, early numbers had shown Charest losing his seat ofSherbrooke to his PQ opponent; however, this situation was reversed once it became apparent that the advanced poll ballot boxes which heavily favoured Charest had not yet been counted.[44] The resulting minority government was the first since 1878 whenCharles Boucher de Boucherville was Premier.

In November 2008, arguing that Quebecers needed a majority government during difficult economic times, Charest called asnap election for December 8.[45] His party captured a historic third consecutive term as he brought the Liberals back to majority governance. It was the first time a party had won a third consecutive term in Quebec since theQuiet Revolution.[46]
On August 1, 2012, Charest launched his electoral campaign for the2012 Quebec general election from theQuebec Jean-Lesage International Airport[47] with the sloganFor Quebec. The QLP focused its campaign on the issues of respect of the law and civil order, referencing the demonstrations of the previous months. They claimed to be the party of the silent majority who did not support the student protest movement. It was the first provincial election in Quebec to feature the newly formedCAQ party led byFrançois Legault on the ballot. On the night of September 4, Charest and his party lost the general election. The result was a hung parliament, with theParti Québécois ofPauline Marois being the party with the most seats (54). TheQuebec Liberal Party became the official opposition with 50 seats.[48] Charest lost his own seat ofSherbrooke in theEastern Townships, a seat that he had held since 1984, both in the federal and provincial legislatures. Charest announced on September 5 inQuebec City that he would resign as Quebec Liberal Party leader.[49]
Charest was formerly a consultant forHuawei and helped support and adviseHuawei for its participation for5G network plans in Canada and to be a partner withMcCarthy Tétrault LLP. Charest also claims he helped with theMeng Wanzhou case.[50][51][52]
After turning 65 in June 2023, Charest reached the mandatory retirement age for equity partners at McCarthy Tétrault. While the law firm offered to keep him on a counsel role, Charest refused. In January 2024, Charest decided to leave McCarthy Tétrault and joined the Therrien Couture Joli-Cœur group.[53]
AfterMark Carney won the2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, his team reached out to Charest for a senior role, possibly as a cabinet minister, but Charest declined, only being willing to accept a post from Carney if the Liberals formed government after a federal election.[26][54][55]
On March 9, 2022, Charest announced that he would be a candidate for the2022 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election. He had previously considered running in the2020 leadership election, though he ultimately decided not to.[56]
With 16 per cent of the points, Charest finished a distant second to winnerPierre Poilievre, who took 68 per cent of points on the first ballot.[57]
| Poilievre | 68.15% | |||
| Charest | 16.07% | |||
| Lewis | 9.69% | |||
| Baber | 5.03% | |||
| Aitchison | 1.06% | |||
| Poilievre | 70.7% | |||
| Charest | 11.6% | |||
| Lewis | 11.1% | |||
| Baber | 5.4% | |||
| Aitchison | 1.2% | |||
| Candidate | Votes cast | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jean Charest | Acclaimed | ||||
| Total | N/A | ||||
| Candidate | Yes | No | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes cast | % | Votes cast | % | ||
| Jean Charest | 1,187 | 96.04% | 49 | 3.96% | |
| Total | 1,236 | ||||
| Candidate | 1st ballot | 2nd ballot | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes cast | % | Votes cast | % | ||
| Kim Campbell | 1,664 | 48.0% | 1,817 | 52.7% | |
| Jean Charest | 1,369 | 39.5% | 1,630 | 47.3% | |
| JE | Jim Edwards | 307 | 8.8% | Endorsed Campbell | |
| Garth Turner | 76 | 2.2% | Withdrew; Did not endorse | ||
| PB | Patrick Boyer | 53 | 1.5% | Endorsed Charest | |
| Total | 3,469 | 100.0% | 3,447 | 100.0% | |
| 2012 Quebec general election:Sherbrooke | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Parti Québécois | Serge Cardin | 15,909 | 42.12 | +4.53 | ||||
| Liberal | Jean Charest | 13,267 | 35.13 | -10.11 | ||||
| Coalition Avenir Québec | Philippe Girard | 4,457 | 11.80 | +4.95* | ||||
| Québec solidaire | Christian Bibeau | 2,586 | 6.85 | +0.41 | ||||
| Option nationale | Évelyne Beaudin | 1,069 | 2.83 | – | ||||
| Green | Suzanne Richer | 407 | 1.08 | -2.28 | ||||
| Parti indépendantiste | Christian Clavet | 73 | 0.19 | – | ||||
| Total valid votes | 37,768 | 99.10 | – | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 344 | 0.90 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 38,112 | 78.10 | +15.49 | |||||
| Electors on the lists | 48,799 | – | – | |||||
| 2008 Quebec general election:Sherbrooke | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Jean Charest | 13,694 | 45.24 | +8.68 | ||||
| Parti Québécois | Laurent-Paul Maheux | 11,380 | 37.59 | +4.74 | ||||
| Action démocratique | Jacques Joly | 2,074 | 6.85 | -10.99 | ||||
| Québec solidaire | Christian Bibeau | 1,948 | 6.44 | +0.14 | ||||
| Green | Steve Dubois | 1,016 | 3.36 | -2.77 | ||||
| Independent | Hubert Richard | 158 | 0.52 | +0.20 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 30,270 | 98.68 | – | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 405 | 1.32 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 30,675 | 62.61 | -11.62 | |||||
| Electors on the lists | 48,995 | – | – | |||||
| 2007 Quebec general election:Sherbrooke | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Jean Charest | 13,136 | 36.56 | -10.39 | ||||
| Parti Québécois | Claude Forgues | 11,804 | 32.85 | -6.67 | ||||
| Action démocratique | Michel Dumont | 6,409 | 17.84 | +5.91 | ||||
| Québec solidaire | Christian Bibeau | 2,263 | 6.30 | +4.88* | ||||
| Green | Steve Dubois | 2,203 | 6.13 | – | ||||
| Independent | Hubert Richard | 115 | 0.32 | – | ||||
| Total valid votes | 35,930 | 99.13 | – | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 316 | 8.87 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 36,246 | 74.23 | +0.74 | |||||
| Electors on the lists | 48,831 | – | – | |||||
| 2003 Quebec general election:Sherbrooke | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Jean Charest | 16,403 | 46.95 | -0.46 | ||||
| Parti Québécois | Marie Malavoy | 13,806 | 39.52 | -5.04 | ||||
| Action démocratique | Peter Downey | 4,169 | 11.93 | +5.11 | ||||
| UFP | Normand Gilbert | 496 | 1.42 | +0.89 | ||||
| People's Front | Serge Lachapelle | 64 | 0.18 | – | ||||
| 1998 Quebec general election:Sherbrooke | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Jean Charest | 15,093 | 47.41 | +4.56 | ||||
| Parti Québécois | Marie Malavoy | 14,186 | 44.56 | -2.75 | ||||
| Action démocratique | Patrick C. Rouillard | 2,171 | 6.82 | -1.41 | ||||
| Independent | Normand Gilbert | 169 | 0.53 | – | ||||
| Bloc Pot | Christian Meunier | 166 | 0.52 | – | ||||
| Natural Law | Christian Simard | 53 | 0.17 | -0.88 | ||||
| Liberalgain fromParti Québécois | Swing | +3.66 | ||||||
| 1997 Canadian federal election:Sherbrooke | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Jean Charest | 32,228 | 59.5% | +7.2% | ||||
| Bloc Québécois | Jacques Blanchette | 16,086 | 29.7% | -8.2% | ||||
| Liberal | Martin Bureau | 4,720 | 8.7% | +0.9% | ||||
| New Democratic | Tom Vouloumanos | 628 | 1.2% | +0.4% | ||||
| Natural Law | Christian Simard | 477 | 0.9% | 0.0% | ||||
| Total valid votes | 54,139 | 100.0% | ||||||
| 1993 Canadian federal election:Sherbrooke | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Jean Charest | 29,740 | 52.3% | −11.0% | ||||
| Bloc Québécois | Guy Boutin | 21,559 | 37.9% | |||||
| Liberal | Jean Paul Pelletier | 4,462 | 7.9% | -14.7% | ||||
| Natural Law | Serge Trépanier | 516 | 0.9% | |||||
| New Democratic | Martine Caouette | 445 | 0.8% | −10.9% | ||||
| Abolitionist | Jean-Guy Trépanier | 91 | 0.2% | |||||
| Total valid votes | 56,813 | 100.0% | ||||||
| 1988 Canadian federal election:Sherbrooke | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Jean Charest | 34,538 | 63.3% | +11.8% | ||||
| Liberal | Dennis Wood | 12,314 | 22.6% | -11.3% | ||||
| New Democratic | Alain Poirier | 6,373 | 11.7% | +1.9% | ||||
| Rhinoceros | Bébé Sept Heures Pierre Granger | 1,040 | 1.9% | -0.5% | ||||
| Independent | Normand Guy | 148 | 0.3% | |||||
| Communist | Yves Lawler | 143 | 0.3% | 0.0% | ||||
| Total valid votes | 54,556 | 100.0% | ||||||
| 1984 Canadian federal election:Sherbrooke | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Jean Charest | 22,232 | 51.5% | +42.2% | ||||
| Liberal | Irénée Pelletier | 14,607 | 33.8% | -38.0% | ||||
| New Democratic | Daniel Berthold | 4,230 | 9.8% | -0.2% | ||||
| Rhinoceros | Gilbert Peupa Ash | 1,054 | 2.4% | -1.3% | ||||
| Parti nationaliste | Lorraine Déry | 687 | 1.6% | |||||
| Social Credit | Fernand Bourret | 197 | 0.5% | -3.7% | ||||
| Communist | Yves Lawler | 92 | 0.2% | – | ||||
| Commonwealth of Canada | Françoise Chanteau | 72 | 0.2% | |||||
| Total valid votes | 43,171 | 100.0% | ||||||
| Ribbon bars of The Honourable Jean Charest | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th Canadian Ministry (1993) – Cabinet ofKim Campbell | ||
| Cabinet posts (3) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Don Mazankowski | Deputy Prime Minister of Canada June 25 – November 4, 1993 | Sheila Copps |
| Michael Wilson | Minister of Industry, Science and Technology June 25 – November 4, 1993 styled as Minister of Industry | John Manley |
| Pierre H. Vincent | Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs June 25 – November 4, 1993 styled as Minister of Industry | John Manley |
| Special Cabinet Responsibilities | ||
| Predecessor | Title | Successor |
| position created | Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development - Quebec 1993 | Paul Martin |
| 24th Canadian Ministry (1984–1993) – Cabinet ofBrian Mulroney | ||
| Cabinet posts (3) | ||
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Robert de Cotret | Minister of the Environment 1991–1993 | Pierre H. Vincent |
| Otto Jelinek | Minister of State (Fitness and Amateur Sport) 1988–1990 | Marcel Danis as Minister of State (Youth)(Fitness and Amateur Sport) |
| Andrée Champagne | Minister of State (Youth) 1986–1990 | Marcel Danis as Minister of State (Youth)(Fitness and Amateur Sport) |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party 1995–1998 Interim 1993–1995 | Succeeded by Elsie Wayne Interim |
| Preceded by | Leader of the Quebec Liberal Party 1998–2012 | Succeeded by Jean-Marc Fournier Interim |