Gérard Asselin
Encyclopedia
Gérard Asselin is a Canadian
politician.
Asselin is a former Bloc Québécois
member of the Canadian House of Commons
, representing the riding of Manicouagan
from 2004 to 2011 and Charlevoix
from 1993 to 2004. At the end of the 37th Canadian Parliament, Asselin was the Bloc's Forestry critic. He is also a former Natural Resources Critic.
In his first run for federal office, in 1993, Asselin won the riding of former Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney
in a landslide, finishing 16,500 votes ahead of his closest opponent. The Tory
candidate finished a distant third, and nearly lost his deposit. Asselin was reelected almost as easily in every election until losing to NDP
challenger Jonathan Genest-Jourdain
in 2011.
Asselin is a former foreman, and was previously a city councillor in Baie-Comeau, Quebec
from 1979 to 1993.
Asselin is one of the party's few more socially conservative members. In 2005, Asselin joined five other Bloc Québécois members opposing Bill C-38, which extended marriage rights to same-sex couples in Canada.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician.
Asselin is a former Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
member of the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
, representing the riding of Manicouagan
Manicouagan (electoral district)
Manicouagan is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968.The riding was created in 1966 from parts of Charlevoix and Saguenay ridings....
from 2004 to 2011 and Charlevoix
Charlevoix (electoral district)
Charlevoix was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1917 and from 1949 to 2004....
from 1993 to 2004. At the end of the 37th Canadian Parliament, Asselin was the Bloc's Forestry critic. He is also a former Natural Resources Critic.
In his first run for federal office, in 1993, Asselin won the riding of former Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
in a landslide, finishing 16,500 votes ahead of his closest opponent. The Tory
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
candidate finished a distant third, and nearly lost his deposit. Asselin was reelected almost as easily in every election until losing to NDP
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
challenger Jonathan Genest-Jourdain
Jonathan Genest-Jourdain
Jonathan Genest-Jourdain is the New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for Manicouagan, first elected in the 2011 Canadian federal election. He succeeded Gérard Asselin of the Bloc Québécois...
in 2011.
Asselin is a former foreman, and was previously a city councillor in Baie-Comeau, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
from 1979 to 1993.
Asselin is one of the party's few more socially conservative members. In 2005, Asselin joined five other Bloc Québécois members opposing Bill C-38, which extended marriage rights to same-sex couples in Canada.