Martial Asselin
Encyclopedia
Martial Asselin, is a retired Canadian
politician and the 25th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
(1990–1996).
Born in La Malbaie, Quebec
, the son of Ferdinand Asselin and Eugénie Tremblay, he was called to the Quebec Bar in 1951. He was created Queen's Counsel
in 1967. From 1957 to 1963, he was the Mayor of La Malbaie, Quebec
.
Asselin was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons
in the 1958 election
as a Progressive Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP) in the Diefenbaker sweep. He represented the riding of Charlevoix
.
Asselin was defeated in the 1962 election
. Despite no longer having a seat, he was appointed to the position of Minister of Forestry in Diefenbaker's pre-1963 election
Canadian cabinet in the hope that he and the Tories would both win the upcoming election. He served for only a month until the defeat of the Conservatives and Asselin's failure to regain his seat.
He returned to the House of Commons in the 1965 election
, and was re-elected in the 1968 election
.
Prior to the 1972 election
, he accepted an appointment to the Canadian Senate
. He sat in the body until 1990 when he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
by Queen Elizabeth II on the advice of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
. In 1996, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
.
In 1992, he was given the right to use the title "The Right Honourable
" which is granted for life and to very few eminent Canadians.
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 and the 25th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
The Lieutenant Governor of Quebec : Lieutenant-gouverneur du Québec, or : Lieutenant-gouverneure du Québec) is the viceregal representative in Quebec of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions...
(1990–1996).
Born in La Malbaie, Quebec
La Malbaie, Quebec
La Malbaie is a municipality in the Charlevoix-Est Regional County Municipality in the province of Quebec, Canada, situated on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River, at the mouth of the Malbaie River...
, the son of Ferdinand Asselin and Eugénie Tremblay, he was called to the Quebec Bar in 1951. He was created Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in 1967. From 1957 to 1963, he was the Mayor of La Malbaie, Quebec
La Malbaie, Quebec
La Malbaie is a municipality in the Charlevoix-Est Regional County Municipality in the province of Quebec, Canada, situated on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River, at the mouth of the Malbaie River...
.
Asselin was first elected to 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...
in the 1958 election
Canadian federal election, 1958
The Canadian federal election of 1958 was the 24th general election in Canada's history. It was held to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 24th Parliament of Canada on March 31, 1958, just nine months after the 23rd election...
as a Progressive Conservative
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....
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) in the Diefenbaker sweep. He represented the riding of Charlevoix
Charlevoix
The Charlevoix region, located in Quebec, includes parts of the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River and the Laurentian Mountains region of the Canadian Shield...
.
Asselin was defeated in the 1962 election
Canadian federal election, 1962
The Canadian federal election of 1962 was held on June 18, 1962 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 25th Parliament of Canada...
. Despite no longer having a seat, he was appointed to the position of Minister of Forestry in Diefenbaker's pre-1963 election
Canadian federal election, 1963
The Canadian federal election of 1963 was held on April 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 26th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of the minority Progressive Conservative government of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.-Overview:During the Tories' last year in...
Canadian cabinet in the hope that he and the Tories would both win the upcoming election. He served for only a month until the defeat of the Conservatives and Asselin's failure to regain his seat.
He returned to the House of Commons in the 1965 election
Canadian federal election, 1965
The Canadian federal election of 1965 was held on November 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 27th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson was re-elected with a larger number of seats in the House...
, and was re-elected in the 1968 election
Canadian federal election, 1968
The Canadian federal election of 1968 was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 28th Parliament of Canada...
.
Prior to the 1972 election
Canadian federal election, 1972
The Canadian federal election of 1972 was held on October 30, 1972 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 29th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in a slim victory for the governing Liberal Party, which won 109 seats, compared to 107 seats for the opposition Progressive...
, he accepted an appointment to the Canadian Senate
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
. He sat in the body until 1990 when he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
The Lieutenant Governor of Quebec : Lieutenant-gouverneur du Québec, or : Lieutenant-gouverneure du Québec) is the viceregal representative in Quebec of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions...
by Queen Elizabeth II on the advice of Prime Minister 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 1996, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.
In 1992, he was given the right to use the title "The Right Honourable
The Right Honourable
The Right Honourable is an honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain people in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Anglophone Caribbean and other Commonwealth Realms, and occasionally elsewhere...
" which is granted for life and to very few eminent Canadians.