Michel Bissonnet
Encyclopedia
Michel Bissonnet, MNA
(born March 28, 1942 in Montreal
, Quebec) is a Canadian politician who served as Liberal
member and President
(House Speaker) of the National Assembly of Quebec
.
in law at Université de Montréal
in 1976 and was admitted to the Barreau du Québec
the following year. Prior to his years as a lawyer, he worked for the City of Montreal
for 17 years in various positions including archivist
and assistant office manager.
and its Quebec wing, the defunct Nouveau Parti démocratique du Québec
. He was a candidate in the 1967 federal by-election for that party in the district of Papineau
. He finished third with 15% of the vote. Liberal
candidate André Ouellet was elected.
in the 1981 election
. He was re-elected in the 1985
, 1989
, 1994
and 1998
elections. He also won re-election in the merged district of Jeanne-Mance—Viger
in 2003
and 2007
.
of the Opposition from 1994 to 1997 and Third Vice-President of the National Assembly during his fifth term from 1999 to 2003. He became the President of the National Assembly (Speaker of the House) after the Liberal victory in 2003. In 2007, Bissonnet was reconfirmed as President of the National Assembly.
, even though he had never been appointed to the Cabinet
.
Bissonnet ran under Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay
's Union Montreal
label. An election had been called to fill the position in the aftermath of the resignation of Frank Zampino
. Bissonnet was elected with 94.3% of the vote in September 2008, against Livio DiCelmo of Projet Montréal
.
National Assembly of Quebec
The National Assembly of Quebec is the legislative body of the Province of Quebec. The Lieutenant Governor and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other British-style parliamentary systems.The National Assembly was formerly the...
(born March 28, 1942 in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec) is a Canadian politician who served as Liberal
Parti libéral du Québec
The Quebec Liberal Party is a centre-right political party in Quebec. It has been independent of the federal Liberal Party of Canada since 1955....
member and President
President of the National Assembly of Quebec
The President of the National Assembly of Quebec is the presiding officer of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada, which is modeled after the Westminster parliamentary system...
(House Speaker) of the National Assembly of Quebec
National Assembly of Quebec
The National Assembly of Quebec is the legislative body of the Province of Quebec. The Lieutenant Governor and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other British-style parliamentary systems.The National Assembly was formerly the...
.
Background
Bissonnet obtained a licenseLicense
The verb license or grant licence means to give permission. The noun license or licence refers to that permission as well as to the document recording that permission.A license may be granted by a party to another party as an element of an agreement...
in law at Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
in 1976 and was admitted to the Barreau du Québec
Barreau du Quebec
The Bar of Quebec is the provincial law society for lawyers in Quebec, Canada...
the following year. Prior to his years as a lawyer, he worked for the City of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
for 17 years in various positions including archivist
Archivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
and assistant office manager.
NDP candidate
Bissonnet was formerly involved in the federal New Democratic PartyNew 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...
and its Quebec wing, the defunct Nouveau Parti démocratique du Québec
Nouveau Parti démocratique du Québec
The New Democratic Party of Quebec was a political party in Quebec, Canada, with social-democratic and democratic socialist ideological tendencies...
. He was a candidate in the 1967 federal by-election for that party in the district of Papineau
Papineau (electoral district)
Papineau is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1948 to 1988 and since 2004. Its population in 2006 was 101,019....
. He finished third with 15% of the vote. Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
candidate André Ouellet was elected.
City politics
He ran as an Action Laval candidate for the city council of Laval in 1969 and served as mayor of Saint-Léonard from 1978 to 1981.Member of the Provincial Legislature
Bissonnet successfully ran as the Liberal candidate in the district of Jeanne-ManceJeanne-Mance (provincial electoral district)
Jeanne-Mance was a provincial electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada. The district located in the Montreal region was formed in 1966 from parts of Montreal-Jeanne-Mance which existed from 1939 to 1966. It became part of Jeanne-Mance—Viger in 2003...
in the 1981 election
Quebec general election, 1981
The Quebec general election of 1981 was held on April 13, 1981, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Claude Ryan.The PQ won re-election despite...
. He was re-elected in the 1985
Quebec general election, 1985
The Quebec general election of 1985 was held on December 2, 1985, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Quebec Liberal Party, led by former premier Robert Bourassa, defeated the incumbent Parti Québécois, led by premier Pierre-Marc Johnson.This election...
, 1989
Quebec general election, 1989
The Quebec general election of 1989 was held on September 25, 1989, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada...
, 1994
Quebec general election, 1994
The Quebec general election of 1994 was held on September 12, 1994, to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The Parti Québécois, led by Jacques Parizeau, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Daniel Johnson, Jr.....
and 1998
Quebec general election, 1998
The Quebec general election of 1998 was held on November 30, 1998, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Parti Québécois, led by Lucien Bouchard, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Charest.After the narrow defeat of...
elections. He also won re-election in the merged district of Jeanne-Mance—Viger
Jeanne-Mance—Viger
Jeanne-Mance—Viger is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The riding consists of the Saint-Léonard borough...
in 2003
Quebec general election, 2003
The Quebec general election of 2003 was held on April 14, 2003, to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec . The Parti libéral du Québec , led by Jean Charest, defeated the incumbent Parti Québécois, led by Bernard Landry.-Unfolding:...
and 2007
Quebec general election, 2007
The Quebec general election of 2007 was held in the Canadian province of Quebec on March 26, 2007 to elect members of the 38th National Assembly of Quebec. The Quebec Liberal Party led by Jean Charest managed to win a plurality of seats, but were reduced to a minority government, Quebec's first in...
.
Speaker
He served as Vice-President of the National Assembly during his third term of office from 1989 to 1994, Assistant WhipWhip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
of the Opposition from 1994 to 1997 and Third Vice-President of the National Assembly during his fifth term from 1999 to 2003. He became the President of the National Assembly (Speaker of the House) after the Liberal victory in 2003. In 2007, Bissonnet was reconfirmed as President of the National Assembly.
Borough Mayor
In July 2008, Bissonnet announced that he would leave provincial politics and run again for the mayoral position of Saint-Léonard, now a borough of Montreal following the 2002 amalgamation. He had become of the longest serving MNA's of the 38th National Assembly38th National Assembly of Quebec
The 38th National Assembly of Quebec, Canada consists of those elected in the Quebec general election, 2007. Jean Charest is the Premier and Mario Dumont is the leader of the opposition...
, even though he had never been appointed to the Cabinet
Executive Council of Quebec
The Executive Council of Quebec is the cabinet of the government of Quebec, Canada....
.
Bissonnet ran under Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay
Gérald Tremblay
Gérald Tremblay is a Canadian politician and businessman currently serving his third term as mayor of Montreal and as president of the Montreal Metropolitan Community...
's Union Montreal
Union Montreal
Union Montreal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It currently governs Montreal's city government.-Origins:It was established as the Montreal Island Citizens Union in the aftermath of the province-wide municipal merger of 2001 and not long before the municipal election...
label. An election had been called to fill the position in the aftermath of the resignation of Frank Zampino
Frank Zampino
Frank Zampino is a Montreal politician and a chartered accountant. He served as the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the City of Montreal and the city's second-ranking official...
. Bissonnet was elected with 94.3% of the vote in September 2008, against Livio DiCelmo of Projet Montréal
Projet Montréal
Projet Montréal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Origins:Projet Montréal is possibly the first party since the Montreal Citizens' Movement that was not specifically established to promote a mayoral candidacy. It was created by environmental activists in May...
.