François Gendron

François Gendron
MNA for Abitibi-Ouest
Assumed office
November 15, 1976
Preceded by Jean-Hugues Boutin
Leader of the Parti Québécois
Interim
In office
May 9, 2007  June 27, 2007
Preceded by André Boisclair
Succeeded by Pauline Marois
Personal details
Born (1944-11-03) November 3, 1944
Val-Paradis, Quebec, Canada
Political party Parti Québécois
Residence Quebec City
Profession Teacher, Politician
Portfolio Municipal Affairs

François Gendron (born November 3, 1944, in Val-Paradis, Quebec) is a politician and teacher in Quebec, Canada. He is the current Member of National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Abitibi-Ouest. He has represented the Parti Québécois since 1976.

Gendron went to the Université Laval and obtained diplomas in pedagogy and administration. He was then a teacher at Cité Étudiante Polyno in La Sarre, a coordinator at the Commission scolaire Lalonde, and an education counselor. He was a municipal councilor from 1973 to 1976 in La Sarre and was the founder of the Education Workers Union of Northwestern Quebec in 1967.

Gendron is the longest active MNA serving, as he was elected for the first time in 1976 when the Parti Québécois led by René Lévesque was elected the government for the first time. He was named the Assistant Whip and then the Minister of Public Services. After his 1981 re-election, he was named the Minister of Planning, Minister of Planning and Development and Minister of Education (1984–1985).

After the Parti Québécois returned to the opposition benches after the 1985 elections, he was the Deputy Opposition House Leader from 1985 to 1987 and 1989 to 1994 and the Opposition House Leader from 1987 to 1989. He was also the critic after the 1989 elections for education, municipal and regional affairs.

When the Parti Québécois returned to power in 1994 with Jacques Parizeau as their leader, he was named Minister of Natural resources and the Deputy Government House Leader. In 1996, he was named the Government Chair Caucus. He remained in that position after the 1998 elections until 2002 where he was briefly the Minister of Forest Management and rurality and then the Minister of Natural Resources.

Gendron was re-elected in the 2003 and 2007 general elections and was the National Assembly's Third Vice-President (Third Deputy Speaker of the House) from 2003 to 2007.

On May 9, 2007, Gendron was elected acting leader of the Parti Québécois over Marie Malavoy, following the resignation of André Boisclair.[1]

During his tenure as acting leader, he played a major role in the adoption of the 2007 budget tabled by Liberal Finance Minister Monique Jérôme-Forget, as it was during a Liberal minority government. The Parti Québécois had requested additional funding for health, education and the regions as well as a reduction of the income tax cuts that were planned by the Liberals to be $950 million. The Liberals accepted an increase total funding of $111 million without reducing the tax cut and have increased taxes for oil and bank companies. Gendron and the PQ mentioned that the funding was not sufficient to vote for the budget, but only Gendron, House Leader Diane Lemieux and Finance critic François Legault took part of the vote in which the budget passed 46–44 on June 1, 2007.[2][3][4]

On August 20, 2007, an article from La Presse reported that Gendron would replace Diane Lemieux as the House Leader of the second opposition group when the National Assembly of Quebec resumed in October 2007.[5]

On October 21, 2008, Gendron was named the President of the National Assembly of Quebec, a position equivalent to Speaker in other legislatures. Initially, Maxime Arseneau was the PQ candidate for the position as well as Marc Picard for the Action democratique du Quebec and Yvon Vallieres for the Liberals. After Picard and Arseneau dropped their candidacy,[6] both opposition parties supported the nomination of Gendron. He is the first MNA from an opposition party to be named as President of the National Assembly since 1887.[7] He would serve in that capacity until after the 2008 provincial election.

He is currently the longest-serving member of the National Assembly.

See also

Footnotes

  1. Le sauveur se sauve..., Denis Lessard, La Presse, May 10, 2007
  2. "Le budget est adopté!". Lcn.canoe.com. April 23, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  3. "Le budget bonifié de 111 M$". Lcn.canoe.com. April 23, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  4. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20070820/CPACTUALITES/70819144/6488/CPACTUALITES
  5. "Le candidat de l'ADQ se retire". Lcn.canoe.ca. April 23, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  6. "François Gendron élu président". Lcn.canoe.ca. April 23, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2011.

External links

National Assembly of Quebec
Preceded by
Michel Bissonnet
President of the National Assembly of Quebec
2008–2009
Succeeded by
Yvon Vallières
Preceded by
Michelle Courchesne
Deputy Premier of Quebec
2012–2014
Succeeded by
Lise Thériault
Preceded by
Guy Chevrette (PQ)
Official Opposition House Leader
1987–1989
Succeeded by
Guy Chevrette (PQ)
Preceded by
Diane Lemieux (PQ)
Second Opposition Group House Leader
2007–2008
Succeeded by
Stéphane Bédard (PQ)
Preceded by
Marc Picard (ADQ)
Third Deputy Speaker of the House (Second Time)
2009–present
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Michel Bissonnet (Liberal)
Third Deputy Speaker of the House
20032007
Succeeded by
Marc Picard (ADQ)
Political offices
Preceded by
Gilles Baril
Minister of Natural Resources
2002–2003
Succeeded by
Sam Hamad
Preceded by
André Boisclair
Leader of the Parti Québécois
Interim

2007
Succeeded by
Pauline Marois
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