1. Jean Charest returned to cabinet in 1991 as the minister of the environment.
52 Facts About Jean Charest
1. 2.
Jean Charest ran to succeed Mulroney as party leader and prime minister in the PCs' 1993 leadership election, but placed second to Kim Campbell.
3.
Jean Charest served as Campbell's industry minister and deputy prime minister.
4.
Jean Charest led the PCs to a minor recovery in the 1997 election.
5.
Jean Charest left federal politics in 1998 and was elected to lead the Quebec Liberal Party, the province's main federalist political party.
6.
Jean Charest became premier of Quebec after the Liberals won the 2003 provincial election.
7.
Jean Charest won two more elections until he lost the 2012 election to the sovereigntist Parti Quebecois and resigned as premier.
8.
Jean Charest was a candidate in the 2022 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election, finishing a distant second to Pierre Poilievre.
9.
Jean Charest was born on June 24,1958, in Sherbrooke, in Quebec's Eastern Townships.
10.
Jean Charest's parents are Rita, an Irish Quebecer, and Claude "Red" Charest, a French Canadian.
11.
Jean Charest obtained a law degree from the Universite de Sherbrooke and was admitted to the Barreau du Quebec in 1981.
12.
Jean Charest is married to Michele Dionne, and they have three children, Amelie, Antoine, and Alexandra.
13.
Jean Charest worked as a lawyer until he was elected Progressive Conservative member of the Parliament of Canada for the riding of Sherbrooke in the 1984 election.
14.
From 1984 to 1986, Jean Charest served as Assistant Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole of the House of Commons.
15.
In 1986, at age 28, Jean Charest was appointed to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney as minister of state.
16.
Jean Charest was the youngest cabinet minister in Canadian history.
17.
Jean Charest was appointed minister of state in 1988, but had to resign from cabinet in 1990 after improperly speaking to a judge about a case regarding the Canadian Track and Field Association.
18.
Jean Charest was involved in the proposal of the Meech Lake Accord which would have given the province of Quebec the status of a "distinct society", extend provincial powers, and extensively change the constitution.
19.
Jean Charest returned to cabinet as minister of the environment in 1991.
20.
When Mulroney announced his retirement as PC leader and prime minister, Jean Charest was a candidate for the leadership of the party at the 1993 Progressive Conservative leadership convention.
21.
However Jean Charest himself says it was only $10,000 although federal leadership election rules permitted such cash donations.
22.
Jean Charest placed a strong second to Defence Minister Kim Campbell, who had held a large lead going into the convention.
23.
Jean Charest served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Science and Technology in Campbell's short-lived cabinet.
24.
Jean Charest himself was re-elected fairly handily in Sherbrooke, taking 56 per cent of the vote.
25.
Jean Charest, therefore, became the first person of francophone descent to lead the Progressive Conservative Party.
26.
Jean Charest participated in the 1994 class of the World Economic Forum's Global Leaders for Tomorrow program.
27.
Jean Charest was considered by many to be the best hope for the federalist QLP to defeat the sovereigntist Parti Quebecois government.
28.
Jean Charest won his own riding of Sherbrooke with a majority of 907 votes.
29.
Jean Charest declared he had a mandate to reform health care, cut taxes, reduce spending and reduce the size of government.
30.
Jean Charest's Liberals won 76 seats, forming a majority government, and won his own riding of Sherbrooke with a majority of 2,597 votes.
31.
Much of the fiscal policy of the Jean 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.
32.
Jean Charest was an early proponent of free trade with the European Union, which eventually manifested in the 2016 Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.
33.
In May 2011, Jean Charest's government launched the Plan Nord, an economic development strategy to develop the natural resources extraction sector in the part of Quebec to the north of the 49th parallel.
34.
Jean Charest attempted to distinguish himself on the issue of the environment.
35.
Jean Charest 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.
36.
In 2012, Jean Charest was awarded the Fray International Sustainability Award for his work and advocacy towards sustainable development in politics.
37.
In 2011, the Jean Charest government decided to increase the tuition fees in all Quebec universities.
38.
On December 6,2007, the Opposition urged Jean Charest to testify to the House of Commons of Canada Ethics Committee in its investigation of Karlheinz Schreiber.
39.
Jean 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.
40.
Jean Charest finally launched an inquiry in 2012 through the creation of the Charbonneau commission in response to rising discontent within the Quebec Liberal caucus.
41.
The Jean 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.
42.
Boisclair did not perform well as Leader of the Opposition, and Jean Charest's numbers recovered somewhat.
43.
On February 21,2007, Jean Charest asked the Lieutenant-Governor to dissolve the National Assembly and call an election on March 26,2007.
44.
Jean Charest conducted an extraordinary session the day before with Finance Minister Michel Audet delivering the 2007 budget.
45.
Jean Charest won a minority government in the election, and held onto his own seat.
46.
On election night, early numbers had shown Jean Charest losing his seat of Sherbrooke to his PQ opponent; however, this situation was reversed once it became apparent that the advanced poll ballot boxes which heavily favoured Jean Charest had not yet been counted.
47.
In November 2008, arguing that Quebecers needed a majority government during difficult economic times, Jean Charest called a snap election for December 8.
48.
Jean Charest's party captured a historic third consecutive term as he brought the Liberals back to majority governance.
49.
Jean Charest lost his own seat of Sherbrooke in the Eastern Townships, a seat that he had held since 1984, both in the federal and provincial legislatures.
50.
Jean Charest was formerly a consultant for Huawei and helped support and advise Huawei for its participation for 5G network plans in Canada and to be a partner with McCarthy Tetrault LLP.
51.
On March 9,2022, Jean Charest announced that he would be a candidate for the 2022 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election.
52.
Jean Charest had previously considered running in the 2020 leadership election, though he ultimately decided not to.