Jean Charest

The Honourable Jean Charest PC
Charest in 2017
29thPremier of Quebec
In office April 29, 2003 – September 19, 2012
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Lieutenant Governor	Lise Thibault Pierre Duchesne
Deputy	See list Monique Gagnon-Tremblay Jacques Dupuis Nathalie Normandeau Line Beauchamp Michelle Courchesne
Preceded by	Bernard Landry
Succeeded by	Pauline Marois
5thDeputy Prime Minister of Canada
In office June 25, 1993 – November 4, 1993
Prime Minister	Kim Campbell
Preceded by	Don Mazankowski
Succeeded by	Sheila Copps
Leadership positions Leader of the Opposition in Quebec In office April 30, 1998 – April 29, 2003 Preceded by Monique Gagnon-Tremblay Succeeded by Bernard Landry Leader of theQuebec Liberal Party In office April 30, 1998 – September 5, 2012 Preceded by Monique Gagnon-Tremblay(interim) Succeeded by Jean-Marc Fournier(interim) Leader of theProgressive Conservative Party of Canada In office December 14, 1993 – April 2, 1998 Interim:December 14, 1993 – April 29, 1995 Preceded by Kim Campbell Succeeded by Elsie Wayne(interim)
Canadian cabinet Minister of Industry In office June 25, 1993 – November 4, 1993 Prime Minister Kim Campbell Preceded by Pierre H. Vincent(Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs;Registrar General of Canada) Michael Wilson(Minister of Industry, Science and Technology) Succeeded by John Manley Minister of the Environment In office April 21, 1991 – June 24, 1993 Prime Minister Brian Mulroney Preceded by Robert de Cotret Succeeded by Pierre H. Vincent Minister of State (Fitness and Amateur Sport) In office March 31, 1988 – January 23, 1990 Prime Minister Brian Mulroney Minister Jake Epp Perrin Beatty Preceded by Otto Jelinek Succeeded by Marcel Danis Minister of State (Youth) In office June 30, 1986 – January 23, 1990 Prime Minister Brian Mulroney Minister David Crombie Lucien Bouchard Gerry Weiner Preceded by Andrée Champagne Succeeded by Marcel Danis
House of Commons roles Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Assistant Deputy Chair of the Committees of the Whole In office October 31, 1984 – June 29, 1986 Speaker John Bosley Preceded by Jacques Guilbault Succeeded by Andrée Champagne
Parliamentary constituencies Memberof the National Assembly of Quebec forSherbrooke In office November 30, 1998 – September 4, 2012 Preceded by Marie Malavoy Succeeded by Serge Cardin Member of Parliament forSherbrooke In office September 4, 1984 – April 30, 1998 Preceded by Irénée Pelletier Succeeded by Serge Cardin
Personal details
Born	John James Charest (1958-06-24)June 24, 1958 Sherbrooke,Quebec,Canada
Political party	Conservative(federal) Quebec Liberal(provincial)
Other political affiliations	Progressive Conservative(before 2003)
Spouse	Michèle Dionne ​ (m.1980)​
Residence(s)	Westmount,Quebec,Canada
Alma mater	Université de Sherbrooke
Website	www.jeancharest.ca

John James"Jean"CharestPC(French pronunciation:[ʒɑ̃ʃɑʁɛ];born June 24, 1958) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 29thpremier of Quebecfrom 2003 to 2012. Prior to that, he was amember of Parliament(MP) between 1984 and 1998. After holding several Cabinet posts from 1986 to 1990 and from 1991 to 1993, he was the leader of theProgressive Conservative Party of Canadafrom 1993 to 1998.

Born inSherbrooke,Quebec,Charest worked as a lawyer before becoming an MP following the1984 federal election.In 1986 he joinedBrian Mulroney's government as aminister of state,but resigned from cabinet in 1990 after improperly speaking to a judge about an active court case. He returned to cabinet in 1991 as theminister of the environment.Charest ran to succeed Mulroney as party leader and prime minister in the PCs'1993 leadership election,but placed second toKim Campbell.Charest served as Campbell'sindustry ministerand deputy prime minister. After the PCs' defeat in the1993 election,Charest succeeded Campbell as party leader. He led the PCs to a minor recovery in the1997 election.

Charest left federal politics in 1998 and was elected to lead theQuebec Liberal Party,the province's mainfederalistpolitical party. He became premier of Quebec after the Liberals won the2003 provincial election.He won two more elections until he lost the2012 electionto thesovereigntistParti Quebecois(PQ) and resigned as premier. After politics, Charest worked as a consultant, including forHuaweion theMeng Wanzhoucase and for its5Gnetwork plans in Canada, and joinedMcCarthy Tétrault LLPas a partner. Charest was a candidate in the2022 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election,finishing a distant second toPierre Poilievre.

Early life and education

Charest was born on June 24, 1958, inSherbrooke,in Quebec'sEastern Townships.His parents are Rita (néeLeonard), anIrish Quebecer,and Claude "Red" Charest, aFrench Canadian.He obtained a law degree from theUniversité de Sherbrookeand was admitted to theBarreau du Québecin 1981. He is married to Michèle Dionne (since June 21, 1980), and they have three children, Amélie, Antoine, and Alexandra.

Charest is fully bilingual in French and English. In the1980 Quebec referendum,he failed to vote because he was getting married.

Federal politics (1984–1998)

Charest worked as alawyeruntil he was elected Progressive Conservative member of theParliament of Canadafor theriding(electoral district) of Sherbrooke in the1984 election.From 1984 to 1986, Charest served as Assistant Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole of theHouse of Commons.

Minister of state (1986–1990)

In 1986, at age 28, Charest was appointed to theCabinetofPrime MinisterBrian Mulroneyasminister of state(youth).He was the youngest cabinet minister in Canadian history.

Charest was appointedminister of state (fitness and amateur sport)in 1988,but had to resign from cabinet in 1990 after improperly speaking to a judge about a case regarding theCanadian Track and Field Association.

Role in Meech Lake Accord (1990–1991)

Charest was involved in the proposal of theMeech Lake Accord(which failed to be ratified in June 1990) which would have given the province of Quebec the status of a "distinct society",extend provincial powers, and extensively change the constitution. In 1990, he led a commission that recommended a companion accord that would address the concerns of other provinces, assert that the distinct society clause would be subject to theCharter,and would feature greater protections for minority language rights in the provinces.The recommendations caused Mulroney'senvironment ministerandQuebec lieutenant,Lucien Bouchard,to view the companion accord as a betrayal of Meech.Bouchard later resigned from Cabinet and founded theBloc Québécois,a pro-sovereigntist party.

Minister of the environment (1991–1993)

Charest returned to cabinet asminister of the environmentin 1991. In that role, he led the Canadian delegation at the 1992Earth SummitinRio de Janeiro,Brazil.

1993 PC leadership bid

When Mulroney announced his retirement as PC leader and prime minister, Charest was a candidate for the leadership of the party at the1993 Progressive Conservative leadership convention.

Karlheinz Schreiberalleged he gave $30,000 in cash to Charest's campaign for the Tory leadership in 1993. However Charest himself says it was only $10,000 although federal leadership election rules permitted such cash donations.As of 2007, rules against such donations for provincial party leadership campaigns still do not exist in Québec.

Charest placed a strong second to Defence MinisterKim Campbell,who had held a large lead going into the convention. Charest served asDeputy Prime Ministerand Minister of Industry, Science and Technology in Campbell's short-lived cabinet.

PC Party leader (1993–1998)

In the1993 election,the PCs suffered the worst defeat for a governing party at the federal level. Only two of the party's 295 candidates were elected, Charest andElsie Wayne.Charest himself was re-elected fairly handily in Sherbrooke, taking 56 per cent of the vote. As the only surviving member of what turned out to be the last PC Cabinet, Charest was appointed interim party leader and confirmed in the post in April 1995. Charest, therefore, became the first person offrancophonedescent to lead the Progressive Conservative Party.

Charest participated in the 1994 class of theWorld Economic Forum'sGlobal Leaders for Tomorrowprogram.

During the1995 referendum on Quebec's sovereignty,Charest was vice-president of the "No" campaign (Comité national des Québécoises et des Québécois pour le NON).

In the1997 federal election,Charest campaigned on securing national unity in Canada by recognizing Quebec as being a distinct society within Canada, along with the proposal of a "New Covenant" for Canadian confederation to be negotiated between the federal and provincial governments.Charest and the PCs benefited from rapidly rising in popularity amongst all language groups in Quebec, where voters were found to have preferred Charest overGilles Duceppe,the leader of the Bloc Québécois.In the election, the Tories received 18.8 per cent of the popular vote and won 20 seats, mostly inAtlantic Canada.Although the party's seat count had recovered (as they won only two seats in 1993), Charest considered the result a disappointment. While the Tories finished only half a point behindReformin terms of the popular vote, their support was too dispersed west of Quebec to translate into seats. They were also hampered by vote-splitting with Reform in rural central Ontario, a traditional Tory stronghold where Reform had made significant inroads.

Early provincial political career (1998–2003)

In April 1998, Charest gave in to considerable public and political pressure,especially among business circles, to leave federal politics and become leader of the Quebec Liberal Party. Charest was considered by many to be the best hope for thefederalistQLP to defeat thesovereigntistParti Québécoisgovernment.

In the1998 election,the Quebec Liberals received more votes than the PQ, but because the Liberal vote was concentrated in fewer ridings, the PQ won enough seats to form another majority government. Charest won his own riding of Sherbrooke with a majority of 907 votes.

In theApril 2003 election,Charest led the Quebec Liberals to a majority, ending nine years of PQ rule. He declared he had a mandate to reform health care, cut taxes, reduce spending and reduce the size of government.Charest's Liberals won 76 seats, forming a majority government, and won his own riding of Sherbrooke with a majority of 2,597 votes.

Premier of Quebec (2003–2012)

Economic policy

Charest increased theQuebec sales tax(QST) thrice. In 2011, his government raised the rate from 7.5 per cent to 8.5 per cent before raising it to 9.5 per cent in 2012. The third and last hike came into effect in 2013, with the rate rising to 9.975 per cent.

In October 2007, Quebec became the first province in Canada to implement acarbon tax.At the time it was implemented, the tax amounted to 0.8 cents per litre of gas and 0.9 cents per litre of diesel fuel.

Charest withUnited StatesConsul GeneralPeter O'Donohue in November 2010

Much of thefiscal policyof the 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. TheHarper governmentwas widely expected to address this issue through increasedequalization payments,while falling short of Quebec's overall demands.

Plan Nord

In May 2011, Charest's government launched thePlan Nord,an economic development strategy to develop the natural resources extraction sector in the part of Quebec to the north of the 49th parallel. The plan, to be carried out over 25 years, would foster over C$80 billion in energy, mining, and forestry investments and create or consolidate 20,000 jobs a year for the duration.The proposed plan, described as "a potential centrepiece" of Charest's political legacy, received the full support of the mining industry, theCreesandInuitrepresentatives but was met with scepticism and downright opposition by theInnusand most environmentalists.

Environmental policy

Régis Labeaume(left),Stephen Harper(centre) and Jean Charest at theForum mondial de la langue françaiseinQuebec Cityon July 2, 2012.

Charest also attempted to distinguish himself on the issue of the environment. His vocal opposition to the federal decision to opt out of theKyoto Accord,and his insistence that Quebec would seek to meet its own Kyoto targets has earned him considerable support. His government set ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets, petroleum royalties, and a 2011-2020 Action Plan for Electric Vehicles.He also 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. In 2012, Charest was awarded the Fray International Sustainability Award for his work and advocacy towards sustainable development in politics.

Other policy

In the 2003 election, Charest had promised to allow the cities that had been forcibly merged by the Parti Québécois government to hold referendums which would allow todemergeand return to their previous situation. This promise was seen as key to his victory in many ridings, such as those in the suburbs aroundLongueuilandQuebec Cityand the continued support of the Anglophone community in the West Island ofMontreal.In office, however, Charest retreated from his promise. Municipalities were allowed to hold demerger referendums if at least 10 per cent of the electorate signed a petition calling for them, and only if more than 35 per cent participated in the voting process.In some former municipalities, such asSaint Laurenton the Island of Montreal, the turnout of the vote was of 75.2 per cent in favour of a demerger, but it was invalidated because the voter turnout was just 28.6 per cent.

The demerger process also resulted in the restructuring of the existingmegacities,with both these and the demerged cities handing over massive powers overtaxationand local services to the new "agglomeration councils". The makeup of these councils was based on the population of the municipalities involved, with the mayors having the right to unilaterally appoint all of the individuals who would represent their cities on the council. The resulting structure was seen by many to be less democratic than the one which had preceded it, as demergedmunicipalitieswere denied an effective voice, and the city councils of the major cities were substantially weakened by the power of the mayors to go over the heads of opposition councillors and exercise power through their appointees to theagglomerationbody.

During his mandate as Premier, Charest made some efforts to expand the place of Québec in the international community. The province was granted representation atUNESCO,the cultural branch of theUnited Nations.Charest also voiced some support for theCalgary Declaration(1997), which recognized Quebec as "unique."

During the debate in the Parliament of Canada overrecognizing Quebec as a nationwithin Canada, Charest stated that Quebec was a "nation" no matter what other parts of Canada said—that this was not up to anyone else to define.

2012 student protests

Main article:2012 Quebec student protests

In 2011, the Charest government decided to increase the tuition fees in all Quebec universities. Three major student unions began to organise demonstrations inMontrealand inQuebec City.In March 2012, many CEGEPs and universities voted for a student strike. The government faced major challenges when students demonstrated and went on strike by boycotting classes to protest planned tuition increases. Every month large demonstrations took place in several cities acrossQuebec.The Premier and his government were accused by some, including the students unions, thePQandQuébec Solidaireof being too hard. On May 4, 2012, theQuebec Liberal Partyheld a party conference inVictoriavilleand a student demonstration was suppressed bySûreté du Québecpolice.On May 14, 2012, thenDeputy PremierandEducation minister,Line BeauchampresignedandMichelle Courchesnewas appointedDeputy PremierandMinister of Education.The government passedBill 78to impose restrictions on protests; this caused controversy, with the Barreau du Québec, among others, expressing concern about possible infringement of constitutional rights. Bill 78 was revoked by thePauline Maroisgovernment.

Controversies

On December 6, 2007, the Opposition urged Charest to testify to theHouse of Commons of CanadaEthics Committeein its investigation ofKarlheinz Schreiber.Schreiber told the committee he paid$30,000 in cash to Charest's brother to help fund Charest's 1993 leadership bid for the federalProgressive Conservativeparty.

Charest's third term was marked by several allegations of questionable financing from the Quebec Liberal Party as well as a multitude of scandals in the construction sector in Quebec, the loss of $39.8 billion from theCaisse de dépôt et placement du Québec,and theMarc Bellemare(Charest's former justice minister) affair. Bellemare alleged in 2010 that he had been pressured by Quebec Liberal fundraisers during the appointment of judges in 2003. In response, the Charest government created the Bastarache commission, where Charest testified in defence.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.Charest finally launched an inquiry in 2012 through the creation of theCharbonneau commissionin response to rising discontent within the Quebec Liberal caucus.

Elections

2007 Quebec election

Main article:2007 Quebec general election

The 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. In the first few weeks afterAndré Boisclairwas elected leader of the PQ, polls showed that Charest and the Liberals would be roundly defeated in the next election. Boisclair did not perform well as Leader of the Opposition, and Charest's numbers recovered somewhat. A poll conducted byLéger MarketingforLe Devoirplaced the Liberals at 34 per cent against 32 per cent for the PQ and 24 per cent for theADQ,with Charest obtaining a higher personal approval rating than the PQ leader. Liberal support, however remained heavily concentrated inAnglophoneandAllophoneridingsin the west of Montreal, meaning that the increase in support would not necessarily translate into seats.

On February 21, 2007, Charest asked the Lieutenant-Governor to dissolve theNational Assemblyand call anelectionon March 26, 2007. Charest conducted an extraordinary session the day before with Finance MinisterMichel Audetdelivering the 2007 budget.

Prior to his call for an election, Charest revealed his platform which included income tax cuts of about $250 million. In the last week of the campaign, Charest promised an additional $700 million in tax cuts—some of it coming for the additional equalization money from the 2007 federal budget;reduction of hospital wait times; improvement and increase of French courses at school; an increase of the number of daycare spaces; and an increase in tuition fees for university students ($50 per semester until 2012).The last measure was met with criticism from students' associations, and a more-radical student association, the Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (formerly known as the CASSEE) had also considered a strike.

Charest won aminority governmentin the election, and held onto his own seat. On election night, early numbers had shown Charest losing his seat ofSherbrooketo his PQ opponent; however, this situation was reversed once it became apparent that the advanced poll ballot boxes which heavily favoured Charest had not yet been counted.The resulting minority government was the first since 1878 whenCharles Boucher de Bouchervillewas Premier.

2008 Quebec election

Main article:2008 Quebec general election

Charest in 2012

In November 2008, arguing that Quebecers needed a majority government during difficult economic times, Charest called asnap electionfor December 8.His party captured a historic third consecutive term as he brought the Liberals back to majority governance. It was the first time a party had won a third consecutive term in Quebec since theQuiet Revolution.

2012 Quebec election

On August 1, 2012, Charest launched his electoral campaign for the2012 Quebec general electionfrom theQuebec Jean-Lesage International Airportwith the sloganFor Quebec.The QLP focused its campaign on the issues of respect of the law and civil order, referencing the demonstrations of the previous months. They claimed to be the party of the silent majority who did not support the student protest movement. It was the first provincial election in Quebec to feature the newly formedCAQparty led byFrançois Legaulton the ballot. On the night of September 4, Charest and his party lost the general election. The result was a hung parliament, with theParti QuébécoisofPauline Maroisbeing the party with the most seats (54). TheQuebec Liberal Partybecame the official opposition with 50 seats.Charest lost his own seat ofSherbrookein theEastern Townships,a seat that he had held since 1984, both in the federal and provincial legislatures. Charest announced on September 5 inQuebec Citythat he would resign as Quebec Liberal Party leader.

After politics

Charest was formerly a consultant forHuaweiand helped support and adviseHuaweifor its participation for5Gnetwork plans in Canada and to be a partner withMcCarthy Tétrault LLP.Charest also claims he helped with theMeng Wanzhoucase.

After turning 65 in June 2023, Charest reached the mandatory retirement age for equity partners at McCarthy Tétrault. While the law firm offered to keep him on a counsel role, Charest refused. In January 2024, Charest decided to leave McCarthy Tétrault and joined the Therrien Couture Joli-Cœur group.

2022 Conservative leadership bid

On March 9, 2022, Charest announced that he would be a candidate for the2022 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election.He had previously considered running in the2020 leadership election,though he ultimately decided not to.

With 16 per cent of the points, Charest finished a distant second to winnerPierre Poilievre,who took 68 per cent of points on the first ballot.

Electoral record

Leaderships

2022 Conservative Party of Canada leadership results by ballot

First round (points allocated) Poilievre   68.15% Charest   16.07% Lewis   9.69% Baber   5.03% Aitchison   1.06%

First round (votes cast) Poilievre   70.7% Charest   11.6% Lewis   11.1% Baber   5.4% Aitchison   1.2%

1998 Quebec Liberal leadership conventionresults

Candidate		Votes cast	%
	Jean Charest	Acclaimed
Total		N/A

1995 Progressive Conservative leadership conventionresults

Candidate		Yes		No
		Votes cast	%	Votes cast	%
	Jean Charest	1,187	96.04%	49	3.96%
Total		1,236

1993 Progressive Conservative leadership electionresults by ballot

Candidate		1st ballot		2nd ballot
		Votes cast	%	Votes cast	%
	Kim Campbell	1,664	48.0%	1,817	52.7%
	Jean Charest	1,369	39.5%	1,630	47.3%
JE	Jim Edwards	307	8.8%	Endorsed Campbell
	Garth Turner	76	2.2%	Withdrew; Did not endorse
PB	Patrick Boyer	53	1.5%	Endorsed Charest
Total		3,469	100.0%	3,447	100.0%

Provincial

2012 Quebec general election:Sherbrooke
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Parti Québécois	Serge Cardin	15,909	42.12	+4.53
	Liberal	Jean Charest	13,267	35.13	-10.11
	Coalition Avenir Québec	Philippe Girard	4,457	11.80	+4.95*
	Québec solidaire	Christian Bibeau	2,586	6.85	+0.41
	Option nationale	Évelyne Beaudin	1,069	2.83	–
	Green	Suzanne Richer	407	1.08	-2.28
	Parti indépendantiste	Christian Clavet	73	0.19	–
Total valid votes			37,768	99.10	–
Total rejected ballots			344	0.90	–
Turnout			38,112	78.10	+15.49
Electors on the lists			48,799	–	–

2008 Quebec general election:Sherbrooke
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Jean Charest	13,694	45.24	+8.68
	Parti Québécois	Laurent-Paul Maheux	11,380	37.59	+4.74
	Action démocratique	Jacques Joly	2,074	6.85	-10.99
	Québec solidaire	Christian Bibeau	1,948	6.44	+0.14
	Green	Steve Dubois	1,016	3.36	-2.77
	Independent	Hubert Richard	158	0.52	+0.20
Total valid votes			30,270	98.68	–
Total rejected ballots			405	1.32	–
Turnout			30,675	62.61	-11.62
Electors on the lists			48,995	–	–

2007 Quebec general election:Sherbrooke
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Jean Charest	13,136	36.56	-10.39
	Parti Québécois	Claude Forgues	11,804	32.85	-6.67
	Action démocratique	Michel Dumont	6,409	17.84	+5.91
	Québec solidaire	Christian Bibeau	2,263	6.30	+4.88*
	Green	Steve Dubois	2,203	6.13	–
	Independent	Hubert Richard	115	0.32	–
Total valid votes			35,930	99.13	–
Total rejected ballots			316	8.87	–
Turnout			36,246	74.23	+0.74
Electors on the lists			48,831	–	–

2003 Quebec general election:Sherbrooke
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Jean Charest	16,403	46.95	-0.46
	Parti Québécois	Marie Malavoy	13,806	39.52	-5.04
	Action démocratique	Peter Downey	4,169	11.93	+5.11
	UFP	Normand Gilbert	496	1.42	+0.89
	People's Front	Serge Lachapelle	64	0.18	–

1998 Quebec general election:Sherbrooke
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Jean Charest	15,093	47.41	+4.56
	Parti Québécois	Marie Malavoy	14,186	44.56	-2.75
	Action démocratique	Patrick C. Rouillard	2,171	6.82	-1.41
	Independent	Normand Gilbert	169	0.53	–
	Bloc Pot	Christian Meunier	166	0.52	–
	Natural Law	Christian Simard	53	0.17	-0.88
	LiberalgainfromParti Québécois		Swing		+3.66

Federal

1997 Canadian federal election:Sherbrooke
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	Jean Charest	32,228	59.5%	+7.2%
	Bloc Québécois	Jacques Blanchette	16,086	29.7%	-8.2%
	Liberal	Martin Bureau	4,720	8.7%	+0.9%
	New Democratic	Tom Vouloumanos	628	1.2%	+0.4%
	Natural Law	Christian Simard	477	0.9%	0.0%
Total valid votes			54,139	100.0%

1993 Canadian federal election:Sherbrooke
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	Jean Charest	29,740	52.3%	−11.0%
	Bloc Québécois	Guy Boutin	21,559	37.9%
	Liberal	Jean Paul Pelletier	4,462	7.9%	-14.7%
	Natural Law	Serge Trépanier	516	0.9%
	New Democratic	Martine Caouette	445	0.8%	−10.9%
	Abolitionist	Jean-Guy Trépanier	91	0.2%
Total valid votes			56,813	100.0%

1988 Canadian federal election:Sherbrooke
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	Jean Charest	34,538	63.3%	+11.8%
	Liberal	Dennis Wood	12,314	22.6%	-11.3%
	New Democratic	Alain Poirier	6,373	11.7%	+1.9%
	Rhinoceros	Bébé Sept Heures Pierre Granger	1,040	1.9%	-0.5%
	Independent	Normand Guy	148	0.3%
	Communist	Yves Lawler	143	0.3%	0.0%
Total valid votes			54,556	100.0%

1984 Canadian federal election:Sherbrooke
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive Conservative	Jean Charest	22,232	51.5%	+42.2%
	Liberal	Irénée Pelletier	14,607	33.8%	-38.0%
	New Democratic	Daniel Berthold	4,230	9.8%	-0.2%
	Rhinoceros	Gilbert Peupa Ash	1,054	2.4%	-1.3%
	Parti nationaliste	Lorraine Déry	687	1.6%
	Social Credit	Fernand Bourret	197	0.5%	-3.7%
	Communist	Yves Lawler	92	0.2%	–
	Commonwealth of Canada	Françoise Chanteau	72	0.2%
Total valid votes			43,171	100.0%

Honours

• 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal(1992)
• Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal(2002)
• Bavarian Order of Merit(2007)
• Commander ofFrance'sLegion of Honour(February 2, 2009)

Ribbon bars of The Honourable Jean Charest

See also

• List of premiers of Quebec
• Politics of Canada
• Politics of Quebec

External links

• "Biography".Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours.National Assembly of Quebec.
• Jean Charest – Parliament of Canada biography