Jean Charest
John James Charest, PC ( better known as Jean Charest ( ʒɑ ʃɑʀe ) * June 24, 1958 in Sherbrooke ) is a Canadian politician and lawyer. He was 1998-2012 President of the Parti libéral du Québec and from 29 April 2003 to September 19, 2012 Prime Minister of the Province of Quebec. His political career began in 1984 as a member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was a member from 1986 to 1990 and from 1991 to 1993 as the youngest minister in Canadian history cabinets of Brian Mulroney and Kim Campbell and stood various ministries at the federal level before. From 1993 to 1998 Charest was chairman of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, he then decided to switch to the provincial politics and to the Liberals.
Federal Minister
His maternal ancestors come from Ireland, which is why he has an English Christian ( John ). However, Charest called the public has always been Jean to come to better advantage in the French-speaking majority of Quebec. He grew up in the town of Sherbrooke in the southeast of the province, where he received his education. He then studied law at the Université de Sherbrooke, made in 1980 the Bachelor of Laws ( LL.B. ) in 1981 and was admitted as a lawyer.
As a member of the Progressive Conservative Party Charest was a candidate for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons and was MP for the constituency Sherbrooke elected in the elections in September 1984. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney appointed him in June 1986 to the Minister for Youth. Thus, the 28 -year-old Charest was the youngest member of the government in Canadian history.
In March 1988 he received the additional task fields of fitness and amateur sport assigned, but was forced to resign in January 1990 because he had insulted a referee at the Commonwealth Games in Auckland. Despite this misconduct Mulroney appointed him chairman of a special committee, which was an accompanying resolution to the Meech Lake Accord, a constitutional amendment proposed extensive work out. In April 1991, Charest returned to the Cabinet and was Environment Minister.
Chairman of the Progressive Conservative
After Mulroney announced his retirement at the end of June 1993, Charest was a candidate for the party presidency and was beaten narrowly by Kim Campbell. During her short tenure, he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Science and Technology. At the general election in October 1993, the Progressive Conservatives suffered a devastating defeat. Charest was one of only two candidates who were elected.
The only re- elected member of the previous Cabinet, he was elected an interim basis in December 1993, the party's leadership, and finally confirmed in April 1995. He was the first French-speaking chairman of the Progressive Conservative Party ( and also the last, as the party broke up in 2003 ). In the 1997 election, the Progressive Conservatives were indeed re- set, but because of the increase in votes was evenly distributed over the whole country, suggested that - in contrast to the Reform Party - only a few seats down profits.
During the referendum campaign before the Quebec referendum in 1995 Charest stepped on the independence of the province as one of the most active opponents. Independence was finally very narrowly rejected with 49.4 % of the votes. Charests popularity among the population of the Province then took significantly and in 1997 he was in opinion polls even before provincial Prime Minister Lucien Bouchard.
Chairman of the Liberal Québec
At the beginning of 1998, Daniel Johnson announced his imminent resignation as chairman of the Parti libéral du Québec ( PLQ). In particular, the business community tried to move Charest at a crossing in the province of politics, as it seemed best suited to replace the separatist Parti Québécois (PQ ) in power ( the PLQ is completely independent of the Liberal Party of Canada since 1955, which is why such a step was not a problem ). On 3 April 1998 Charest finally gave the considerable public pressure after, resigned as chairman of the Progressive Conservative Party and was elected Chairman of the PLQ a month later.
In the elections to the National Assembly of Quebec in November 1998, the Liberals achieved though a total of more votes than the PQ, but these were more evenly distributed among the constituencies so that they won fewer seats and the PQ could continue to form the government. Compared to the 1994 elections, there were almost no changes. In the elections on 14 April 2003, the Liberals laid Although little to, but because the PQ lost voters shares in the Action démocratique du Québec ( ADQ ) at the same time, this resulted in a significant seat majority for the Liberals. Deputy Governor Lise Thibault Charest appointed on 29 April 2003 the new Prime Minister of Québec.
Prime Minister of Quebec
The two first years Charests were marked by bitter confrontations with unions, who protested against the reduction of the state administration. He also did not lower as promised in the election campaign, the taxes and blamed the high deficit of the previous government responsible. Other hand, he was praised for the support of the Kyoto Protocol (as opposed to the conservative government of Stephen Harper Quebec ago to meet the requirements ).
According to public opinion polls, the government received constant deep approval ratings. After the election of André Boisclair as the new PQ - Chairman at first it seemed as if the Liberals would have suffered a crushing defeat at the next election. But Boisclair proved to be little effective opposition leader and Charests survey scores improved again. Despite its low popularity among the people his position as chairman of the party, however, was never seriously threatened.
In the elections on 26 March 2007, the PLQ indeed lost almost 13 % of the vote, but still remained the strongest force. However, this resulted in the first minority government in Québec since 1878. Charest defended his own seat in Sherbrooke just barely. Early forecasts predicted a defeat ahead, after the counting of absentee ballots late in the evening of election day was clear his re-election. Three weeks later Charest took a reshuffle before: The number of ministers was reduced from 24 to 18 men and women were now equally represented, which is a novelty in the history of Quebec.
In December 2007, the opposition Charest called on to testify before the ethics committee of the Canadian House of Commons. The German -Canadian arms dealer Karlheinz Schreiber had claimed that he had Charest support before 1993 whose election as Chairman of the Progressive Conservative Party with a campaign contribution of $ 30,000. Charest replied that there were only $ 10,000; also such personal campaign contributions by contemporary law were expressly allowed.
In November 2008, Charest called out early elections, as Quebec in his view, given the global financial crisis need a stable majority government. The Liberals secured in the elections on December 8, 2008, the target and majority were mainly set at the expense of the Conservative Action démocratique du Québec. Charest is so by Maurice Duplessis only the second Prime Minister of Quebec, who won three elections in a row.
As a result Charests values decreased consistently in the polls because he had to take many unpopular measures due to the poor economy. After his government had decided a striking increase in tuition fees in February 2012, there was extensive student protests that lasted for months. In severe criticism came the adoption of the emergency law, which limited the freedom of assembly and provoked new clashes with students. Charest put on hold early elections for the 4th of September 2012. This ended with a victory of the Parti Québécois, which was able to form a minority government. Charest himself was defeated in his constituency Sherbrooke. He took up office on until the 19th of September and then retired from politics.
Awards
On 11 June 2007, Jean Charest, Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber was awarded the Bavarian Order of Merit presented (Quebec is a partner region of Bavaria ). In February 2009, French President Nicolas Sarkozy Charest appointed Commander of the Legion of Honour.