Education

• St. Joseph Seminary, Trois-Rivieres, B.A 1955
• Laval University, LL.L 1958

Personal Status

• Married 1957, Aline Chaine (b. 1936)
• One daughter, two sons

Professional Life

• Lawyer (called to the Quebec Bar in 1958)
• 1962-1963 Director, Bar of Trois-Rivieres
• 1986-1990 Lawyer
• Author

Party

• Liberal
• 1990 - present Party Leader

Constituencies

• 1963-1968 St-Maurice-Lafleche, Quebec
• 1968-1986 St-Maurice, Quebec
• 1990-1993 Beausejour, New Brunswick
• 1993- present, St-Maurice, Quebec

Other Ministries

• 1967-1968 Minister Without Portfolio
• 1968 National Revenue
• 1968-1974 Indian Affairs and Northern Development
• 1974-1976 President of the Treasury Board
• 1976-1977 Industry, Trade and Commerce
• 1977-1979 Finance
• 1980-1982 Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Minister of State (Social Development) and Minister responsible for constitutional negotiations
• 1982-1984 Energy, Mines and Resources
• 1984 Deputy Prime Minister, and Secretary of State for External Affairs

Political Record

• Creation of ten national parks 1968-1972
• White Paper on Indian policy 1969
• Berger Commission 1972
• Entrenched the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms into the Constitution Act 1982
• Appointed Bertha Wilson first woman justice of the Supreme Court of Canada 1982
• Leader of Opposition 1990-1993