Jean Charest

The Honourable Jean Charest is the former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and the former Premier of the Province of Quebec. With a public service career spanning almost 30 years, Mr. Charest is one of Canada’s best-known political figures; he was first elected to the House of Commons in 1984 and, at age 28, became Canada’s youngest cabinet minister as Minister of State for Youth. As a leader, Mr. Charest has been a strong supporter and promoter of women in politics. In 2006 his government voted legislation that requires gender parity on the boards of the 22 most important state-owned corporations, and in 2007, his 18-member cabinet had an equal number of men and women.

Mr. Charest is a Partner with McCarthy Thetrault in Montréal. Mr. Charest has been a lecturer on political science at Concordia University, and he remains active in public policy and community activities. He obtained his law degree from the University of Sherbrooke in 1980 and was admitted to the Québec bar in 1981.