Claude Pinard

Claude Pinard is a politician in Quebec, Canada. He serves as Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Saint-Maurice in the Mauricie region from 1994 to 2007 and since the 2008 provincial elections.

Background

He was born on June 15, 1949, in Shawinigan-Sud. Pinard graduated from the Séminaire Sainte-Marie of Shawinigan in 1968, studied law at Université Laval and became a notary in 1974. He served as president of the local branch of Optimist International and president of the Shawinigan Cataractes in the 1980s.

He was elected Mayor of Shawinigan-Sud in 1985 and served of four-year term in that office. He did not run for re-election in 1989.

Pinard ran as the Parti Québécois candidate in the district of Saint-Maurice in the 1994 [Quebec general election|1994], 1998 and 2003 elections. He was elected each time.
Pinard was Deputy Speaker of the House from 1996 to 2002.
In 2005 [Parti Québécois leadership election|2005] he supported leadership candidate Richard Legendre over André Boisclair.
In 2007, the Action démocratique [du Québec] made an important breakthrough in the Mauricie area sweeping most provincial seats in that area. ADQ candidate Robert "Bob" Deschamps won the election, keeping Pinard from winning a fourth straight term.
Nonetheless, Pinard won his seat back in the 2008 election.