Gérard Asselin

Gérard Asselin was a Canadian politician who was a Bloc Québécois member of the House of Commons of Canada, representing the riding of Manicouagan from 2004 to 2011 and Charlevoix from 1993 to 2004.

Career

Asselin was a foreman, and was previously a city councillor in Baie-Comeau, Quebec from 1979 to 1993.
In his first run for federal office, in 1993, Asselin won the riding of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in a landslide, finishing 16,500 votes ahead of his closest opponent. The Tory candidate finished a distant third, and nearly lost his deposit. Asselin was re-elected almost as easily in every election until losing to NDP challenger Jonathan Genest-Jourdain in 2011.
Asselin was one of the party's few more socially conservative members. In 2005, Asselin joined six other Bloc Québécois members opposing Bill C-38, which extended marriage rights to same-sex couples in Canada. At the end of the 37th Canadian Parliament, Asselin was the Bloc's Forestry critic. He also served as Natural Resources Critic.