President of the National Assembly of Quebec explained

The president of the National Assembly of Quebec (French; Président de l'Assemblée nationale du Québec) is the presiding officer of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada, which is modeled after the Westminster parliamentary system. In other Anglophone parliaments and legislatures the equivalent position is often called the "Speaker", which is why from 1867 to 1968, the presiding officer of the Assembly was known in French as "orateur," a translation of the English term "speaker".

Description

The President of the National Assembly is fifth in the Quebec order of precedence, after the King of Canada, the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, the Premier, and the Deputy Premier. The National Assembly elects the president at the beginning of a legislature, for the length of the legislature. The president is assisted by the Vice Presidents of the Assembly, who serve in the absence of the president. Parti Québécois Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Louise Harel made history by being appointed as the first female President on March 12, 2002. The current President of the Assembly is the CAQ MNA Nathalie Roy. Roy is the second woman to serve in the role after Harel herself.

Roles

The function of the President holds three major roles.

List of Presidents of the National Assembly of Quebec

No.PortraitName
Electoral district
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePartyLegislature
Term startTerm end
1Joseph-Goderic Blanchet
MLA for Lévis
(1829–1890)
December 27,
1867
June 7,
1875
Conservative1st
2nd
2Pierre-Étienne Fortin
MLA for Gaspé
(1823–1888)
November 4,
1875
November 9,
1876
Conservative3rd
3Louis Beaubien
MLA for Hochelaga
(1837–1915)
November 10,
1876
May 1,
1878
Conservative
4Arthur Turcotte
MLA for Trois-Rivières
(1845–1905)
June 4,
1878
March 8,
1882
Independent Conservative4th
5Louis-Olivier Taillon
MLA for Montréal-Est
(1840–1923)
March 8,
1882
January 23,
1884
Conservative5th
6Jonathan Saxton Campbell Würtele
MLA for Yamaska
(1828–1904)
March 27,
1884
June 28,
1886
Conservative6th
7Félix-Gabriel Marchand
MLA for Saint-Jean
(1832–1900)
January 27,
1887
April 26,
1892
Liberal
7th
8Pierre-Évariste Leblanc
MLA for Laval
(1853–1918)
April 26,
1892
November 23,
1897
Conservative8th
9Jules Tessier
MLA for Portneuf
(1852–1934)
November 23,
1897
February 14,
1901
Liberal9th
10Henri-Benjamin Rainville
MLA for Montréal division no. 3
(1852–1937)
February 14,
1901
March 2,
1905
Liberal10th
11Auguste Tessier
MLA for Rimouski
(1853–1938)
March 2,
1905
March 23,
1905
Liberal11th
12William Alexander Weir
MLA for Argenteuil
(1858–1929)
April 25,
1905
August 31,
1906
Liberal
13Philippe-Honoré Roy
MLA for St. Jean
(1847–1910)
January 15,
1907
June 8,
1908
Liberal
14Jean-Marie-Joseph-Pantaléon Pelletier
MLA for Sherbrooke
(1860–1924)
March 2,
1909
August 7,
1911
Liberal12th
15Cyrille-Fraser Delâge
MLA for Québec-Comté
(1869–1957)
January 9,
1912
November 7,
1916
Liberal
13th
16Antonin Galipeault
MLA for Bellechasse
(1879–1971)
November 7,
1916
August 25,
1919
Liberal14th
17Joseph-Napoléon Francoeur
MLA for Lotbinière
(1880–1965)
December 10,
1919
January 10,
1928
Liberal15th
16th
18Hector Laferté
MLA for Drummond
(1885–1971)
January 10,
1928
April 24,
1929
Liberal17th
19Télesphore-Damien Bouchard
MLA for Saint-Hyacinthe
(1881–1962)
January 7,
1930
June 6,
1935
Liberal
18th
20Lucien Dugas
MLA for Joliette
(1897–1985)
March 24,
1936
October 7,
1936
Liberal19th
21Paul Sauvé
MLA for Deux-Montagnes
(1907–1960)
October 7,
1936
February 19,
1940
Union Nationale20th
22Bernard Bissonnette
MLA for L'Assomption
(1898–1964)
February 20,
1940
May 8,
1942
Liberal21st
23Valmore Bienvenue
MLA for Bellechasse
(1894–1952)
May 12,
1942
November 5,
1942
Liberal
24Cyrille Dumaine
MLA for Bagot
(1897–1946)
February 23,
1943
February 7,
1945
Liberal
25Alexandre Taché
MLA for Hull
(1899–1961)
February 7,
1945
December 15,
1955
Union Nationale22nd
23rd
24th
26Maurice Tellier
MLA for Montcalm
(1896–1966)
December 15,
1955
September 20,
1960
Union Nationale
25th
27Lucien Cliche
MLA for Abitibi-Est
(1916–2005)
September 20,
1960
December 15,
1961
Liberal26th
28John Richard Hyde
MLA for Westmount–Saint-Georges
(1912–2003)
January 9,
1962
October 14,
1965
Liberal
27th
29Guy Lechasseur
MLA for Verchères
(1916–2005)
October 22,
1965
December 1,
1966
Liberal
30Rémi Paul
MLA for Maskinongé
(1921–1982)
December 1,
1966
October 21,
1968
Union Nationale28th
31Gérard Lebel
MNA for Rivière-du-Loup
(1930–2020)
January 1,
1969
December 23,
1969
Union Nationale
32Raynald Fréchette
MNA for Sherbrooke
(1933–2007)
February 24,
1970
June 8,
1970
Union Nationale
33Jean-Noël Lavoie
MNA for Laval
(1927–2013)
June 8,
1970
December 14,
1976
Liberal29th
30th
34Clément Richard
MNA for Montmorency
(1939–2022)
December 14,
1976
November 6,
1980
Parti Québécois31st
35Claude Vaillancourt
MNA for Jonquière
(born 1944)
November 11,
1980
March 23,
1983
Parti Québécois
32nd
36Richard Guay
MNA for Taschereau
(born 1943)
March 23,
1983
December 16,
1985
Parti Québécois
37Pierre Lorrain
MNA for Saint-Jean
(1942–2004)
December 16,
1985
November 28,
1989
Liberal33rd
38Jean-Pierre Saintonge
MNA for La Pinière
(born 1945)
November 28,
1989
November 29,
1994
Liberal34th
39Roger Bertrand
MNA for Portneuf
(born 1947)
November 29,
1994
January 29,
1996
Parti Québécois35th
40Jean-Pierre Charbonneau
MNA for Borduas
(born 1950)
March 12,
1983
March 12,
2002
Parti Québécois
36th
41Louise Harel
MNA for Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
(born 1946)
March 12,
2002
June 4,
2003
Parti Québécois
42Michel Bissonnet
MNA for Jeanne-Mance–Viger
(born 1942)
June 4,
2003
July 14,
2008
Liberal37th
38th
43François Gendron
MNA for Abitibi-Ouest
(born 1944)
October 21,
2008
January 12,
2009
Parti Québécois
44Yvon Vallières
MNA for Abitibi-Ouest
(born 1949)
January 13,
2009
April 5,
2011
Liberal39th
45Jacques Chagnon
MNA for Westmount–Saint-Louis
(born 1952)
April 5,
2011
November 26,
2018
Liberal
40th
41st
46François Paradis
MNA for Lévis
(born 1957)
November 26,
2018
November 28,
2022
Coalition Avenir Québec42nd
47Nathalie Roy
MNA for Montarville
(born 1964)
November 29,
2022
IncumbentCoalition Avenir Québec43rd
All but one speaker was born in the province (Valmore Bienvenue was born in the United States to Québécois parents). Henri-Benjamin Rainville died in the US and Cyrille Dumaine died in Ottawa.

External links