Education
Université de Montréal.
Université de Montréal.
He led the Union Nationale party. He served as Minister of Lands and Forestry from 1958 to 1960 and briefly as Minister of Youth and Social Welfare until his party, the Union Nationale lost the provincial election in 1960. In 1966, the Union Nationale was put back in office and Premier Daniel Johnson, Senior appointed Bertrand to his Cabinet.
Bertrand served both as Education Minister until 1967 and Minister of Justice until Johnson"s sudden death from a heart attack in 1968.
In addition to those assignments, Bertrand was also Johnson"s Deputy Premier. Bertrand was chosen Acting Party Leader until a leadership convention could be held and therefore became While Johnson had been more accommodating towards the more nationalist elements of the party, Bertrand clearly positioned himself as a federalist.
Cardinal was considered the nationalist candidate in the race. His defeat prompted a number of supporters to leave the Union Nationale and join the Parti Québécois.
The Union Nationale was also weakened by the passage of a controversial language legislation in 1969, known as Bill 63.
Meant to resolve a conflict that plagued the public school board of Saint-Léonard, the bill confirmed the status quo on the language of instruction in the public schools (parents can choose English or French) and angered Quebec nationalists. Two Union Nationale MLAs, Jérôme Proulx and Antonio Flamand crossed the floor and sat as Independents, along with Parti Québécois Leader René Lévesque and Liberal dissident Yves Michaud to protest against the new law. The Bill 63 would be superseded by Robert Bourassa"s Bill 22 in 1974 and René Lévesque"s Bill 101 in 1977.
Since then, the Legislative Assembly of Quebec is known as the National Assembly of Quebec.
The Union Nationale lost the 1970 election to Robert Bourassa"s Liberals. While the party managed to obtain the status of Official Opposition, it finished third in the popular vote behind the Province of Quebec. A year later, Bertrand resigned as Leader of the Union Nationale.
He died a few months before the 1973 election. He lost the 1970 election.
The United Nations never significantly recovered from that defeat and no longer exists as a political party.
Bertrand served as Member of the Legislative Assembly for the District of Missisquoi from 1948 until his death in 1973. Bertrand"s widow Gabrielle served as Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament for the district of Brome—Missisquoi from 1984 to 1993.