# François Bonnardel

François Bonnardel MNA (born November 8, 1967) is a Canadian politician. He is a member of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada, for the riding of Granby. He previously represented the now-defunct Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ) party, but now represents the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), following the merger of the ADQ with the CAQ. On October 18, 2018, he was appointed as Minister of Transport in Quebec Premier Francois Legault's cabinet. Following the CAQ re-election in 2022 election, he was appointed as Minister of Public Security.

## Political career

Bonnardel was first elected in the riding of Shefford in the 2007 election with 42% of the vote after a late surge vaulted the ADQ to Official Opposition status. Liberal incumbent Bernard Brodeur finished second with 28% of the vote.
On March 29, 2007, Bonnardel was appointed Opposition House Whip.
Bonnardel was considered a potential candidate in the 2009 ADQ leadership race, but ultimately endorsed, and became a campaign chair for, Gilles Taillon. Taillon won the leadership, but as he was not a sitting MNA, Bonnardel served as the party's leader in the National Assembly.
On January 23, 2012, he was named a member of the Coalition Avenir Québec party executive.
Due to riding redistribution, the riding of Shefford was split, and Bonnardel was elected in the new riding of Granby in the 2012 election. In the 2014 election, Bonnardel won his riding with a larger majority than any other CAQ candidate (10,881 votes over the second-place candidate, Joanne Lalumière of the Parti québécois). In April 2014, he was appointed CAQ House Leader.

## Personal life

Bonnardel was born in Verdun, Quebec. Bonnardel's father was born in Marseille, France. His mother is from Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec.
After studies at the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean and the Cégep du Vieux Montréal in sciences, Bonnardel was a clerk for personal and business finances and was also a manager and owner of local auto part companies in Granby. He was also a member of the Brome-Missisquoi and Haute-Yamaska Chamber of Commerces in the Eastern Townships region and an organization committee member for the Canadian Red Cross (Quebec Division).
On April 23, 2009, Bonnardel and Nathalie Normandeau, the Deputy Premier of Quebec and a member of the Liberal government, announced that they were dating. The unusual relationship, between a government minister and one of the government's opposition critics, ended in 2010.

## Electoral record

vte2022 Quebec general election: Granby :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Coalition Avenir Québec | François Bonnardel | 21,515 | 58.19 | -4.19 |
| | Québec solidaire | Anne-Sophie Legault | 5,282 | 14.29 | +0.26 |
| | Parti Québécois | Guy Bouthillier | 4,378 | 11.84 | +2.19 |
| | Conservative | Stéphane Bernier | 3,737 | 10.11 | +9.12 |
| | Liberal | Penny Lamarre | 1,758 | 4.76 | -9.27 |
| | Green | Andrzej Wisniowski | 263 | 0.71 | -0.76 |
| | Équipe Autonomiste | Jimmy Paquin | 38 | 0.10 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 36,971 | 98.78 | – |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 458 | 1.22 | – |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,429 | 68.14 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 54,933 |
vte2018 Quebec general election: Granby :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Coalition Avenir Québec | François Bonnardel | 22,570 | 62.38 | +9.34 |
| | Québec solidaire | Anne-Sophie Legault | 5,075 | 14.03 | +9.53 |
| | Liberal | Lyne Laverdure | 3,881 | 10.73 | -8.45 |
| | Parti Québécois | Chantal Beauchemin | 3,491 | 9.65 | -12.3 |
| | Green | Daphné Poulin | 531 | 1.47 | – |
| | Conservative | Pierre Bélanger | 358 | 0.99 | – |
| | Parti nul | Stéphane Deschamps | 158 | 0.44 | -0.37 |
| | Bloc Pot | Kevin Robidas | 119 | 0.33 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 36,183 | 98.78 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 448 | 1.22 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,631 | 69.82 | +0.31 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 52,468 |
| | Coalition Avenir Québec hold | Coalition Avenir Québec hold | Swing | Swing | -0.095 |
| Source(s) "Rapport des résultats officiels du scrutin". Élections Québec. |||||||
2014 Quebec general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Coalition Avenir Québec | François Bonnardel | 18,441 | 53.04 |
| | Parti Québécois | Joanne Lalumière | 7,630 | 21.95 |
| | Liberal | Pascal Proulx | 6,669 | 19.18 |
| | Québec solidaire | André Beauregard | 1,565 | 4.50 |
| | Parti nul | Stéphane Deschamps | 281 | 0.81 |
| | Option nationale | Jocelyn Beaudoin | 179 | 0.51 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 34,765 | 98.75 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 440 | 1.25 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,205 | 69.51 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 50,650 | – |
2012 Quebec general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Coalition Avenir Québec | François Bonnardel | 19,517 | 52.14 |
| | Parti Québécois | Luc Perron | 8,502 | 22.71 |
| | Liberal | Guy Gaudord | 6,051 | 16.17 |
| | Québec solidaire | Éric Bédard | 2,121 | 5.67 |
| | Option nationale | Jocelyn Beaudoin | 477 | 1.27 |
| | Conservative | Stéphane Gagné | 368 | 0.98 |
| | Parti nul | Stéphane Deschamps | 261 | 0.70 |
| | Coalition pour la constituante | Francine St-Onge | 135 | 0.36 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 37,432 | 98.76 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 471 | 1.24 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,903 | 76.13 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 49,786 | – |
2008 Quebec general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Action démocratique | François Bonnardel | 11,271 | 34.63 | |
| Liberal | Jean-Claude Tremblay | 11,201 | 34.42 | |
| Parti Québécois | Jean-François Arseneault | 8,019 | 24.64 | |
| Québec solidaire | Ginette Moreau | 1,085 | 3.33 | |
| Green | Martin Giard | 789 | 2.42 | – |
| Independent | Lucie Piédalue | 181 | 0.56 | |

## Footnotes

* 1 2 3 "François Bonnardel - National Assembly of Québec". www.assnat.qc.ca. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
* ↑ Inside the CAQ cabinet: François Legault names 13 women, 13 men. Montreal Gazette, October 18, 2018.
* ↑ Dumont désigne ses lieutenants. Radio-Canada, March 29, 2007.
* ↑ Dumont présente les membres de son équipe. Cyberpresse, March 29, 2007.
* ↑ Dougherty, Kevin (April 21, 2009). "Support builds for ADQ's Taillon". The Gazette. Montreal, Quebec. p. A8. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
* ↑ Kevin Dougherty (January 23, 2012). "CAQ leader François Legault shows off party executive, 'ideal candidate'". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on January 28, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
* ↑ Lessard, Denis (April 18, 2014). "Les "officiers" de l'opposition: entre continuité et changement". La Presse. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
* ↑ "Granby". Directeur général des élections du Québec. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
* ↑ Ouvert le Samedi. Radio-Canada, March 31, 2007.
* ↑ "Quebec deputy premier admits relationship with opposition member". cbc.ca, April 23, 2009.
* ↑ Doucet, Dany (August 1, 2010). "Fin d'un amour périlleux". Le Journal de Montréal. Archived from the original on April 22, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2014.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)