# Gérard Asselin

Gérard Asselin (born April 19, 1950 in Sainte-Flavie, Quebec - February 9, 2013) 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.

## Electoral record (partial)

vte2006 Canadian federal election: Manicouagan :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Bloc Québécois | Gérard Asselin | 18,601 | 51.10 | −7.41 | $57,481 |
| | Conservative | Pierre Paradis | 6,910 | 18.98 | +14.06 | $10,185 |
| | Liberal | Randy Jones | 5,214 | 14.32 | −10.56 | $21,522 |
| | New Democratic | Pierre Ducasse | 4,657 | 12.79 | +2.46 | $19,632 |
| | Green | Jacques Gélineau | 824 | 2.26 | +0.90 | $373 |
| | Independent | Eric Vivier | 195 | 0.54 | | none listed |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 36,401 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 388 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,789 | 57.00 | +6.14 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 64,537 |
| Sources: Official Results, Elections Canada and Financial Returns, Elections Canada. |||||||
vte2004 Canadian federal election: Manicouagan :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Bloc Québécois | Gérard Asselin | 19,040 | 58.51 | +0.31 | $55,674 |
| | Liberal | Anthony Detroio | 8,097 | 24.88 | −5.00 | $50,362 |
| | New Democratic | Pierre Ducasse | 3,361 | 10.33 | +8.68 | $22,691 |
| | Conservative | Pierre Paradis | 1,601 | 4.92 | −5.35 | $4,449 |
| | Green | Les Parsons | 444 | 1.36 | | $901 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 32,543 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 589 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,132 | 50.86 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 65,142 |
| Percentage change figures are factored for redistribution. Conservative Party percentages are contrasted with the combined Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative percentages from 2000. |||||||
| Sources: Official Results, Elections Canada and Financial Returns, Elections Canada. |||||||
vte2000 Canadian federal election: Charlevoix :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Bloc Québécois | Gérard Asselin | 20,479 | 61.44 | | $74,392 |
| | Liberal | Marjolaine Gagnon | 9,308 | 27.93 | – | $36,028 |
| | Alliance | Pierre Paradis | 1,905 | 5.72 | | $10,782 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Doris Grondin | 1,154 | 3.46 | | $91 |
| | New Democratic | Joss Duhaime | 484 | 1.45 | | $180 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 33,330 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 923 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,253 | 58.32 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 58,737 |
| Sources: Official Results, Elections Canada and Financial Returns, Elections Canada. |||||||