Jean-Robert Gauthier

Jean-Robert Gauthier, CM OOnt (October 22, 1929 – December 10, 2009) was a Canadian politician.

The Honourable

Jean-Robert Gauthier

CM OOnt
Member of Parliament
for Ottawa East
In office
1972–1974
Preceded byJean-Thomas Richard
Member of Parliament
for Ottawa—Vanier
In office
1974–1994
Preceded byFirst member
Succeeded byMauril Bélanger
Personal details
Born(1929-10-22)October 22, 1929
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
DiedDecember 10, 2009(2009-12-10) (aged 80)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Political partyLiberal
Spouse(s)Monique Gauthier
ResidenceOttawa
ProfessionChiropractor

A chiropractor by training, he entered politics as trustee on a local school board. He was elected to the House of Commons of Canada to represent the riding of Ottawa East in the 1972 election as a Liberal Party Member of Parliament. He remained its representative for several decades winning by large majorities each time in the safe Liberal seat.

In 1984, he was appointed opposition whip and became a member of the party's shadow cabinet. His highest profile came during his time as official languages critic for the Liberal caucus, in which Gauthier was a strident defender of official bilingualism. Locally, he was known for campaigning to have an aquarium built in Ottawa. With the Liberal victory in the 1993 election, he ran for Speaker of the House, but lost by one vote to Gilbert Parent.

In 1994, he was appointed to the Senate, where he fought for the rights of French-speaking Canadians. He retired on his 75th birthday in 2004. In the Senate, he listed his Senate division as "Ontario" from November 23, 1994 to December 3, 2001, and as "Ottawa – Vanier" from December 4, 2001 until his retirement.

He was made an Officer of the Legion of Honour by the French Government in 2002.[1] In September 2006, the Jean-Robert Gauthier Catholic Elementary School opened in the Barrhaven district of Ottawa.He was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2007.[2] In 2009, he was made a member of the Order of Ontario.[3]

References
  1. "Government House - Awards to Canadians". Archived from the original on April 30, 2003. Retrieved April 4, 2007.
  2. GG awards Order of Canada to 37 people
  3. "Order of Ontario Appointments Announced". Archived from the original on March 4, 2009.
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