Gerry St. Germain facts for kids

Gerry St. Germain (born November 6, 1937) is a former Canadian politician. He served as a Conservative Senator for British Columbia. Before that, he was a Member of Parliament.

Early Life and Diverse Career

Gerry St. Germain was born in Manitoba. He is of Métis background. Later, he moved to British Columbia. Before he became a politician, St. Germain had many different jobs. He was a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He also worked as a police officer in Winnipeg and Vancouver. He was a building contractor, a businessman, and even a poultry farmer.

Serving as a Member of Parliament

Gerry St. Germain was a strong supporter of the Progressive Conservative Party. In 1983, he was chosen to run in a special election called a "by-election." This election was for the area known as Mission—Port Moody. He was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for this area. An MP is someone who represents a specific part of the country in the House of Commons of Canada.

He served as an MP for Mission—Port Moody until 1988. In 1988, he joined the Canadian Cabinet. The Cabinet is a group of important government ministers who advise the Prime Minister. St. Germain became the Minister of Transport (Canada). Later, he was also named the Minister of Forestry. He was also the main political representative for British Columbia at that time.

After his area's boundaries changed, St. Germain lost his seat in the 1988 general election. From 1989 to 1995, he was the President of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

Becoming a Senator

In June 1993, Gerry St. Germain was appointed to the Senate of Canada. This happened just before Brian Mulroney retired as Prime Minister of Canada. A Senator is someone appointed to the Senate, which is another part of Canada's Parliament. Senators review laws and represent regions.

St. Germain chose to represent the area of Langley-Pemberton-Whistler. These Senate divisions are mostly symbolic outside of Quebec. In 1998, he explored the idea of uniting different conservative political groups in Canada.

In 2000, he became an Independent Conservative Senator. Later that year, he became the only Senator for the Canadian Alliance party. When the Canadian Alliance became the Official Opposition in the House of Commons, St. Germain argued he should lead the Official Opposition in the Senate. However, this idea was not accepted.

At the request of Stephen Harper, who led the Canadian Alliance, St. Germain helped with talks to merge the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party. When these two parties joined together in December 2003, St. Germain became a member of the new Conservative Party of Canada. He retired from the Senate on November 6, 2012, when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75.