Xavier Bertrand facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Xavier Bertrand
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Bertrand in 2023
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| President of the Regional Council of Hauts-de-France |
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| Assumed office 4 January 2016 |
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| Preceded by |
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| Mayor of Saint-Quentin | |
| In office 4 October 2010 – 14 January 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Pierre André |
| Succeeded by | Frédérique Macarez |
| Minister of Labour, Employment and Health | |
| In office 14 November 2010 – 10 May 2012 |
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| President | Nicolas Sarkozy |
| Prime Minister | François Fillon |
| Preceded by |
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| Succeeded by |
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| Secretary-General of the Union for a Popular Movement | |
| In office 5 December 2008 – 17 November 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Patrick Devedjian |
| Succeeded by | Jean-François Copé |
| Minister of Labour, Social Relations and Solidarity | |
| In office 18 May 2007 – 15 January 2009 |
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| President | Nicolas Sarkozy |
| Prime Minister | François Fillon |
| Preceded by | Jean-Louis Borloo (Labour, Social Cohesion and Housing) |
| Succeeded by | Brice Hortefeux (Labor, Social Relations, Family, Solidarity and the City) |
| Minister of Health and Solidarity | |
| In office 2 June 2005 – 26 March 2007 |
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| President | Jacques Chirac |
| Prime Minister | Dominique de Villepin |
| Preceded by | Philippe Douste-Blazy (Health and Sports) |
| Succeeded by |
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| Member of the National Assembly for the Aisne's 2nd constituency |
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| In office 19 June 2002 – 12 January 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Odette Grzegrzulka |
| Succeeded by | Julien Dive |
| Departmental Councillor of Aisne | |
| In office 27 March 1998 – 19 June 2002 |
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| President | Jean-Pierre Balligand Yves Daudigny |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Xavier René Louis Bertrand
21 March 1965 Châlons-sur-Marne, France |
| Political party | LR (2015–2017; 2021–2024) |
| Other political affiliations |
RPR (1981–2002) UMP (2002–2015) |
| Spouses | Isabelle Dubois (divorced) Emmanuelle Gontier
(m. 1998; div. 2014)Vanessa Williot
(m. 2018) |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater | University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne |
Xavier René Louis Bertrand (born 21 March 1965) is a French politician. He has been the president of the regional council of Hauts-de-France since 2015.
Before this, Bertrand served as a government minister in France. He was the Minister of Health from 2005 to 2007. Later, he became the Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Solidarity from 2007 to 2009. He also served as Minister of Labour, Employment, and Health from 2010 to 2012. He was an important part of Nicolas Sarkozy's presidential campaign in 2007.
Bertrand was a member of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) and later The Republicans political parties. He left The Republicans party in December 2017.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Xavier Bertrand was born on 21 March 1965 in Châlons-sur-Marne, France. This city is in the Marne département (a French administrative area) and the Champagne-Ardenne région (a larger region).
He went to the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne. There, he earned a master's degree in public law. This means he studied the laws that govern how the government works. He also got a special diploma in local administration, which is about managing local government.
Before starting his political career, Bertrand worked as an insurance agent.
Political Career
How Did Xavier Bertrand Start in Politics?
Xavier Bertrand began his journey in politics at a young age. When he was sixteen, he volunteered for the Rally for the Republic (RPR) party. This helped him get involved in political activities quickly.
In 1992, Bertrand helped lead a campaign in his area, the Aisne department. This campaign was about voting "no" to the Maastricht Treaty. This treaty was an important agreement that helped create the European Union. At that time, he was also an assistant to the mayor of Saint-Quentin, Aisne.
From 1997 to 2002, he worked as a parliamentary assistant for Jacques Braconnier, a Senator for Aisne. In 2002, Bertrand was elected to the National Assembly. This is one of the main parts of the French Parliament. He represented the second area of the Aisne Department.
In 2003, Alain Juppé, who was the leader of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party, asked Bertrand to explain a new plan for pensions. Bertrand traveled around France to discuss this plan and later helped defend it in the National Assembly. He was also part of a group of politicians who supported then-President Jacques Chirac.
Xavier Bertrand's Time in Government
Xavier Bertrand gained a good reputation in politics. On 31 March 2004, he was named the Junior Health Minister for Health Insurance. He worked on reforms for health insurance under his senior minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy. He also strongly supported a European Constitution in a vote held in 2005.
After the French people voted "no" to the European Constitution, the Prime Minister resigned. Under the new Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin, Bertrand became the Senior Minister for Health. During his time as Health Minister, he dealt with the chikungunya epidemic and helped pass a law against smoking in public places.
On 29 September 2006, Bertrand announced his support for Nicolas Sarkozy to become president. He became Sarkozy's official spokesperson in January 2007. He left his government role in March to focus fully on the presidential campaign. After Sarkozy won, Bertrand was named Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, and Solidarity on 18 May 2007, in Prime Minister François Fillon's government.
He continued in this role in Fillon's second government. Later, from 2010 to 2012, he served as Minister of Labour, Employment, and Health.
Later Political Career
After the 2012 French elections, Bertrand wanted to become the leader of his party's group in Parliament. However, he lost the internal vote to Christian Jacob.
In the 2015 regional elections, Xavier Bertrand won against Marine Le Pen. He became the president of the Regional Council of Hauts-de-France.
In 2017, during a political issue involving François Fillon, Bertrand joined other politicians in suggesting that Alain Juppé should replace Fillon as the party's candidate for president.
In 2020, Bertrand showed interest in running for President against Emmanuel Macron in the 2022 election. Many believed he would be the main candidate for the center-right. However, in his party's 2021 meeting, he came in fourth place. He then supported Valérie Pécresse for president.
In the 2021 regional elections, Bertrand was re-elected as president of the Hauts-de-France region. He won with 52.37 percent of the votes.
In late 2021, Bertrand started a new conservative movement called Nous France.
Political Views
What Are Xavier Bertrand's Views on French Issues?
Xavier Bertrand is seen as a politician who represents the moderate right in France. He often takes positions that are considered more traditional for conservatives.
In 2013, Bertrand worked with other politicians to try and review a new law. This law would have given the government more power to look at phone and internet data. However, his party later decided not to pursue a legal review of the law.
In 2014, Bertrand said he wanted to change or remove the law that allowed same-sex couples to marry. He also stated that he was against adoption by same-sex couples, assisted reproductive technology (PMA), and surrogacy (GPA). He repeated his opposition to same-sex marriage in 2017.
For the 2022 elections, Bertrand supported liberal economic ideas. He wanted to cut production taxes in half to help businesses. He also suggested delaying the retirement age by two years and changing unemployment benefits to make them stricter. He promised to bring back industries to France and set limits on immigration. He also spoke out against technocrats, which are experts who have a lot of power in government.
Xavier Bertrand's Views on International Relations
In July 2014, Bertrand supported President François Hollande's decision to deliver a warship to Russia. This was despite other countries asking France not to, because of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The deal was later canceled.
During his presidential campaign in 2021, Bertrand said that France should become more independent by leaving NATO’s integrated command. This means France would still be part of NATO but would not be as closely involved in its military structure.
Personal Life
Xavier Bertrand married Emmanuelle Gontier on 11 July 1998. She works as an advisor on human resources. They have three children, including a set of twins. Bertrand has been a member of the Grand Orient of France, a Masonic lodge, since 1995.
Images for kids
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Xavier Bertrand in 2023
See also
In Spanish: Xavier Bertrand para niños
