Robert de Cotret

Robert de Cotret, born on February twentieth, nineteen forty-four, is a notable Canadian economist and politician whose career has spanned several decades. He served as the President and CEO of the Conference Board of Canada from nineteen seventy-six to nineteen seventy-eight, a role that set the stage for his subsequent political career.

In nineteen seventy-eight, de Cotret was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in a by-election, representing Ottawa Centre as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. He was one of the few francophone MPs within the Tory caucus, highlighting his unique position in a predominantly English-speaking party.

Despite the Progressive Conservative victory in the nineteen seventy-nine general election, de Cotret lost his seat. However, recognizing the need for French-Canadian representation, Prime Minister Joe Clark appointed him to the Senate of Canada and made him Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce in his minority government.

After the government faced a non-confidence motion, a new election was called for February eighteenth, nineteen eighty. De Cotret resigned from the Senate to contest a seat in the House of Commons for Berthier—Maskinongé but was defeated alongside the Clark government. He returned to the political arena in the nineteen eighty-four election, winning a seat as part of a Progressive Conservative majority government led by Brian Mulroney.

Throughout his political career, de Cotret held several key cabinet positions, including President of the Treasury Board, Minister of Regional Industrial Expansion, Minister of the Environment, and Secretary of State for Canada. He retired from cabinet in January nineteen ninety-three and chose not to run in the subsequent election, leaving behind a legacy of public service and economic leadership.