Monique Gagnon-Tremblay

She was a Liberal candidate in Saint-François in 1981 but lost. She ran again in 1985 and won. She was named the Delegate Minister for the Status of Women and later the Minister of Cultural Communities and Immigration. After being re-elected in 1989, she was renamed the Minister of Cultural Communities. At the end of the mandate, when Daniel Johnson, Jr. replaced Robert Bourassa as Quebec Premier in 1993, she was named the Minister of Finances, the Deputy Premier and the President of the Treasury Board until the Liberals lost to the Parti Québécois in the 1994 elections. She was then the Caucus chair for the PLQ from 1994 to 1996

When former Liberal Premier and then leader of the Opposition Daniel Johnson, Jr. decided to quit politics in March 1998, Jean Charest resigned as leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party to replace Johnson as leader of the Quebec Liberal Party. (The Quebec Liberal Party is not affiliated with the federal Liberal Party of Canada). Gagnon-Tremblay became leader of the Opposition, since Charest did not yet have a seat in the National Assembly.

In the 1998 election, Charest won a seat and replaced Gagnon-Tremblay as leader of the Opposition. She was re-elected for fourth term and named the assistant to Charest.

After the Liberals won the 2003 election, Gagnon-Tremblay became deputy premier from May 2003 to February 2005 in the Charest government, and has held various cabinet posts including minister of international relations as well as minister responsible for la francophonie. Re-elected in the 2007 election, she was renamed the Minister of International Relations, La Francophonie and for the Estrie Region as well as the Vice-Chair of the Treasury Board.

Following her 2008 re-election, Gagnon-Tremblay gave up for portfolio of International Relations to Pierre Arcand but was given the position of President of the Treasury Board previously occupied by Monique Jerome-Forget who was also responsible for the portfolio of finances. She was given Jerome-Forget's government administration portfolio duties until 2010. Following Jerome-Forget's retirement, Gagnon-Tremblay was given the portfolio of Infrastructures. After a 2010 Cabinet shuffle, she returned as Minister of International Relations giving the Treasury Board position to former education Minister Michelle Courchesne.