- Jean-Jacques Blais
Jean-Jacques Blais, P.C. (born
June 27 ,1940 ) is a former Canadian politician, who represented the riding of Nipissing in theCanadian House of Commons from 1972 to 1984. He was a member of theLiberal Party of Canada .Born in
Sturgeon Falls, Ontario , Blais attended Ecole Sacré-Coeur and Sturgeon Falls High School before receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1961 and a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1964 from theUniversity of Ottawa . He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1966 and created aQueen's Counsel in 1979. In 2001, he obtained a Masters degree in International Law from the University of Ottawa.First elected to the
Canadian House of Commons for Nipissing in the 1972 federal election, Blais served in several cabinet posts in the government ofPierre Trudeau . He wasparliamentary secretary to the President of the Privy Council from 1975 to 1976, Postmaster General from 1976 to 1978, and Solicitor General from 1978 to 1979.Blais retained his seat when the Liberal Party was defeated by the Progressive Conservative government of
Joe Clark , and returned to cabinet when the Liberals regained power in 1980. He served as Minister of Supply and Services from 1980 to 1983, and Minister of National Defense from 1983 until the 1984 election, when he lost his seat to Moe Mantha in the Progressive Conservative sweep ofBrian Mulroney .Blais subsequently returned to practicing law. In 1994, he was appointed chair of the
Pearson Peacekeeping Centre , holding that position until he retired in 2002. He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.References
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