Martial Asselin

Martial Asselin, PC OC QC (February 3, 1924 – January 25, 2013) was a Canadian politician and the 25th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (1990–1996).

Born in La Malbaie, Quebec, the son of Ferdinand Asselin and Eugénie Tremblay, he was called to the Quebec Bar in 1951. He was created Queen's Counsel in 1967. From 1957 to 1963, he was the Mayor of La Malbaie, Quebec.

Asselin was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1958 election as a Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) in the Diefenbaker sweep. He represented the riding of Charlevoix.

Asselin was defeated in the 1962 election. Despite no longer having a seat, he was appointed to the position of Minister of Forestry in Diefenbaker's pre-1963 election Canadian cabinet in the hope that he and the Tories would both win the upcoming election. He served for only a month until the defeat of the Conservatives and Asselin's failure to regain his seat.

He returned to the House of Commons in the 1965 election, and was re-elected in the 1968 election.

Prior to the 1972 election, he accepted an appointment to the Canadian Senate. He sat in the body until 1990 when he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Quebec by the Governor General on the advice of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. In 1996, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

In 1992, he was given the right to use the title "The Right Honourable" which is granted for life and to very few eminent Canadians.

On January 25, 2013, Asselin died at the Hôpital de l'Enfant-Jésus de Québec in Quebec City. He was 88 years old.^[1]

Arms

Arms of Martial Asselin

Notes The arms of Martial Asselin consist of:[2] Crest Above a helmet mantled Azure doubled Argent on a wreath of these colours an eagle wings addorsed and inverted Azure beaked and membered Or armed and langued Azure wearing a coronet alternately érablé and fleurdelisé Argent holding in its dexter talons scales of justice Argent. Escutcheon Azure a chevron Argent cotised Or between in chief two mullets and in base a fleur-de-lys Or. Supporters Two stallions Argent crined and queued Or langued and unguled Azure gorged with a coronet fleurdelisé Azure charged on its rim with mullets Or. Compartment A grassy mound strewn with daisies proper. Motto Liberté Et Justice

References

1. ↑ "Politicien de carrière – Martial Asselin est décédé". Canoe.ca (in French). January 26, 2013. 
2. ↑ Canadian Heraldic Authority (Volume II), Ottawa, 1992 

• "Table of titles to be used in Canada". Retrieved February 7, 2006. 
• Biography at the official National Assembly of Quebec website (French)
• "Canadian Who's Who 1997 entry". Retrieved February 7, 2006. 

External links

• Martial Asselin – Parliament of Canada biography

Lieutenant-Governors of Quebec
Post-Confederation (1867–present)	Belleau Caron Saint-Just Robitaille Masson Angers Chapleau Jetté Pelletier Langelier Leblanc Fitzpatrick Brodeur Pérodeau Gouin Carroll Patenaude Fiset Fauteux Gagnon Comtois Lapointe Côté Lamontagne Asselin Roux Thibault Duchesne Doyon
Province of Canada (1841–66)*	Clitherow Jackson Bagot Fernhill Cathcart Elgin Head Monck
Lower Canada (1791–1841)	Carleton (con't from 1791) Prescott Milnes Dunn Craig Prévost Drummond Wilson Sherbrooke Richmond Dalhousie Aylmer Gosford Colborne Durham Sydenham
British Province of Quebec (1759–91)*	Amherst Murray Carleton Haldimand Carleton (2nd Time)
The Crown's representative from 1759 to 1791, and from 1841 to 1866 held the office and rank of Governor-General