View source for Bernard Drainville

{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Bernard Drainville
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|MNA|size=100%}}
| image = Bernard Drainville Janvier 2024 (1; cropped).jpg
| caption = Drainville in 2024
| birth_date= {{birth date and age|1963|06|06}}
| birth_place= [[La Visitation-de-l'Île-Dupas]], [[Quebec]], Canada
| death_date=
| death_place=
| profession=Journalist, television host
| party = [[Coalition Avenir Québec]]
| otherparty = [[Parti Québécois]] (2007–2022)
| residence=[[Quebec City]]
| office3=[[National Assembly of Quebec|MNA]] for [[Marie-Victorin (electoral district)|Marie-Victorin]]
| term_start3=April 25, 2007
| term_end3=June 13, 2016
| predecessor3= [[Cécile Vermette]] 
| successor3= [[Catherine Fournier (Canadian politician)|Catherine Fournier]]
| office1=[[National Assembly of Quebec|MNA]] for [[Lévis (provincial electoral district)|Lévis]]
| term_start1=October 3, 2022
| term_end1=
| predecessor1= [[François Paradis]]
| successor1=
| office2= Quebec [[Ministry of Education and Higher Education (Quebec)|Minister of Education]]
| term_start2=October 20, 2022
| term_end2=
| predecessor2= [[Jean-François Roberge]]
| successor2=
| portfolio= Health and Castonguay Commission (2008) affairs
| footnotes=
| spouse= 
}}

'''Bernard Drainville''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|MNA}} ({{IPA|fr|bɛʁnaʁ dʁɛ̃vil}}; born June 6, 1963) is a Canadian politician, television host and journalist. He was the Member of [[National Assembly of Quebec]] for the riding of [[Marie-Victorin (electoral district)|Marie-Victorin]] in [[Longueuil]] from 2007 to 2016, representing the [[Parti Québécois]].

Since 2022 He was the Member of [[National Assembly of Quebec]] for the riding of Lévis, representing the [[Coalition Avenir Québec]]. He is currently serving as the Minister of Education.

==Biography==
Drainville was born in [[La Visitation-de-l'Île-Dupas, Quebec|La Visitation-de-l'Île-Dupas]], [[Quebec]].  He attended the [[University of Ottawa]], where he was president of the [[Student Federation of the University of Ottawa]] in 1984–85, and obtained a [[bachelor's degree]] in [[political science]] and a [[master's degree]] in [[international relations]] at the [[London School of Economics]].

In 1989, Drainville joined [[Télévision de Radio-Canada|Radio-Canada]] as a journalist, where he worked at the [[Windsor, Ontario|Windsor]] affiliate. He became a correspondent for [[Latin America]] in 2001, where he was arrested once in [[Mexico]] and detained by the [[Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia]]. Prior to 2007, he was a television host at the network's news channel [[Réseau de l'Information|RDI]] and the correspondent at the National Assembly, and a correspondent for the [[House of Commons of Canada]] from 1998 to 2001. He hosted the [[Montreal|City of Montreal]] mayoral debate between [[Gérald Tremblay]] and [[Pierre Bourque (politician)|Pierre Bourque]] during the [[2005 Quebec municipal elections|2005 municipal]] election campaign.

Drainville jumped into provincial politics and was elected in the [[2007 Quebec general election|2007 elections]] in Marie-Victorin and was named the PQ's critic in [[health]]. He was re-elected in the [[2008 Quebec general election|2008]] and [[2012 Quebec general election|2012 general elections]].

On September 19, 2012, he became Minister responsible for Democratic Institutions and Active Citizenship<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/deputes/drainville-bernard-209/index.html|title=Bernard Drainville - National Assembly of Québec|website=www.assnat.qc.ca}}</ref> under the [[Marois government]]. He was responsible for introducing the controversial [[Quebec Charter of Values]], which would have banned state employees from wearing religious symbols.

He was re-elected in [[2014 Quebec general election|2014]], despite his party's defeat and was appointed the official opposition critic for energy and natural resources.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/deputes/drainville-bernard-209/index.html|title = Bernard Drainville - Assemblée nationale du Québec}}</ref>

On October 20, 2014, he declared his candidacy for the [[2015 Parti Québécois leadership election|Parti Québécois leadership election]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/bernard-drainville-throws-hat-into-ring-to-run-for-parti-quebecois-leadership-1.2063090|title = Bernard Drainville throws hat into ring to run for Parti Quebecois leadership|date = 20 October 2014}}</ref> but dropped out on April 22, 2015, and endorsed [[Pierre-Karl Péladeau]].<ref name=downthedrainville>{{cite news|title=Bernard Drainville drops out of PQ leadership race to support Péladeau|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/04/22/bernard-drainville-drops-out-of-pq-leadership-race-to-support-pladeau.html|accessdate=April 22, 2015|work=Toronto Star|date=April 22, 2015}}</ref>

On September 7, 2015, he was appointed the Opposition House leader by Péladeau.

On June 13, 2016, he announced he was leaving politics, saying that Mr. Péladeau's departure had prompted a reflection on his own career. He is going back to work in the media, co-hosting with [[Éric Duhaime]] a noon hour radio show on [[FM93]] in Quebec City.

On June 7, 2022, it was announced that Drainville was running as a candidate for the [[Coalition Avenir Québec|CAQ]] in [[Lévis (provincial electoral district)|Lévis]] in the upcoming [[2022 Quebec general election]].<ref>{{cite web |first1= |date=7 June 2022 |title=Quebecers not interested in sovereignty, says ex-PQ candidate Drainville, now running for Legault |url=https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/quebecers-not-interested-in-sovereignty-says-ex-pq-candidate-drainville-now-running-for-legault-1.5936384 |access-date=8 June 2022 |website=CTV News Montreal }}</ref> He was re-elected in the riding of Lévis and appointed Minister of education.

In April 2023, he announced plans to ban prayer in all provincial public schools.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9614901/quebec-school-prayer-rooms-muslim-groups/|title=Muslim groups pledge to monitor Quebec ban on school prayer spaces &#124; Globalnews.ca|website=Global News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Quebec Muslim associations denounce government ban on prayer rooms in schools| website=CBC | date=8 April 2023 | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-muslim-association-challenge-prayer-room-ban-1.6805495 | access-date=16 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/quebec/quebec-to-ban-prayer-rooms-in-public-schools-says-only-silent-praying-allowed|title=Quebec to ban prayer rooms in public schools, says only 'silent' praying allowed|website=montrealgazette}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://montreal.citynews.ca/2023/04/05/quebec-ban-prayer-classrooms/|title=CityNews|website=montreal.citynews.ca|date=5 April 2023 }}</ref>

==Electoral record==
{{2022 Quebec general election/Lévis}}

{{Canadian election result/top|QC|2014|percent=yes|change=yes}}
{{CANelec|QC|PQ|Bernard Drainville |11,614|38.17|-8.94 }}
{{CANelec|QC|Liberal |Jean-Guy Tremblay |7,926|26.05|+8.51}}
{{CANelec|QC|CAQ|Guillaume Provencher |6,269|20.60|-1.02}}
{{CANelec|QC|Québec solidaire|Carl Lévesque|3,518|11.56|+3.35}}
{{CANelec|QC|Green|Catherine Lovatt-Smith|707|2.32|+0.35}}
{{CANelec|QC|Option nationale |Fabien Villemaire|244|0.80|-1.73}}
{{CANelec|QC|Marxist-Leninist|Pierre Chénier|107|0.35|&ndash;}}
{{CANelec|QC|EA|Florent Portron|44|0.14|}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes|30,429|98.09}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total rejected ballots|591|1.91|+0.44}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Turnout|31,020|66.32|-5.55}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Electors on the lists|46,770|&ndash;|}}
{{CANelec/hold|QC|PQ|-8.72}}
{{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|QC|2012|percent=yes|change=yes}}
{{CANelec|QC|PQ|Bernard Drainville |15,506|47.10|-4.00 }}
{{CANelec|QC|CAQ|[[Simon Jolin-Barrette]] |7,119|21.63|+10.30}}
{{CANelec|QC|Liberal |Farida Chemmakh |5,773|17.54|-11.77}}
{{CANelec|QC|Québec solidaire|Carl Lévesque|2,702|8.21|+3.83}}
{{CANelec|QC|Option nationale |Olivier Chauvin|832|2.53|}}
{{CANelec|QC|Green|Mathieu Yargeau|648|1.97|-1.09}}
{{CANelec|QC|Coalition pour la constituante|Jean Baillargeon|244|0.74|&ndash;}}
{{CANelec|QC|PI|Yves Ménard|94|0.29|-0.54}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes|32,918|98.54}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total rejected ballots|489|1.46|}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Turnout|33,407|71.88|}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Electors on the lists|46,478|&ndash;|}}
{{CANelec/hold|QC|PQ|-7.15}}
{{end}}

{{2008 Quebec general election/Marie-Victorin}}

{{CANelec/top|QC|2007|Marie-Victorin (electoral district)|Marie-Victorin|percent=yes|change=yes}}
{{CANelec |QC |PQ |Bernard Drainville |11,055 |39.61|-5.78 }}
{{CANelec |QC |ADQ |Roger Dagenais | 7,927 |28.40| +12.81}}
{{CANelec |QC |Liberal |Nic Leblanc |5,974 |21.40| -13.52}}
{{CANelec |QC |QS |Cyr François |1,418 |5.08| +3.47}}
{{CANelec |QC |Green |Réal Langelier |1,327 |4.75| }}
{{CANelec |QC |Bloc Pot |Richard Lemagnifique |211 |0.76|-0.89}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes|27,912|98.74|}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total rejected ballots|357|1.26|-0.43 }}
{{Canadian election result/total|Turnout|28,269|68.54|+1.50}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Electors on the lists|41,242|&ndash;|}}
{{CANelec/hold|QC|PQ| -9.30}}
{{end}}

==Notes and references==
<references />

==External links==
{{commons category|Bernard Drainville}}
* {{Quebec MNA biography|drainville-bernard-209}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070814081140/http://campagne.pq.org/?q=candidats%2F562 PQ webpage] {{in lang|fr}}
* [[Marie-Victorin (electoral district)]]
{{Quebec MNAs}}
{{Marois Ministry}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drainville, Bernard}}
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics]]
[[Category:Canadian television news anchors]]
[[Category:Canadian television reporters and correspondents]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Parti Québécois MNAs]]
[[Category:Coalition Avenir Québec MNAs]]
[[Category:Members of the Executive Council of Quebec]]
[[Category:University of Ottawa alumni]]
[[Category:Politicians from Lanaudière]]
[[Category:Critics of multiculturalism]]
[[Category:21st-century members of the National Assembly of Quebec]]