Paul Bégin (born May 15, 1943, in

Dolbeau-Mistassini Dolbeau-Mistassini is a town in northern Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Mistassibi River, Riviere aux Rats and the Mistassini River, on Lac Saint-Jean. Dolbeau-Mistassini is in the Maria-Chapdelaine Regional County Municipality and i ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

) is a former

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and Cabinet Minister. Member of the

Parti Québecois Parti may refer to: *Parti (surname), a Hungarian surname, and a list of people with the name * ''Parti'' (architecture), the organizing concepts behind an architect's design * *, a lake in Russia See also *Partie (disambiguation) *Party (disambi ...

, he served as the province's Justice Minister from 1994 to 1997 and from 2001 to 2002. Begin is a graduate from the

Université Laval Université Laval is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university was founded by royal charter issued by Queen Victoria in 1852, with roots in the founding of the Séminaire de Québec in 1663 by François de Mont ...

obtaining a law degree. He was admitted to the

Barreau du Québec The Bar of Quebec (french: Barreau du Québec) is the regulatory body for the practice of advocates in the Canadian province of Quebec and one of two legal regulatory bodies in the province. It was founded on May 30, 1849, as the Bar of Lower C ...

in 1969 and practiced law for 25 years mostly at the law firm Pinsonneault Pothier Begin Delisle. He was first elected in the

Louis-Hébert Louis-Hébert could refer to: * Louis-Hébert (provincial electoral district) * Louis-Hébert (federal electoral district) {{Disambiguation ...

riding in the

1994 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1994. Africa * 1994 Botswana general election * 1994 Guinea-Bissau general election * 1994 Malawian general election * 1994 Mozambican general election * 1994 Namibian general election * 1994 South Afr ...

when the Parti Québécois re-claimed power after 9 years of Liberal governance under

Robert Bourassa Robert Bourassa (; July 14, 1933 – October 2, 1996) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd premier of Quebec from 1970 to 1976 and from 1985 to 1994. A member of the Liberal Party of Quebec, he served a total of just ...

and Daniel Johnson Jr. During his political career, he was also a member of Cabinet, being first named for the first time as

Justice Minister A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

in the

Jacques Parizeau Jacques Parizeau (; August 9, 1930June 1, 2015) was a Canadian politician and Québécois economist who was a noted Quebec sovereigntist and the 26th premier of Quebec from September 26, 1994, to January 29, 1996. Early life and career Parize ...

(and later

Lucien Bouchard Lucien Bouchard (; born December 22, 1938) is a Canadian lawyer, diplomat and retired politician. Minister for two years in the Mulroney cabinet, Bouchard then led the emerging Bloc Québécois and became Leader of the Opposition in the Hous ...

)

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

from 1994 to 1997. He was also the Environment Minister from 1997 to 2001, Minister of Wildlife from 1997 to 1998 and Minister of Revenue from 1999 to 2001 before being renamed as Justice Minister in the

Bernard Landry Bernard Landry (; March 9, 1937 – November 6, 2018) was a Canadian politician who served as the 28th premier of Quebec from 2001 to 2003. A member of the Parti Québécois (PQ), he led the party from 2001 to 2005, also serving as the leader o ...

's Cabinet for his final year until he sat as an Independent MNA in 2002. He did not seek a third mandate in the 2003 elections.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Begin, Paul Living people 1943 births Lawyers in Quebec Parti Québécois MNAs Justice ministers of Quebec Université Laval alumni People from Dolbeau-Mistassini French Quebecers 21st-century Canadian politicians