Gabriel Loubier (born September 27, 1932) was a politician in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. He served as leader of the '' Union Nationale'' party from 1971 to 1974, and as

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

in the

National Assembly of Quebec The National Assembly of Quebec (, ) is the Legislature, legislative body of the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec in Canada. Legislators are called MNAs (Members of the National Assembly; ). The lieutenant governor of Que ...

from 1971 to 1973. Born in Black Lake, Quebec, Loubier studied law at

Laval University Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxe ...

, and was admitted to the bar in 1958. He was first elected to the Quebec legislature representing Bellechasse in 1962 and served as Minister of Tourism and Fishing in the cabinets of Daniel Johnson and

Jean-Jacques Bertrand Jean-Jacques Bertrand (; June 20, 1916 – February 22, 1973) was a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as the 21st premier of Quebec, from October 2, 1968, to May 12, 1970. He led the Union Nationale (Quebec), Union Nationale party. Me ...

from 1966 to 1970 and also as Minister responsible for Youth and Sport from 1968 to 1970. Following the defeat of the Bertrand government in the 1970 provincial election, Loubier was a candidate in the June 1971 Union Nationale leadership convention defeating

Marcel Masse Marcel Masse (May 27, 1936 – August 25, 2014) was a Canadian politician. He served as a Quebec MLA, federal MP and federal cabinet minister. Biography Background Masse was educated at the Université de Montréal and pursued graduate wo ...

on the third ballot to become party leader and leader of the Opposition. From October 25, 1971, to January 14, 1973, the ''Union Nationale'' temporarily changed its name to ''

Unité Québec The Union nationale () was a conservative and nationalist provincial political party in Quebec, Canada, that identified with Québécois autonomism. It was created during the Great Depression and held power in Quebec from 1936 to 1939, from ...

''. In the 1973 election, the ''Union Nationale'' was wiped off the electoral map, winning no seats, and Loubier ceased to be leader of the Opposition. He resigned as UN party leader in March 1974. He served on the board of directors of Megantic Metal and several firms in the steel industry before inheriting control of the family firm, Loubier Metal, from his father in 1985.

References

* 1932 births Living people Lawyers in Quebec Union Nationale (Quebec) MNAs Leaders of the Union Nationale (Quebec) Université Laval alumni 20th-century members of the National Assembly of Quebec {{Union-Nationale-Quebec-MNA-stub