Raymond Joseph Perrault, (February 6, 1926 – November 24, 2008) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

politician. He was a member of the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia () is the deliberative assembly of the Legislature of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The other component of the Legislature is the lieutenant governor of British Columbi ...

and of the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

. Perrault was born in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, a family with strong Liberal roots. His maternal grandfather came from Ontario and enlisted to quell the Metis rebellion led by

Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis in Canada, Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of ...

. His paternal grandfather came from Quebec, where Riel had been a hero. Perrault was educated at Sir Guy Carleton school and John Oliver high school in Vancouver. After graduating from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

with degrees in economics and political science, he became a communications consultant, working in radio, public relations and advertising. He entered politics in his thirties, becoming leader of the

British Columbia Liberal Party BC United (BCU), known from 1903 until 2023 as the British Columbia Liberal Party or BC Liberals, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party has been described as conservative, neoliberal, and occupying a centre-right ...

in 1959. He was first elected to the

in the 1960 provincial election in which the Liberals won fours seats in the legislature (an increase from two in the previous election), and won 20.9% of the popular vote. In the 1963 election, the Liberals gained one more

Member of the Legislative Assembly A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several nation ...

(MLA), for a total of five, while their share of the popular vote fell to 19.98%. In Perrault's final election as leader in 1966, the party won an additional seat, and a modest increase in the vote to 20.24%. He remained an MLA until he resigned in 1968 to enter federal politics in the 1968 federal election. He won a seat in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

as a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP), defeating

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leader

Tommy Douglas Thomas Clement Douglas (20 October 1904 – 24 February 1986) was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as the seventh premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and leader of the New Democratic Party from 1961 to 1971. A Bap ...

by just 138 votes, earning him the nickname "Landslide Ray". He was defeated in the next election in 1972. Perrault was appointed to the Senate by

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...

in October 1973. A year later, he joined the cabinet as Leader of the Government in the Senate. When the Liberals lost power in the 1979 election, Perrault became Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. He resumed his position as government leader when the Liberals returned to power in the 1980 election. In 1982, he was reassigned to the position of

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

for Fitness and Amateur Sport, and served in that position until leaving cabinet in August 1983. He remained in the Senate until his retirement in 2001. Perrault served on the board of the Terry Fox Foundation. A lifelong follower of sports, Perrault served as a director of the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

and honorary chairman of the Vancouver Canadians baseball team. In the 1980s, he was part of a failed effort to bring a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

team to Vancouver. He died on November 24, 2008, at the age of 82, leaving behind his wife Barbara and their three children.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perrault, Ray 1926 births 2008 deaths BC United MLAs Canadian senators from British Columbia Leaders of the opposition in the Senate of Canada Communications consultants Leaders of BC United Liberal Party of Canada MPs Liberal Party of Canada senators Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Politicians from Vancouver University of British Columbia alumni 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 20th-century members of the Senate of Canada 21st-century members of the Senate of Canada John Oliver Secondary School alumni