Réal Ménard

Réal Ménard (born May 13, 1962 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a Canadian politician, and is member of the Canadian House of Commons for the Quebec riding of Hochelaga. He is a member of the Bloc Québécois and is the second Canadian Member of Parliament to come out as gay.

Ménard is a political scientist with B.A. and M.A. degrees. He first stood for federal office in the 1984 federal election as candidate for the small Parti nationaliste du Québec in Hochelaga–Maisonneuve. Defeated in this first try, he contested the riding in the 1993 election for the new and larger Bloc Québécois. He was elected, and re-elected in the riding in the 1997, 2000, and, the riding being renamed Hochelaga, 2004, and 2006 federal elections.

Early in his parliamentary career, he served variously as Bloc critic for Health, for science, research and development, for Labour, for National Defence, and for the Federal Office of Regional Development-Quebec. From 1998 to June 29, 1999, he was critic for Citizenship and Immigration and for public housing.

The next day, he again became critic for health, in which capacity he has served since. During three sessions, Ménard has been vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Health. On September 14, 2001, he took on additional critic responsibility for the Montreal region.

In March 2006 he was shuffled from the health critic position to become the Bloc Québécois justice critic.