Jean James Charest,
PC (born
John James Charest; ; born June 24, 1958) was the
29th Premier of Quebec, from 2003 to 2012. He lost the provincial election held September 4, 2012, and resigned as Premier on September 19. He was the
Deputy Prime Minister of Canada from June 25, 1993, until November 4, 1993. Charest was the leader of the federal
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998, and was the leader of the
Quebec Liberal Party from 1998 to 2012. On September 5, 2012, Jean Charest announced that he would be resigning as Quebec Liberal Leader and leaving politics. Charest sits as an advisor to
Canada's Ecofiscal Commission.