Robert Bertrand

Robert "Bob" Bertrand (April 4, 1953 – May 17, 2022) was a Canadian politician. He was born in Fort-Coulonge, Quebec.

Bertrand was a federal member of Parliament for the riding of Pontiac—Gatineau—Labelle. He ran and won in the 1993, 1997 and 2000 Canadian federal elections with significant majorities under the banner of the Liberal Party of Canada. Although considered a backbencher, he was very active in Parliament, participating in several standing committees including primarily National Defence and Veterans Affairs; working to study and improve the poor quality of life for members of the Canadian Forces and their families. He also served as Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of National Defence from 1998 to 2000.

An article in The Hill Times indicated that Robert Bertrand wished to run as a Liberal candidate in the upcoming federal election. His original request to run was refused in March 2007 and the nomination was closed, giving the candidacy instead to Cindy Duncan-McMillan in order to "meet the party’s target of 33 per cent female candidates". On April 4, Bertrand received a call from the current director of the Liberal Party of Canada in Quebec, Serge Marcil, telling him that the candidacy was re-opened; however, he was given an impossible deadline of one week to collect memberships and present himself as a candidate. Bertrand refused this offer and the nomination went ahead with Duncan-McMillan winning over Ottawa lawyer Richard Mahoney on April 15, 2007.^{[citation needed]}

In October 2016, Robert Bertrand was elected as the National Chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples. Bertrand died in Shawville, Quebec on May 17, 2022, aged 69.