Raymond Simard

Raymond Simard, PC (born March 8, 1958) is a former Canadian politician. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, he was first elected to the House of Commons in a 2002 by-election triggered by the resignation of Ron Duhamel. He served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Saint Boniface until his defeat in the 2008 federal election. He was defeated for the second time in the 2011 federal election.

Simard was born in Ste. Anne, Manitoba. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College universitaire de Saint-Boniface, as well as a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Manitoba. Simard worked as a businessman and consultant before entering political life, initially for a number of business concerns owned by his family. In 2002, sitting Saint Boniface MP Ron Duhamel was appointed to the Senate of Canada by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Simard was selected as the Liberal candidate for the resulting by-election, and on May 13, 2002, he defeated Canadian Alliance candidate Denis Simard by about 4400 votes.