Normand Cherry

Normand Cherry
Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Sainte-Anne
In office 1989–1994
Preceded by	Maximilien Polak
Succeeded by	District was abolished in 1994
Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Saint-Laurent
In office 1994–1998
Preceded by	Robert Bourassa
Succeeded by	Jacques Dupuis
Personal details
Born	(1938-06-02) June 2, 1938 (age 78) Montreal, Quebec
Political party	Liberal

Normand Cherry (born June 2, 1938) is a Canadian former politician and union leader in the province of Quebec. He was a Liberal member of the National Assembly of Quebec from 1989 to 1998 and served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Robert Bourassa and Daniel Johnson.

Cherry was born in Montreal and received his early education in the Rosemont area of the city. He worked for Canadair from 1954 to 1989 and became a prominent labour activist, serving as president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) Local 712 from 1969 to 1989. From 1985, he also lectured at the IAMAW Training and Conference Center in Maryland.

Cherry formed a "Canadair Survival Committee" in late 1985, after the government of Canada announced that it was planning to sell the company to a private investor. Cherry's group sought to ensure that Canadair would remain publicly owned, stay in Montreal, and protect the jobs of its employees. Cherry nonetheless supported Bombardier's successful offer to purchase the company in 1986, saying that the terms of the deal were favourable.

In September 1986, Cherry argued that a federal contract to maintain CF-18 fighter jets should be given to Canadair rather than to a competing bid led by foreign-owned firms in Manitoba and Ontario. He said that it was not his intent to promote Quebec's interests at the expense of other provinces and that his primary concern was to ensure the CF-18 technology would remain under Canadian control. The government of Brian Mulroney ultimately awarded the contract to Canadair.

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