Bona Arsenault

Bona Arsenault, CM (October 4, 1903 – July 4, 1993) was a Canadian historian, genealogist and a federal and provincial politician.

Bona Arsenault
Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Matapédia
In office 1968–1976
Preceded by	Clovis Gagnon
Succeeded by	Léopold Marquis
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Bonaventure
In office 1945–1957
Preceded by	Alphée Poirier
Succeeded by	Nérée Arsenault
Personal details
Born	(1903-10-04)October 4, 1903 Bonaventure, Quebec
Died	July 4, 1993(1993-07-04) (aged 89)
Political party	Liberal
Other political affiliations	Quebec Liberal Party
Cabinet	Quebec: Minister of Lands and Forests (1960–1962) Minister of Fisheries and Game (1962–1963) Provincial Secretary (1963–1966)

Born in Bonaventure, Quebec, the son of Joseph-Georges Arsenault and Marcelline Gauthier, he studied at Université Laval and University of Connecticut.

In the 1931 Quebec provincial elections, he ran unsuccessfully in the riding of Bonaventure and lost again in 1935 in the riding of Gaspé-Sud. Switching to the federal scene, in 1940, he ran as a National Government candidate in the Quebec riding of Bonaventure and was defeated. He was elected as an Independent candidate in the 1945 election. And was re-elected in 1949 and 1953, as a Liberal candidate. He was defeated in 1957.

Turning back to provincial politics, he was elected in 1960 as a Liberal in the riding of Matapédia. He was re-elected in 1962, 1966, 1970, and 1973. He was defeated in 1976. He was also a cabinet minister hold various posts in the Jean Lesage government, and he wrote the book Histoire et généalogie des Acadiens. In 1980, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

His grandson, by marriage, is Patrick Roy.[1]