Political Career
Pelletier began his political career with the Union Nationale party.
He won a seat as a municipal councillor in Quebec City on December 1976. He was elected mayor in 1977, serving for twelve years and two more elections. During his tenure as mayor, from 1977–1989, he improved rail service into the city, was instrumental in reviving the Lower Town and in having it designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
While mayor, Pelletier also became friends with Paris mayor Jacques Chirac. The two worked closely together as part of the Association of Francophone Mayors (1979–89), where Pelletier served as vice president. He successfully persuaded Chirac to keep quiet during the 1980 Quebec referendum, though Chirac personally supported an independent Quebec like General Charles de Gaulle.
With the demise of the Union Nationale, he joined the Liberal Party of Canada.
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