The Liberal Party won a majority government in the
2003 Quebec general election, and Pelletier was returned by an increased margin in Chapleau. On 29 April 2003, he was appointed to the Charest cabinet as
minister of Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs and
minister of Aboriginal Affairs as well as
minister responsible for the Outaouais. On 18 February 2005, he was relieved of his responsibilities for Aboriginal Affairs and given new responsibilities for
Francophone Canadians and the
reform of democratic institutions. From 17 March 2005, he was also styled as the
minister responsible for the Agreement on Internal Trade and the
minister responsible for Access to Information. Pelletier was President of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee of Ministers on Internal Trade from December 2004 to December 2005. He was also a member of the Special Committee on Electoral Reform from June 2005 to May 2006. Pelletier was returned by a reduced margin in the
2007 provincial election, as a surge in support for the
Action démocratique du Québec reduced the Liberals to a
minority government. Following a
cabinet shuffle on 17 April 2007, Pelletier kept his existing ministerial designations (except for responsibility for the Agreement on Internal Trade) and was once again assigned to Aboriginal Affairs. He also became
leader of the government in parliament.
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister ;2003–06 (Chrétien and Martin governments) Pelletier became Intergovernmental Affairs Minister near the end of Jean Chrétien's tenure as
prime minister of Canada. Most of his interactions were with Chrétien's successors,
Paul Martin and
Stephen Harper. Pelletier often defended Quebec's political jurisdiction against what he regarded as encroachments from the Canadian government. He spoke against
Employment Insurance reforms introduced by the Martin government in 2004 and later criticized Martin's attempt to create a national child care plan with funds targeted to guidelines determined by federal government. (Quebec has had a provincial child care plan for several years.) Pelletier argued that provinces should be allowed to opt out of these and related federal plans and to set up alternative models with federal funding. Notwithstanding their disagreements, Pelletier and his counterparts in the Canadian government completed a four-year deal on child care funding just before the Martin administration fell in late 2005. Pelletier also supported Quebec's autonomy in the management of health care. In early 2005, he announced that the province would undertake a controversial experiment with some private health providers. While stressing that he supported the five principles of
Canadian medicare and favoured the public system, he nonetheless called for "some adjustments that would allow participation for the private partners." Pelletier also negotiated with the Martin government for Quebec to have a more autonomous role in international forums such as
UNESCO, and for changes to the system of federal–provincial transfers (known to some as the
fiscal imbalance). In late 2004, he wrote guest columns for the English-language
The Globe and Mail and
National Post newspapers defending the principle of asymmetric federalism. ;2006–08 (Harper government) Pelletier initially welcomed the victory of
Stephen Harper's
Conservative Party in the
2006 federal election, saying that it created an opportunity "to improve Canada, to get a new vision of Canadian federalism, and to strengthen Quebec within Canada." After the election, Harper fulfilled a campaign pledge to give Quebec a seat at UNESCO. (Some, however, have noted that the provincial delegate cannot in practice take positions contrary to Canada's representative.) In late 2006, Pelletier endorsed Harper's parliamentary motion to recognize that "the Québécois form a nation within a united Canada." He was more critical of Harper's efforts to reform the
Senate of Canada, arguing that any significant changes would require negotiations with the provinces. Pelletier opposed Harper's efforts to reduce Quebec's percentage of seats in the
House of Commons of Canada, saying that the proposed change would go to "the heart of balance in the federation." Pelletier also supported efforts to have
Alberta's oil wealth included in a new federal–provincial funding formula. The Alberta government strongly opposed this suggestion. After the Quebec Liberals were reduced to a minority government in 2007, Pelletier called for the Canadian government to recognize Quebec's distinctiveness in a "charter of open federalism" and to clarify its division of powers with the provinces. He later welcomed Harper's pledge for the federal government to end direct spending in areas of provincial jurisdiction. Pelletier's approach to federal-provincial relations was often compared to former prime minister
Brian Mulroney's failed
Meech Lake Accord on constitutional reform. During most of his time in office, Pelletier said that the time was not right to reopen constitutional debates.
Minister of Aboriginal Affairs Pelletier took part in negotiations with several indigenous communities during his time in government. He brought forward an agreement with Quebec's
Inuit leaders in June 2003, to negotiate a new form of
self-government. Four year later, he concluded an agreement in principle to create an Inuit-controlled government in the northernmost third of Quebec, answerable to the Quebec National Assembly. Pelletier considered reopening a 2002 settlement with the
Innu on the grounds that the agreement did not properly address concerns about Quebec's land and laws. He ultimately chose to accept the accord and said that he would seek to balance the rights of the Innu and non-indigenous people under its framework. He also took part in negotiations to resolve a 2004 crisis in the
Mohawk community of
Kanesatake, after violent confrontations that forced Grand Chief
James Gabriel to leave the area.
Reform of democratic institutions Pelletier supported the replacement of Quebec's
first past the post electoral model with
mixed member proportional representation. In 2006, he wrote an article in the
Montreal Gazette defending the proposed new system. Three months later, he promised a bill on proportional representation before the next provincial election. In the same period, he also proposed financial incentives to political parties as a means of encouraging more female candidates and candidates from "ethnocultural minorities.". In late 2007, Quebec's chief electoral officer issued a 400-page document that was seen as endorsing the mixed-member proportional system. Notwithstanding Pelletier's efforts, no significant changes have been introduced to Quebec's electoral system as of 2012.
Francophone communities in Canada In a departure from previous Quebec policy, Pelletier also sought to assist francophone minority communities in the rest of Canada. In August 2003, he announced $1.7 million for community projects across the country. In late 2006, he argued that continued support was necessary to prevent the assimilation of these communities into the English-speaking majority.
Other Pelletier opposed
Parti Québécois leader
Pauline Marois's 2007 proposal that all new immigrants to Quebec be required to have a working knowledge of French before becoming citizens of the province. He described the suggestion as dangerous, saying it would create a new tier of second-class citizens. Also in 2007, Pelletier contributed to a book entitled,
Reconquerir le Canada: un nouveau projet pour la nation québécoise (English:
Reconquering Canada: A New Project for the Quebec Nation). The volume was intended to promote and revitalize the federalist cause in Quebec. Pelletier served as the acting minister of
Justice and
Public Security in autumn 2007, when
Jacques P. Dupuis underwent surgery. ==After politics==