Paul Crête was born on April 8, 1953, in Mauricie and grew up in Hérouxville, where his parents owned a general store. After completing his classical studies at the Saint-Augustin de Cap-Rouge seminary, he obtained a Bachelor of Science in administration from Laval University in December 1974.
Mr. Crête worked in human resources management in the public sector for 18 years, including 9 years as director of human resources and secretary general at the CÉGEP de La Pocatière (1984–1993).
He and his wife, Myriam Santerre, have three children, Audrey, Renaud and Maude, and their family has grown to include partners and four grandchildren: Éléonore, Simone, Thomas and Émile.
Mr. Crête has been a staunch separatist since 1968. Elected as the Member of Parliament for Kamouraska–Rivière-du-Loup under the leadership of Lucien Bouchard in the fall of 1993, he was re-elected six times before he resigned in spring 2009. During his 15 years as an MP, he served in a number of capacities, including as the Bloc Québécois critic for human resources, transportation, finance and foreign affairs. In 2009, he ran for the Parti Québécois in a by-election. He is still active with the Parti Québécois and the Bloc Québécois national office today.
In addition to his volunteer work in politics, Mr. Crête has been involved in a number of fundraising campaigns since his retirement, including for the Salle André-Gagnon in La Pocatière, the Fondation du Cégep de La Pocatière, and his current project, the Organisation québécoise des personnes atteintes du cancer.