Throughout his career Pernot was a vocal pronatalist, pushing for government policies that would support the family and encourage higher birth rates to counter the demographic crisis in France.

He volunteered for the front, was wounded, received three citations, rose to the rank of captain and was decorated with the Legion of Honor.

[1] He led the left wing of the National Catholic Federation (Fédération nationale catholique, FNC).

[4] By 1926 there was support for pacification, in which the Catholics would stop trying to capture the state and in exchange would be allowed to teach.

In 1927 he criticized the right wing members of the FNC "whose intransigence had harmed them in the past, and who were depriving themselves once again of the influence that they ought to have on the destiny of the country.

During his term of office the parliament voted to double the national road network to 40,000 kilometres (25,000 mi).

[1] After the 1932 election Pernot and left the National Catholic Federation since he was unwilling to join the same parliamentary group as its right-wing members.

[1] On 22 February 1935 Henry Dorgères, a Fascist sympathizer and leader of the "Green Shirt" movement, made an inflammatory speech in Rouen.

[1] He criticized the Matignon accord of June 1936, which settled union grievances after the recent general strike, saying it was "an accord between workers and employers reached under government supervision that dealt with everything except family allowances; they thought of everything except the most important!".

[10] He wanted to stop the movement of people to the cities and encourage women to return to the home.

He said, "We must create a policy that will restore this country's faith, soul, ideal, as well as its trust and confidence in the future.

It redistributed benefits from small families to larger ones, and gave birth bonuses for children born in the first two years of marriage.

[17] Pernod reported in March 1940 that Germany's shipments from overseas had dropped but imports by land had increased, notably from the Soviet Union, the Balkans and Italy.

"[18] On 5 June 1940 the second cabinet of Paul Reynaud created the Ministry of the Family, with Pernot as minister.

On 10 July 1940, he voted in favour of granting the cabinet presided by Marchal Philippe Pétain authority to draw up a new constitution, thereby effectively ending the French Third Republic and establishing Vichy France.

[22] The committee established teams to investigate family-related legislation, housing, food rationing, financial assistance, childhood and moral protection.

He was designated French representative to the committee on social issues of the United Nations Economic Council.

[21] Pernot voted for the draft law on constitutional reform on 2–3 June 1958 that led to the French Fifth Republic.