He was appointed to the Legislative Council of Quebec and to Daniel Johnson Sr.'s Cabinet in 1967 when became Minister of Education; in 1968, he became Deputy Premier.
Cardinal won a by-election and took over Johnson's seat to the National Assembly of Quebec.
However, he lost his bid to become his party's leader against Jean-Jacques Bertrand on June 21, 1969.
In 1976, he was returned to the legislature as the MNA for the district of Prévost and became Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.
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