Reginald "Jerry" Pickard[1] PC (November 14, 1940 – July 27, 2021) was a Canadian politician who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 until his retirement in 2005, representing the riding of Chatham-Kent—Essex for the Liberal Party in his later terms in office.
[2] Pickard had Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education degrees from the University of Windsor, and worked as a teacher in the Kent County and Essex County boards of education following his graduation.
He faced his first difficult re-election in 2004, defeating Conservative candidate Dave Van Kesteren by only 407 votes.
Former Liberal MP Rex Crawford campaigned for the Conservative candidate in this election, and some local residents were upset that the federal government had cut down more than 80,000 ash trees to stop a devastating beetle infestation.
He was transferred from this position in July 2004, and named Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry.