|
Bernard Valcourt
| |
|---|---|
| Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development | |
| In office February 22, 2013 – November 3, 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Stephen Harper |
| Preceded by | James Moore (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Carolyn Bennett |
| Associate Minister of National Defence | |
| In office July 4, 2012 – February 21, 2013 | |
| Prime Minister | Stephen Harper |
| Preceded by | Julian Fantino |
| Succeeded by | Kerry-Lynne Findlay |
| Minister of Labour | |
| In office June 25, 1993 – November 3, 1993 | |
| Prime Minister | Kim Campbell |
| Preceded by | Marcel Danis |
| Succeeded by | Lloyd Axworthy |
| Minister of Employment and Immigration | |
| In office April 21, 1991 – November 3, 1993 | |
| Prime Minister | Brian Mulroney Kim Campbell |
| Preceded by | Barbara McDougall |
| Succeeded by | Lloyd Axworthy |
| Minister of Fisheries and Oceans | |
| In office February 23, 1990 – April 20, 1991 | |
| Prime Minister | Brian Mulroney |
| Preceded by | Tom Siddon |
| Succeeded by | John Crosbie |
| Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs | |
| In office January 30, 1989 – July 4, 1989 | |
| Prime Minister | Brian Mulroney |
| Preceded by | Harvie Andre |
| Succeeded by | Harvie Andre (acting) |
| Member of Parliament for Madawaska—Restigouche | |
| In office May 2, 2011 – October 18, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Jean-Claude D'Amours |
| Succeeded by | René Arseneault |
| Leader of the Opposition of New Brunswick | |
| In office May 14, 1995 – October 17, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Greg Hargrove |
| Succeeded by | Elvy Robichaud |
| Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick | |
| In office May 14, 1995 – October 17, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Dennis Cochrane |
| Succeeded by | Bernard Lord |
| MLA for Edmundston | |
| In office September 11, 1995 – June 6, 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Roland Beaulieu |
| Succeeded by | Madeleine Dubé |
| Member of Parliament for Madawaska—Victoria | |
| In office September 4, 1984 – October 25, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Eymard Corbin |
| Succeeded by | Pierrette Ringuette |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1952-02-18) February 18, 1952 (age 72) Saint-Quentin, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Political party | Conservative (2011–) |
| Other political affiliations | Progressive Conservative (1984–1993) |
| Residence(s) | Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| |
Bernard Valcourt PC KC (born February 18, 1952) is a Canadian politician and lawyer, who served as Member of Parliament for the electoral districtofMadawaska—Restigouche, New Brunswick until he was defeated in the 2015 federal election.
Valcourt was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a Progressive Conservative candidate in the 1984 election that brought Brian Mulroney to power. He was appointed to the Cabinet of Canada in 1986 as a Minister of State. In January 1989, he was promoted to Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs,[1] but was forced to resign from Cabinet in August when he was involved in a drunk driving motorcycle accident that cost him an eye.[2]
He returned to Cabinet seven months later as Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.[1] In 1991, he was promoted to Minister of Employment and Immigration,[1] and held the position until the government of Mulroney's successor as Progressive Conservative Party leader and prime minister, Kim Campbell, was defeated in the 1993 election. Valcourt was defeated in that election, along with every Tory MP in Atlantic Canada except Elsie Wayne.
In May 1995, Valcourt was elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick.[3] While he won a seat in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in the 1995 provincial election, his party only won six seats against 48 for Frank McKenna's Liberals. Valcourt resigned as leader in 1997 following a lukewarm endorsement of his leadership at a party convention, and was succeeded by Bernard Lord.[4]
On March 28, 2011, Valcourt declared his candidacy in the 2011 federal election, running in the riding of Madawaska—Restigouche, which covers the bulk of the territory he'd represented two decades earlier.[5][6] He was elected on May 2, 2011, defeating Liberal incumbent Jean-Claude D'Amours. He was subsequently appointed to cabinet as Minister of State for both the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and La Francophonie. His sister Martine Coulombe was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in the 2010 provincial election.[7] On July 4, 2012, he was given the additional portfolio of Associate Minister of Defence.[8] Valcourt was part of the AEG initiative, saying co-operation between both the federal and provincial governments, as well as utilities, is key. "The Atlantic Energy Gateway initiative has brought the critical players in the region's energy sector together to not only work toward an affordable, secure, clean energy future, but to also maximize the business and job growth potential of further developing our region's clean and renewable energy industries," said Valcourt in a release.[9]
On February 22, 2013, Valcourt became Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development in a cabinet shuffle.[10] Valcourt stirred controversy when he claimed that the high rates of suicide among aboriginal youths were "the responsibility of their parents".[11]
In the 2015 federal election, Valcourt was defeated by Liberal René Arseneault, finishing third with just over 16% of the vote.[12]
|
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | René Arseneault | 20,778 | 55.70 | +20.91 | $66,315.47 | |||
| New Democratic | Rosaire L'Italien | 9,670 | 25.92 | +6.58 | $92,730.82 | |||
| Conservative | Bernard Valcourt | 6,151 | 16.49 | -23.99 | $101,364.85 | |||
| Green | Françoise Aubin | 707 | 1.90 | +0.10 | – | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 37,306 | 99.08 | $199,271.58 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 348 | 0.92 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 37,654 | 74.02 | – | |||||
| Eligible voters | 50,871 | |||||||
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +22.45 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[13][14] | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Bernard Valcourt | 14,224 | 40.64 | +7.41 | $52,308.15 | |||
| Liberal | Jean-Claude D'Amours | 12,309 | 35.17 | -12.23 | $60,570.18 | |||
| New Democratic | Wilder Jules | 6,562 | 18.75 | +3.13 | $6,934.01 | |||
| Independent | Louis Bérubé | 1,290 | 3.69 | – | $113.00 | |||
| Green | Lynn Morrison | 612 | 1.75 | -2.00 | $0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 34,997 | 100.0 | $81,731.56 | |||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 577 | 1.62 | +0.04 | |||||
| Turnout | 35,574 | 69.80 | +3.03 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 50,966 | |||||||
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +9.82 | ||||||
| Sources:[15][16] | ||||||||
| 1995 New Brunswick general election: Edmundston | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Bernard Valcourt | 4,215 | 59.20 | +38.41 | ||||
| Liberal | Roland Beaulieu | 2,803 | 39.37 | −26.91 | ||||
| New Democratic | Maureen Michaud | 102 | 1.43 | −11.50 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 7,120 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +32.66 | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Pierrette Ringuette | 16,058 | 48.8 | +5.0 | |
| Progressive Conservative | Bernard Valcourt | 15,045 | 45.7 | −2.5 | |
| Reform | Kimberly Spikings | 955 | 2.9 | +2.9 | |
| New Democratic | Parise Martin | 844 | 2.6 | −5.4 | |
| Total | 32,902 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive Conservative | Bernard Valcourt | 14,747 | 48.2 | −3.7 | |
| Liberal | Romeo Rossignol | 13,385 | 43.8 | +1.9 | |
| New Democratic | Réal Couturier | 2,441 | 8.0 | +1.8 | |
| Total | 30,573 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive Conservative | Bernard Valcourt | 16,411 | 51.9 | +29.0 | |
| Liberal | Gerald Clavette | 13,245 | 41.9 | −23.9 | |
| New Democratic | Floranne McLaughlin-St-Amand | 1,968 | 6.2 | −5.1 | |
| Total | 31,624 | ||||
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick 1995–1997 |
Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick 1995–1997 |
Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development 2013–2015 |
Succeeded by |
|
| |
|---|---|
| Ministers of Marine and Fisheries (1867–1930)1 |
|
| Ministers of Fisheries (1930–69) |
|
| Minister of Fisheries and Forestry (1969–71) |
|
| Ministers of the Environment (1971–76)2 |
|
| Ministers of State (Fisheries) (1974–76) |
|
| Minister of Fisheries and the Environment (1976–79) |
|
| Ministers of Fisheries and Oceans (1979–2015) |
|
| Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard (2015–) |
|
1The office of Minister of Marine and Fisheries was abolished and the offices of Minister of Fisheries and Minister of Marine were created in 1930. The Minister of Marine office was a precursor to the Minister of Transport. | |
|
| |
|---|---|
| Ministers of Labour (1900–96) |
|
| Ministers of Human Resources Development (1996–2005)2 |
|
| Ministers of Human Resources and Skills Development (2005–13) |
|
| Ministers of Employment and Social Development (2013–15) |
|
| Minister of Families, Children and Social Development (2015–present) | |
| Ministers of Labour (1996–2015) |
|
| Minister of Employment, Workforce and Labour (2015–2019) |
|
| Minister of Labour (2019–present) |
|
1Until 1909, the office of the minister of Labour was a secondary function of the Postmaster-General of Canada. W. L. M. King was the first to hold the office independently.
2The office of Minister of Employment and Immigration, and Minister of Labour were abolished and the office of Minister of Human Resources Development went in force on July 12, 1996. Under the new provisions, a Minister of Labour may be appointed. However, when no Minister of Labour is appointed, the Minister of Human Resources Development shall exercise the powers and perform the duties and functions of the Minister of Labour. | |
|
| |
|---|---|
| |
The office of Minister of Employment and Immigration, and Minister of Labour were abolished and the office of Minister of Human Resources Development came in force July 12, 1996. |
| International |
|
|---|---|
| National |
|
| Other |
|
