Madeleine Meilleur

Madeleine Meilleur
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
for Ottawa—Vanier
In office
October 6, 2003 – June 21, 2016
Preceded by Claudette Boyer
Succeeded by Nathalie Des Rosiers
Ottawa City Councillor
In office
January 1, 2001 – October 18, 2003
Preceded by Stéphane Émard-Chabot
Succeeded by Georges Bédard
Constituency Rideau-Vanier Ward
Personal details
Born (1948-11-22) November 22, 1948
Kiamika, Quebec
Political party Liberal
Residence Ottawa, Ontario
Occupation Registered Nurse, Lawyer

Madeleine Meilleur (born November 22, 1948) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2016. She represented the riding of Ottawa—Vanier. She was a cabinet minister in the governments of Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne.

Background

Meilleur was born in the Quebec community of Kiamika. She is both a registered nurse and a lawyer, specializing in labour and employment law. She has served on the Ottawa-Carleton Regional District Health Council, the Champlain District Health Council, the Ottawa-Carleton Children's Aid Society and the Vanier Housing Corporation.

Municipal politics

Meilleur was elected to the city of Vanier's municipal council in 1991, and also served as a council member in the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton (which included members from Vanier and other local municipalities).[1] In 2000, she was acclaimed as a city councillor in the newly amalgamated city of Ottawa.[2] During her time in municipal government, Meilleur represented the council on the French-Language Services Advisory Committee. She received the United Way's Community Builder's Award in 2001.[3]

Provincial politics

McGuinty government

In the 2003 provincial election, Meilleur was elected in the riding of Ottawa—Vanier as the Liberal Party candidate.[4]

The Liberal party won the election, and Meilleur was appointed Minister of Culture with responsibility for Francophone Affairs on October 23, 2003.[5] In November 2003, Meilleur announced that provincial grants would be made available to libraries in rural communities. In April 2004, she announced the extension of demolition controls on heritage buildings. In 2008, she became the province's first cabinet minister ever to attend an international summit of La Francophonie.

On April 5, 2006, Meilleur was appointed Minister of Community and Social Services.[6] She was reelected to her Ottawa—Vanier riding in the 2007 provincial election.[7]

After she was re-elected in the 2011 provincial election,[8] she was appointed Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.[9]

Provincial Government of Dalton McGuinty
Cabinet Posts (3)
Predecessor Office Successor
Jim Bradley Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services
2013–2014
Also Responsible for Francophone Affairs		 Yasir Naqvi
Sandra Pupatello Minister of Community and Social Services
2006–2011		 John Milloy
David Tsubouchi Minister of Culture
2003–2006
Also Responsible for Francophone Affairs		 Caroline Di Cocco

Wynne government

When Kathleen Wynne took over as Premier in 2013, Meilleur continued in her position as Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.[10] She was re-elected in the 2014 provincial election.[11] On June 24, 2014 she was appointed Attorney General of Ontario, the first francophone to hold the position.[12]

In 2016, she was criticized over her initial refusal and subsequent delay in releasing the Special Investigations Unit's report on the police shooting of Andrew Loku.[13]

On June 9, 2016, Meilleur announced her retirement after 25 years in politics. Her resignation from the legislature coincided with a June 2016 cabinet shuffle.[13][14]

Provincial Government of Kathleen Wynne
Cabinet Post (1)
Predecessor Office Successor
John Gerretsen Attorney General
2014–2016
Also Responsible for Francophone Affairs		 Yasir Naqvi

Electoral record

Ontario general election, 2014: Ottawa—Vanier
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
LiberalMadeleine Meilleur 21,810 55.55 +4.04
Progressive ConservativeMartin Forget 8,750 22.29 -1.16
New DemocraticHervé Ngamby 5,228 13.32 -6.29
GreenDave Bagler 3,144 8.01 +3.49
LibertarianPhillip Richard 329 0.84
Total valid votes 39,261 100.00
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 517 1.30 +0.88
Turnout 39,778 48.86 +2.05
Eligible voters 81,412  
Liberal hold Swing +2.60
Ontario general election, 2011
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
Liberal Madeleine Meilleur 19,615 51.4
Progressive ConservativeFred Sherman 8,931 23.4
New DemocraticPaul Étienne Laliberté-Tipple 7,525 19.7
GreenDave Bagler 1,719 4.5
Family CoalitionEmmanuel Houle 352 0.9
Total valid votes 38,142 100.0
Ontario general election, 2007
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
Liberal Madeleine Meilleur 20,951 50.8 -1.7
Progressive ConservativeBruce Poulin 9,169 22.2 -4.0
New DemocraticRic Dagenais 6,144 14.9 -0.8
GreenLeonard Poole 4,287 10.4 +5.9
Family CoalitionFrank Cioppa 400 1.0
IndependentRobert Larter 256 0.6
Total valid votes 38,142 100.0
Ontario general election, 2003
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
Liberal Madeleine Meilleur 22,188 53.5 +0.5
Progressive ConservativeMaurice Lamirande 10,878 26.2 -5.6
New DemocraticJoseph Zebrowski 6,507 15.7 +5.2
GreenRaphael Thierrin 1,876 4.5 +2.1
Total valid votes 41,449 100.0

References

  1. ↑ Asimakopulos, Anna (November 13, 1991). "Vanier: Cousineau comes from behind". The Ottawa Citizen. p. B4.
  2. ↑ "Ward 12:Rideau-Vanier: Meilleur acclaimed". The Ottawa Citizen. November 14, 2000. p. B5.
  3. ↑ "Sidelines". The Ottawa Citizen. September 27, 2001. p. C7.
  4. ↑ "Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate". Elections Ontario. October 2, 2003. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  5. ↑ "Premier Dalton McGuinty and his 22-member cabinet were sworn in Thursday". Canadian Press NewsWire. October 23, 2003. p. 1.
  6. ↑ Macaluso, Grace (April 6, 2006). "MPP gets new post: Sandra Pupatello: Ont. cabinet's most powerful woman". The Windsor Star. p. 1.
  7. ↑ "Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. October 10, 2007. p. 11 (xx). Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  8. ↑ "Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. October 6, 2011. p. 13. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  9. ↑ "Ontario's new cabinet". The Toronto Star. October 21, 2011. p. A18.
  10. ↑ "Ontario's new cabinet". Waterloo Region Record. Kitchener, Ont. February 12, 2013. p. A3.
  11. ↑ "General Election by District: Ottawa-Vanier". Elections Ontario. June 12, 2014.
  12. ↑ Richard Brennan; Robert Benzie; Rob Ferguson (June 24, 2014). "Kathleen Wynne warns financial cupboard is bare". Toronto Star.
  13. 1 2 Robert Benzie (June 9, 2016). "Ontario Attorney General Madeleine Meilleur resigning from politics". Toronto Star.
  14. ↑ https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2016/06/13/struggling-wynne-shuffles-cabinet-adds-7-new-ministers.html
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