Christian Paradis (born January 1, 1974) is a Canadian politician who served as the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for

Mégantic—L'Érable Mégantic—L'Érable is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. The current MP is Conservative Luc Berthold. Geography Straddling the Quebec regions of Centre ...

from 2006 to 2015. A member of the

Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Con ...

, he was first elected in the 2006 federal election and served as parliamentary secretary to the

Minister of Natural Resources The minister of natural resources () is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). In addition to NRCan, the minister oversees the federal government's natural resources portfolio ...

until January 4, 2007, when he was appointed Secretary of State for

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC; sometimes Ag-Canada; french: Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada)''Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Agriculture ...

and the

Rural Secretariat The Rural Secretariat was a focal point for the Government of Canada to work in partnership with Canadians in rural and remote areas to build strong, dynamic communities. It was dismantled by the Conservative government in 2013. Located in Agr ...

. On June 25, 2008, Paradis was appointed

Minister of Public Works and Government Services The minister of public services and procurement (french: ministre des services publics et de l’approvisionnement) is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the Government of Canada's "common service ...

, retaining his position as Secretary of State for Agriculture until October that same year. On October 30, 2008, in a cabinet shuffle following the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

, he retained the Public Works portfolio. In addition, he succeeded

Lawrence Cannon Lawrence Cannon, (born December 6, 1947) is a Canadian politician from Quebec and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's former Quebec lieutenant. In early 2006, he was made the Minister of Transport. On October 30, 2008, he relinquished oversight of T ...

Quebec Lieutenant In Canadian politics, a Quebec lieutenant is a Quebec politician who is selected by the party leader to be his or her main advisor and/or spokesperson on issues specific to Quebec. This is particularly the case when the leader is an anglophone, t ...

. On January 19, 2010, in a cabinet shuffle, Prime Minister

Harper Harper may refer to: Names * Harper (name), a surname and given name Places ;in Canada * Harper Islands, Nunavut *Harper, Prince Edward Island ;In the United States *Harper, former name of Costa Mesa, California in Orange County * Harper, Il ...

appointed him

. On May 18, 2011, in a cabinet shuffle he was appointed to be the

Minister of Industry The industry minister is a cabinet position in a government. The title may refer to the head of the governmental department that specializes in industry. This position may also be responsible for trade and employment, areas that fall under the mini ...

. On July 15, 2013, in a cabinet shuffle, he was appointed as Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie. Paradis did not run in the 2015 federal election, and in December 2015, it was announced that he would be the Senior Vice President, Strategic Development of Protective Services at

GardaWorld GardaWorld Corporation is a Canadian private security firm, headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, with 120,000 employees as of January 2022. GardaWorld International Protective Services, the international division of the company, began operations ...

, starting January 2016.

Early life and career

Originally from Thetford Mines, he graduated from the University of Sherbrooke in civil law and holds a graduate degree in corporate law from Laval University. He entered the Quebec Bar in 1997. He is the son of Pierre Paradis, also a lawyer. He chaired the Asbestos Chamber of Commerce in 2004 and 2005. Christian Paradis has been married to Julie Roberge since June 2000 and is the father of three children. He was first elected in the 2006 federal election and served as parliamentary secretary to the

until January 4, 2007, when he was appointed Secretary of State for

and the

. On June 25, 2008, Paradis was appointed

, retaining his position as Secretary of State for Agriculture until October that same year. On October 30, 2008, in a cabinet shuffle following the

, he retained the Public Works portfolio. In addition, he succeeded

. On January 19, 2010, in a cabinet shuffle, Prime Minister

appointed him

. On May 18, 2011, in a cabinet shuffle he was appointed to be the

. On July 15, 2013, in a cabinet shuffle, he was appointed as Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie. On April 3, 2015, Paradis announced that he would not seek re-election.

Federal politics

Paradis served as representative of the riding of Megantic-L'Érable from 2006 to 2015. He received nearly 50% of the vote in each federal election.

Secretary of State for Agriculture

Christian Paradis was appointed Secretary of State in charge of Agriculture on January 4, 2007. He notably inherited the dossier of the pork industry, plagued by difficulties due to numerous diseases affecting pig herds in Canada: his ministry takes support measures for producers by announcing financial assistance to producers over a period of 4 years. Under his leadership, the Harper government launched a $1.5 billion program aimed at supporting the production of bio-fuels by farmers. He also played a crucial role in preserving the

Supply management (Canada) Canada's supply management (), abbreviated SM, is a national agricultural policy framework used across the country, which controls the supply of dairy, poultry and eggs through production and import controls and pricing mechanisms. The supply man ...

system during the development of Canadian cheese regulations in 2007.

Minister of Public Services and Procurement

He became Minister of Public Works and Government Services replacing

Michael Fortier Michael M. Fortier, (born January 10, 1962) is a Canadian financier, lawyer and former politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Minister of Public Works and Government Services from 2006 to 2008, and Minister of Internati ...

on June 25, 2008. On November 27, he announced the return of Formula 1 to Canada, with the resumption of the

Canadian Grand Prix The Canadian Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix du Canada) is an annual motor racing event held since 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967. It was first staged at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, as a sports ...

in Montreal. The Ministry of Public Works contributes $5 million annually.

Quebec Lieutenant and Minister responsible for the Montreal region

He became

Quebec lieutenant In Canadian politics, a Quebec lieutenant is a Quebec politician who is selected by the party leader to be his or her main advisor and/or spokesperson on issues specific to Quebec. This is particularly the case when the leader is an anglophone, t ...

and Minister responsible for the Montreal region in November 2008, replacing

. One of its main files is the regulation on the harmonization of the Canada-Quebec sales tax with the retrocession to the Government of Quebec of 2.2 billion dollars annually from the federal government coming from the Tax on products and services. He led the electoral campaign in Quebec during the

2011 Canadian federal election The 2011 Canadian federal election was held on May 2, 2011, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 41st Canadian Parliament. The writs of election for the 2011 election were issued by Governor General David Johnston on March ...

; the Conservatives won 16.52% of the vote and overtook the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...

in Quebec, but won only 5 seats out of 78, against a strong push from the NDP who won 59 seats.

Minister of Natural Resources

In March 2011, as Minister of Natural Resources, Minister Paradis in the company of Minister Normandeau announced that the governments of Canada and Quebec reached a historic agreement in principle for the co-management of the Old Harry hydrocarbon reservoir, located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Minister of Industry

As Minister of Industry and therefore responsible for telecommunications, Minister Paradis stood up to the telecommunications industry, stressing the need for four national carriers to maintain competition in all regions of the country. He announced in March 2012, the lifting of restrictions on foreign ownership for smaller players in the wireless industry and in March 2013, he announced a new broadband wireless spectrum auction to enable access to new entrants and incumbents.

Minister for International Development and La Francophonie

He was appointed Minister of International Development and La Francophonie on July 15, 2013. He supports the candidacy of the former Governor General of Canada,

Michaëlle Jean Michaëlle Jean (; born September 6, 1957) is a Canadian stateswoman and former journalist who served from 2005 to 2010 as governor general of Canada, the 27th since Canadian Confederation. She is the first Haitian Canadian and black person ...

and supports her successful campaign for the position of Secretary General of the

Organisation internationale de la Francophonie The (OIF; sometimes shortened to the Francophonie, french: La Francophonie , but also called International Organisation of in English-language context) is an international organization representing countries and regions where French is a ...

After politics

Since January 2016, the former minister of the Harper government has held the position of senior vice-president, strategic development of protective services in Canada at GardaWorld. He sits on several boards of directors:

Forum of Federations The Forum of Federations is an international organization based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It develops and shares comparative expertise on the practice of federal and decentralized governance through a global network. The Forum and its partners ...

, Canada World Youth, Macdonald–Laurier Institute and Leomed Technologies.

Electoral record

Honours

* Member of the

Queen's Privy Council for Canada The 's Privy Council for Canada (french: Conseil privé du Roi pour le Canada),) during the reign of a queen. sometimes called Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal consultants to the ...

(2007). *

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (french: Médaille du jubilé de diamant de la reine Elizabeth II) or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

(2012) presented by the Right Honorable David Lloyd Johnston

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paradis, Christian 1974 births Conservative Party of Canada MPs French Quebecers Living people Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada People from Thetford Mines Lawyers in Quebec Université de Sherbrooke alumni Université Laval alumni Mining ministers of Canada Members of the 28th Canadian Ministry