Hélène LeBlanc (born March 27, 1958) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician. She served in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

from 2011 to 2015, representing the riding of

LaSalle—Émard LaSalle—Émard was a federal electoral district in the Canadian province of Quebec that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 2015. Its population in 2001 was 99,767. The MP from 1988 to 2008 was Paul Martin, who s ...

as a member of the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...

. In the official opposition shadow cabinet, she was critic for Industry.

Early life and career

LeBlanc was born on March 27, 1958 in

Lyster, Quebec Lyster is a municipality in the Centre-du-Québec region of the province of Quebec in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and north ...

. Her father was a doctor and her mother was a school trustee and mayor of Lyster, sparking her interest in politics. LeBlanc received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1979 from

Université Sainte-Anne Université Sainte-Anne is a French-language university in Pointe-de-l'Église, Nova Scotia, Canada. It and the Université de Moncton in New Brunswick are the only French-language universities in the Maritime Provinces. History It was found ...

and a Bachelor of Education degree from the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...

in 1983. LeBlanc worked as an educator, teaching French in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

and

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. She also served as an interpreter and guide for the Canada Museums of Science and Technology Corporation in Ottawa and the

Canada Agriculture Museum The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum (french: Musée de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation du Canada) is a national agricultural museum in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Occupying several buildings within the Central Experimental Farm, the museum ope ...

. LeBlanc later received a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture and environment from

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

in 2004. An agronomist by training, she served as a project manager for the ''Conseil d'assainissement et d'aménagement du ruisseau Lacorne'' prior to her election as MP. LeBlanc also worked as an assistant to persons suffering from Alzheimers Baluchon Alzheimer and as an agro-environment officer with the ''Fédération de l’Union des producteurs agricoles de l’Outaouais-Laurentides''. LeBlanc is an avid cyclist and a member of '' Vélo Québec''.

Member of Parliament

LeBlanc first entered politics in 2009 with

Projet Montréal Projet Montréal (officially Projet Montréal - Équipe Valérie Plante) is a progressive, environmentalist municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 2004, it is led by Valérie Plante, and holds a majority of seats on M ...

, seeking the position of borough councilor for the district of Saint-Paul-Émard. Although her campaign was unsuccessful, she gained the attention of the

(NDP) and was chosen as their nominee in the 2011 federal election to represent the riding of

. LeBlanc was elected on May 2, 2011, defeating freshman incumbent

Lise Zarac Lise Zarac (born August 22, 1950 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian politician, currently sitting on the Montreal City Council. She represented the federal electoral district of LaSalle—Émard, Quebec from 2008 until 2011 as a member of th ...

of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

with 42.2% of the vote. She assumed office on May 30, 2011. On May 26, 2011, then-leader of the NDP

Jack Layton John Gilbert Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian academic and politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011 and leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. He previously sat on To ...

named LeBlanc to his shadow cabinet as critic for Science and Technology. She was later promoted to critic for Industry in 2012 by Layton’s successor,

Thomas Mulcair Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) Thomas is a male given name of Aramaic origins. The English spelling "Thomas" is a transliteration; through Latin "Thomas", of the approximate Greek translite ...

. In these roles, LeBlanc played a role in the development of policy on science, technology, industry, and innovation for the NDP. She defended the right of government scientists to speak freely to the media and public, worked to reform Canada’s research and development programs, and advocated for green initiatives in Canadian research. LeBlanc became an active figure in the arena of science and technology, bringing visibility to the NDP in these areas. In 2011, she attended the annual conference of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

Conference as the official delegate of the NDP. Also in 2011, LeBlanc was part of a keynote panel at the Canadian Science Policy Conference. She met to discuss science policy with foreign diplomats including the Ambassador of the United States and the Ambassador of Mexico. In the 2015 federal election, LeBlanc was defeated in the redistributed riding of

LaSalle—Émard—Verdun LaSalle—Émard—Verdun is a federal electoral district in Montreal, Quebec. It was created by the 2012 federal electoral boundaries redistribution and was legally defined in the 2013 representation order. It came into effect upon the call o ...

by Liberal

David Lametti David T. Lametti (born August 10, 1962) is a Canadian politician who has been the minister of justice and attorney general of Canada since 2019. A member of the Liberal Party, Lametti sits as a member of Parliament (MP) and has represented L ...

Electoral record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leblanc, Helene 1958 births Living people New Democratic Party MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Women members of the House of Commons of Canada University of Ottawa alumni McGill University Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences alumni 21st-century Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians