Hélène LeBlanc

Hélène LeBlanc (born March 27, 1958) is a Canadian politician. She served in the House of Commons of Canada from 2011 to 2015, representing the riding of LaSalle—Émard as a member of the New Democratic Party. In the official opposition shadow cabinet, she was critic for Industry.

Hélène LeBlanc
Shadow Minister for Industry
In office April 19, 2012 – August 12, 2013
Leader	Thomas Mulcair
Preceded by	Guy Caron
Succeeded by	Chris Charlton
Member of the Canadian Parliament for LaSalle—Émard
In office May 30, 2011 – August 4, 2015
Preceded by	Lise Zarac
Succeeded by	Riding dissolved
Chair of the Standing Committee on Status of Women
In office 29 October 2013 – August 4, 2015
Minister	Kellie Leitch
Preceded by	Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe
Succeeded by	Marilyn Gladu
Personal details
Born	(1958-03-27) March 27, 1958 Lyster, Quebec
Political party	New Democratic Party

Early life and career

LeBlanc was born on March 27, 1958 in Lyster, Quebec.[1] Her father was a doctor and her mother was a school trustee and mayor of Lyster, sparking her interest in politics.[2] LeBlanc received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1979 from Université Sainte-Anne and a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Ottawa in 1983.

LeBlanc worked as an educator, teaching French in Vancouver and Ottawa. She also served as an interpreter and guide for the Canada Museums of Science and Technology Corporation in Ottawa and the Canada Agriculture Museum.[2]

LeBlanc later received a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture and environment from McGill University 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.[2]

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.[2]

LeBlanc is an avid cyclist and a member of Vélo Québec.[2]

Member of Parliament

LeBlanc first entered politics in 2009 with Projet Montréal, seeking the position of borough councilor for the district of Saint-Paul-Émard.[3] Although her campaign was unsuccessful, she gained the attention of the New Democratic Party (NDP) and was chosen as their nominee in the 2011 federal election to represent the riding of LaSalle—Émard. LeBlanc was elected on May 2, 2011, defeating freshman incumbent Lise Zarac of the Liberal Party with 42.2% of the vote.[4] She assumed office on May 30, 2011.

On May 26, 2011, then-leader of the NDP Jack Layton named LeBlanc to his shadow cabinet as critic for Science and Technology.[5] She was later promoted to critic for Industry in 2012 by Layton’s successor, Thomas Mulcair.[6]

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.[7]

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 Conference as the official delegate of the NDP.[8] Also in 2011, LeBlanc was part of a keynote panel at the Canadian Science Policy Conference.[9] She met to discuss science policy with foreign diplomats including the Ambassador of the United States and the Ambassador of Mexico.[10]

In the 2015 federal election, LeBlanc was defeated in the redistributed riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun by Liberal David Lametti.[11]

Electoral record

2015 Canadian federal election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	David Lametti	23,603	43.90	+25.60	$93,016.24
	New Democratic	Hélène LeBlanc	15,566	28.95	-16.22	$46,314.39
	Bloc Québécois	Gilbert Paquette	9,164	17.05	-6.39	$43,806.34
	Conservative	Mohammad Zamir	3,713	6.91	-2.83	–
	Green	Lorraine Banville	1,717	3.19	+0.63	–
Total valid votes/Expense limit			53,763	100.00		$221,667.78
Total rejected ballots			823	1.51	–
Turnout			54,586	65.12	–
Eligible voters			83,824
Source: Elections Canada[12][13]

References

1. Hélène LeBlanc – Parliament of Canada biography
2. "About Hélène LeBlanc". Archived from the original on 2012-07-09.
3. "Projet Montréal Presents its Sud-Ouest Borough Team". Projet Montréal. September 17, 2009. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
4. "LaSalle-Émard". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2011-04-14.
5. "Hélène LeBlanc named critic for Science and Technology in NDP Shadow Cabinet". Archived from the original on 2011-08-17.
6. "Hélène LeBlanc Gets Promotion as New NDP Industry Critic". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.
7. LeBlanc, Hélène and Dan Harris, "Government policy has failed to stimulate private spending in R&D for more than a decade", Innovation: The Hill Times Policy Briefing, February 27, 2012.
8. "Hélène LeBlanc représente le NPD auprès de 6 000 scientifiques réunis à Vancouver". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.
9. "Ma porte est toujours ouverte aux scientifiques, chercheurs et innovateurs". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
10. "One Year After the May 2nd Election, Hélène LeBlanc is Proud of the Work Accomplished". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
11. Wilton, Katherine (October 20, 2015). "Liberals' Lametti takes rejigged LaSalle-Émard-Verdun from NDP". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
12. Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, 30 September 2015
13. Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived 2015-08-15 at the Wayback Machine