Marie-France Lalonde

Marie-France Lalonde MP (born c. 1971) is a Franco-Ontarian politician in Ontario, Canada who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Orléans as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada since 2019. She also served as the Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the provincial riding of Orléans from 2014 until 2019, when she resigned her seat to run federally.[1] She then won in her riding with 54 percent of the vote.[2]

Marie-France Lalonde MP
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Orléans
Incumbent
Assumed office October 21, 2019
Preceded by	Andrew Leslie
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
In office June 12, 2014 – September 20, 2019
Preceded by	Phil McNeely
Succeeded by	Stephen Blais
Constituency	Ottawa-Orléans (2014–2018) Orléans (2018–2019)
Personal details
Born	1971 (age 48–49) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Political party	Liberal
Other political affiliations	Liberal (provincial)
Residence	Orleans, Ontario, Canada
Profession	Business owner, social worker

In January 2017, she was appointed as Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.[3] In July 2017, she was appointed as the first Minister of Francophone Affairs.[4] She served in those roles until the end of the government of Kathleen Wynne. She previously served as Minister of Government and Consumer Services and as Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs in the cabinet of Kathleen Wynne.

Background

Lalonde was born in Ottawa, Ontario, and she grew up in Gatineau, Quebec. She attended Collège de l'Outaouais and later the University of Ottawa.[5] She worked for the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the Ottawa Hospital, and she is a co-owner of Portobello Manor, a senior's residence. She lives in Orleans, Ontario, with her husband Alvaro and their daughter.[6]

Politics

Provincial politics

Lalonde ran in the 2014 provincial election as the Liberal candidate in the riding of Ottawa—Orléans. She defeated Progressive Conservative candidate Andrew Lister by 11,472 votes.[7][8]

She was the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure, focusing on economic development issues. She was also the Parliamentary Assistant to Madeleine Meilleur in her capacity as responsible for francophone affairs. On September 2, 2015, she was appointed as Chief Government Whip and served until her appointment to cabinet.[9][10]

In June 2016, she was appointed to cabinet as the Minister of Government and Consumer Services and the Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs on June 13, 2016.[11] On January 12, 2017, she was moved to the position of Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, replacing David Orazietti, who resigned unexpectedly in December 2016.[12] In July 2017, she was created the Minister of Francophone Affairs.[13]

In March 2015, she introduced a Private Member's Bill to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Bill 75, which would ban the production and addition of microbeads to cosmetic products in Ontario. Ontario was the first provincial jurisdiction to address the growing concern of microbeads. In June 2015, Bill 75 went to public hearings at committee.[14][15]

In March 2016, Lalonde introduced a motion that sought to have a monument to the first two female MPPs elected to the Ontario Legislature erected on the grounds of the legislature. The motion was debated on March 22, 2016, and received unanimous support from all three parties.[16]

As Minister of Government and Consumer Services, she introduced Bill 59, Putting Consumers First Act, which introduced regulations for door-to-door sales, home inspectors and further regulations for alternative financial services.[17]

In November 2017, she introduced legislation leading to a wholesale reform of the Police Services Act. This act was informed by public consultation and a report by Justice Tulloch. The reforms introduced greater oversight for police, and significant changes to how police will operate in the province.[18]

On March 20, 2018, she introduced Bill 6 - the Correctional Services Transformation Act, 2018. It passed Third Reading in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and received Royal Assent on May 7, 2018.[19] The Act will result in improved conditions, increased transparency, and will apply a consistent and evidence-based approach to rehabilitation and reintegration to better prepare those in custody for a successful and well-supported return to their communities. The Act transform Ontario's adult correctional system by setting rules and clearly defining segregation, improving conditions of confinement, increasing transparency and accountability, ensuring incarcerated individuals have access to appropriate health care services, and better supporting rehabilitation and reintegration.[20]

In a 2017 episode of the television series Political Blind Date, Lalonde and Cheri DiNovo discussed their differing perspectives on the issue of criminal justice and corrections.[21]

Federal politics

On May 13, 2019, Lalonde announced that she would be running for the federal Liberal Party's nomination in the 2019 federal election to attempt to succeed retiring MP Andrew Leslie in Orléans.[22] She won the nomination on September 19[23] and resigned her seat the next day.[24]

On October 21, Lalonde won the riding of Orléans with 54 per cent of the vote.[25]

Cabinet positions

Ontario Provincial Government of Kathleen Wynne
Cabinet posts (2)
Predecessor	Office	Successor
David Orazietti	Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services 2017–2018 Also responsible for Francophone Affairs	Michael Tibollo
David Orazietti	Minister of Government and Consumer Services 2016–2017	Tracy MacCharles
Special Parliamentary Responsibilities
Predecessor	Title	Successor
Bob Delaney	Chief Government Whip 2015–2016	Jim Bradley

Election results

Orléans

2019 Canadian federal election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Marie-France Lalonde	43,533	54.3	-5.37
	Conservative	David Bertschi	22,697	28.3	-2.24
	New Democratic	Jacqui Wiens	9,277	11.6	+3.63
	Green	Michelle Petersen	3,727	4.6	+2.79
	People's	Roger Saint-Fleur	964	1.2	–
Total valid votes/Expense limit				100.0
Total rejected ballots
Turnout			80,198
Eligible voters			106,021
	Liberal hold		Swing		-
Source: Elections Canada[26]

2018 Ontario general election: Orléans
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Marie-France Lalonde	24,972	39.05	−14.45
	Progressive Conservative	Cameron Montgomery	22,509	35.20	+2.06
	New Democratic	Barbara Zarboni	14,033	21.94	+12.96
	Green	Nicholas Lapierre	1,603	2.51	−1.14
	Independent	Samuel Schwisberg	435	0.68
	Libertarian	Gerald Boudreau	398	0.62	−0.11
Total valid votes			63,950	99.09
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots			589	0.91	−0.18
Turnout			64,539	62.77	+5.83
Eligible voters			102,821
	Liberal hold		Swing		−8.26
Source: Elections Ontario[27]

2014 Ontario general election: Ottawa—Orléans
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Marie-France Lalonde	29,911	53.50	+7.06
	Progressive Conservative	Andrew Lister	18,525	33.14	−7.24
	New Democratic	Prosper M'Bemba-Meka	5,022	8.98	−1.60
	Green	Bob Bell	2,036	3.64	+1.76
	Libertarian	Gerry Bourdeau	411	0.74	+0.41
Total valid votes			55,905	98.91
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots			615	1.09	+0.71
Turnout			56,520	56.94	+4.29
Eligible voters			99,258
	Liberal hold		Swing		+7.15
Source(s) "General Election Results". Elections Ontario. 2014. Retrieved 2018-06-07.

References

1. Randall Denley (September 25, 2019). "Denley: Orléans riding is hurting for lack of federal jobs". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
2. "Orléans (electoral district) - Wikipedia". en.m.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
3. "Marie-France Lalonde Ontario's new Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services". news.ontario.ca. Retrieved 2017-11-23.
4. Benzie, Robert (2017-07-31). "Wynne shuffles cabinet after Murray's departure". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2017-11-23.
5. Pierroz, Sébastien (July 8, 2014). "Marie-France Lalonde, a new face for Ottawa-Orléans". Orléans Star.
6. Kitts, Catherine (June 12, 2014). "Marie-France Lalonde wins handedly in Ottawa-Orléans". Orléans Star.
7. Duffy, Andrew (June 12, 2014). "Lalonde builds on Liberal legacy in Ottawa-Orleans". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
8. "General Election by District: Ottawa-Orléans". Elections Ontario. June 12, 2014. Archived from the original on September 23, 2014.
9. http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2016/06/12/bradley-steps-down-from-cabinet-role
10. Reevely, David (September 4, 2015). "Orléans's MPP Marie-France Lalonde named Liberals' chief whip". Ottawa Citizen.
11. "Reevely: Lalonde joins cabinet as Kathleen Wynne shuffles her ministers". Ottawa Citizen. 2016-06-13. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
12. "Kathleen Wynne appoints new corrections minister in small cabinet shuffle". CBC News. January 12, 2017.
13. Benzie, Robert (2017-07-31). "Wynne shuffles cabinet after Murray's departure". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2017-11-23.
14. Smith, Joanna (May 14, 2015). "Banning microbeads from cosmetics and toiletries". Toronto Star.
15. "Bill 75, Microbead Elimination and Monitoring Act, 2015". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. June 4, 2015.
16. "Motion passed to have statue of female MPPs erected on Queen's Park grounds". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
17. "Ontario Putting Consumers First". news.ontario.ca. Retrieved 2017-11-23.
18. "SIU given more authority under new Safer Ontario Act - CityNews Toronto". CityNews Toronto. 2017-11-02. Retrieved 2017-11-23.
19. https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-41/session-3/bill-6
20. https://news.ontario.ca/mcscs/en/2018/05/ontario-passes-legislation-to-transform-adult-correctional-system.html
21. "Political Blind Date series hopes opposites attract, or at least get along". Toronto Star, November 4, 2017.
22. "Ottawa MPP Marie-France Lalonde seeks federal seat after Leslie retires". National Post. May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
23. Pfeffer, Amanda (September 20, 2019). "Lalonde wins Orléans nomination as voters say they were turned away". CBC News. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
24. https://www.ola.org/en/members/all/marie-france-lalonde
25. "Liberal Marie-France Lalonde is the new MP for Orléans". CBC News. Ottawa. October 21, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
26. "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
27. "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. p. 6. Retrieved 20 January 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Ontario Legislative Assembly parliamentary history (archived)