Charmaine Borg
Encyclopedia
Charmaine Borg is the New Democratic Party
Member of Parliament for the riding
of Terrebonne—Blainville
in Quebec
, having been first elected in the 2011 Canadian federal election. She defeated incumbent MP Diane Bourgeois
of the Bloc Québécois
.
A Montreal
resident, Borg was born in Keswick
, Ontario
, and is fully bilingual in French
and English
. However, according to her parliamentary profile, she prefers to speak French on the floor of the Commons.
's Community Volunteer Award in 2008.
At the time of her election, she was a student studying political science and Latin American studies at McGill University
and was also working as the Labour Relations Officer for the Association of McGill University Support Employees. She was also co-president of the student New Democratic Party club at McGill University
.
, Laurin Liu, and Matthew Dubé, and graduate student Jamie Nicholls, elected to Parliament in the federal 2011 election following the NDP's unexpected mid-campaign surge in Quebec. Not only did Borg win a seat in the 2011 election, but that election was the first time she had ever voted in a federal election.
Borg and Dubé were co-presidents of NDP McGill (the NDP student group at McGill University) at the time that they both won election to Parliament, and both had spent the campaign working to re-elect Thomas Mulcair
in the nearby riding
of Outremont
. During the election, Borg did not own a cell phone, so Le Trait d'Union newspaper had been unable to reach her throughout the campaign despite making repeated attempts. Originally planning to spend the Fall 2011 term as a foreign exchange student
in Mexico
, she will instead remain in Canada to serve as a Member of Parliament.
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
Member of Parliament for the riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Terrebonne—Blainville
Terrebonne—Blainville
Terrebonne—Blainville is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1867....
in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, having been first elected in the 2011 Canadian federal election. She defeated incumbent MP Diane Bourgeois
Diane Bourgeois
Diane Bourgeois is a Canadian politician. She was a Bloc Québécois Member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding Terrebonne—Blainville from 2000 until 2011...
of the Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
.
A Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
resident, Borg was born in Keswick
Keswick, Ontario
Keswick is a community in the south central portion of the Canadian province of Ontario. Located north of Toronto on Cook's Bay , Keswick is part of the Town of Georgina...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and is fully bilingual in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. However, according to her parliamentary profile, she prefers to speak French on the floor of the Commons.
Early years
After creating a drama program for at-risk youth, she won the Lieutenant GovernorLieutenant Governor of Quebec
The Lieutenant Governor of Quebec : Lieutenant-gouverneur du Québec, or : Lieutenant-gouverneure du Québec) is the viceregal representative in Quebec of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions...
's Community Volunteer Award in 2008.
At the time of her election, she was a student studying political science and Latin American studies at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
and was also working as the Labour Relations Officer for the Association of McGill University Support Employees. She was also co-president of the student New Democratic Party club at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
.
Entrance to politics
She was one of five current McGill students, alongside fellow undergraduates Mylène FreemanMylène Freeman
Mylène Freeman is the New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for the riding of Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel in Quebec, first elected in the 2011 Canadian federal election after defeating incumbent MP Mario Laframboise of the Bloc Québécois.Born in Stouffville, Ontario, she is fluent in both...
, Laurin Liu, and Matthew Dubé, and graduate student Jamie Nicholls, elected to Parliament in the federal 2011 election following the NDP's unexpected mid-campaign surge in Quebec. Not only did Borg win a seat in the 2011 election, but that election was the first time she had ever voted in a federal election.
Borg and Dubé were co-presidents of NDP McGill (the NDP student group at McGill University) at the time that they both won election to Parliament, and both had spent the campaign working to re-elect Thomas Mulcair
Thomas Mulcair
Thomas J. "Tom" Mulcair is a Canadian lawyer, university professor, and politician. He is the federal Member of Parliament for Outremont, Quebec, Canada, and currently holds a seat in the New Democratic Party of Canada...
in the nearby riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Outremont
Outremont (electoral district)
Outremont is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1935 to 1949, and since 1968...
. During the election, Borg did not own a cell phone, so Le Trait d'Union newspaper had been unable to reach her throughout the campaign despite making repeated attempts. Originally planning to spend the Fall 2011 term as a foreign exchange student
Student exchange program
A student exchange program generally could be defined as a program where students from secondary school or university choose to study abroad in partner institutions...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, she will instead remain in Canada to serve as a Member of Parliament.