France Gélinas is a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 politician, who was elected to represent 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 Nickel Belt

Nickel Belt (provincial electoral district)

Nickel Belt is a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of Ontario. It elects one member to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The district is located in Northern Ontario and includes much of the eastern and southern parts of the District of Sudbury, as well as most of Greater...

 in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Legislative Assembly of Ontario

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...

 in the 2007 Ontario election

Ontario general election, 2007

The Ontario general election of 2007 was held on October 10, 2007 to elect members of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. The Liberals under Dalton McGuinty won the election with a majority government, winning 71 out of a possible 107 seats with 42.2% of the popular...

. She is a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party

Ontario New Democratic Party

The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...

.

Gélinas, a Franco-Ontarian

Franco-Ontarian

Franco-Ontarians are French Canadian or francophone residents of the Canadian province of Ontario. They are sometimes known as "Ontarois"....

, is trained as a physiotherapist. She has been the executive director of the Community Health Centre of Sudbury, is on the United Way

United Way of Canada

United Way of Canada is the national organization for the 117 autonomous, volunteer-based United Ways across Canada. United Way campaigns raise money for local groups that address community issues and problems, and the national organization provides leadership, services and coordination to the...

's Citizens' Advisory Panel, and serves as president of the Francophone Reference Group of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine

Northern Ontario School of Medicine

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is a medical school in the Canadian province of Ontario, created through a partnership between Laurentian University in Sudbury and Lakehead University in Thunder Bay...

. She lives in the Naughton neighbourhood of Sudbury with her husband, Keith Harris, and has three children and three grandchildren.

She has been named the party's critic for Health and Long-Term Care

Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (Ontario)

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is the Government of Ontario ministry responsible for administering the health care system and providing services to the province of Ontario...

, Northern Development and Mines

Ministry of Northern Development and Mines (Ontario)

The Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry is responsible for assisting economic development in the Northern Ontario region, and for mining and forestry regulation, in the Canadian province of Ontario....

, Seniors

Ontario Seniors' Secretariat

Ontario Seniors' Secretariat is responsible for senior citizens issues in the Canadian province of Ontario.The current Minister Responsible for Seniors is the Honourable Sophia Aggelonitis....

 and Disabilities in the NDP's shadow cabinet

Shadow Cabinet

The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...

. In May 2008, she joined caucus colleagues Michael Prue

Michael Prue

Michael D. Prue is a Canadian politician, who represents the riding of Beaches—East York in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He is the New Democratic Party critic for Finance, Public Infrastructure Renewal, Community and Social Services and the Management Board of Cabinet, and for issues...

 and Peter Tabuns

Peter Tabuns

Peter Charles Tabuns is a Canadian politician. He is serving as a member of the Ontario Legislative Assembly where he represents the riding of Toronto-Danforth as a member of the New Democratic Party. He launched a bid to lead the party after the previous leader, Howard Hampton, resigned. A...

 in calling on the provincial government to crack down on private hydroelectricity marketers

Ontario electricity policy

Ontario electricity policy refers to plans, legislation, incentives, guidelines, and policy processes put in place by the Government of the Province of Ontario, Canada, to address issues of electricity production, distribution, and consumption. Policymaking in the electricity sector involves...

.

She has been an outspoken critic of competitive bidding in the province's home care

Home care

Home Care, , is health care or supportive care provided in the patient's home by healthcare professionals Home Care, (also referred to as domiciliary care or social care), is health care or supportive care provided in the patient's home by healthcare professionals Home Care, (also referred to as...

 services, and of layoffs affecting nurses in the province's hospital

Hospital

A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....

s.

Following the announcement of Howard Hampton

Howard Hampton

Howard George Hampton, MPP is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He has served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, since 1987 as the Member of Provincial Parliament from the northern riding of Kenora—Rainy River. A member of the Ontario New Democratic Party, he was also the party's...

's retirement as leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party, there was some speculation in Sudbury's local media that Gélinas might join the leadership campaign

Ontario New Democratic Party leadership election, 2009

The 2009 Ontario New Democratic Party leadership election was held in Hamilton, from March 6 to 8, 2009 to elect a successor to Howard Hampton as leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party . On June 15, 2008, Hampton informed the party's provincial council that he would not stand for re-election as...

. However, she indicated on June 16, 2008 that as a relatively new MPP, she did not feel that she was ready to become a leadership candidate. She later endorsed Gilles Bisson

Gilles Bisson

Gilles Bisson is a Franco-Ontarian Canadian politician who has represented the northern riding of Timmins—James Bay in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1990...

 for the leadership, and supported the eventual winner, Andrea Horwath

Andrea Horwath

Andrea Horwath , is a Canadian activist and politician. She is the Leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party in Canada. She is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Hamilton Centre, and was chosen as the party's leader at its 2009 leadership convention.She is...

, on the final ballot at the convention.

In 2009, Gélinas introduced the Healthy Decisions for Healthy Eating bill, a private member's bill

Private Member's Bill

A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...

 which would mandate the provision of nutritional and calorie

Calorie

The calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. It was first defined by Nicolas Clément in 1824 as a unit of heat, entering French and English dictionaries between 1841 and 1867. In most fields its use is archaic, having been replaced by the SI unit of energy, the joule...

 information on restaurant menus. In 2011, she introduced a private member's bill to have the provincial Commissioner of French Language Services report to the full Legislative Assembly of Ontario, rather than exclusively to the Minister of Francophone Affairs

Office of Francophone Affairs

The Office of Francophone Affairs in the Canadian province of Ontario is responsible for the provision of government services to Franco-Ontarian citizens and communities....

.

Electoral record

|-

|France Gélinas
|align="right"|15,126
|align="right"|46.6
|align="right"|0.08
|-

|Ron Dupuis
|align="right"|12,341
|align="right"|38.0
|align="right"|-0.64
|-

|Renée Germain
|align="right"|3,264
|align="right"|10.1
|align="right"|-3.39
|-

|Fred Twilley
|align="right"|1,368
|align="right"|4.2
|align="right"|2.85
|-

|Richard St-Denis
|align="right"|341
|align="right"|1.1
|align="right"|
|}

External links

• NDP caucus bio