Lucienne Robillard
Encyclopedia
Lucienne Robillard, PC
(born June 16, 1945 in Montreal
, Quebec
) is a Canadian
politician and a member of the Liberal Party of Canada
. She sat in the Canadian House of Commons
as the Member of Parliament
for the riding of Westmount—Ville-Marie
in Montreal
.
Robillard had a career as a social worker before entering politics. In the Quebec election of 1989
, she was elected to the Quebec National Assembly in the riding of Chambly
as a member of the Liberal Party of Quebec. She was appointed to the provincial cabinet of Premier
Robert Bourassa
as Minister of Cultural Affairs. In 1992, she became Minister of Education, and then served as Minister of Health and Social Services from 1994 until the defeat of the Liberal government.
She then moved to federal politics as a star candidate
when she was elected to the Canadian House of Commons
in a by-election
in the safe Liberal riding of Westmount—Ville-Marie. Jean Chrétien
appointed her to the federal cabinet as Minister of Labour
and Minister responsible for the federal campaign in the 1995 Quebec referendum
.
In 1996, she became Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
. On August 3, 1999, she assumed the responsibilities of President of the Treasury Board
.
When Paul Martin
became Prime Minister of Canada
in 2003, he moved Robillard to the position of Minister of Industry
and Minister for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. With the cabinet shuffle
that followed the 2004 election
, she became Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
and President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
.
Upon Judy Sgro
's resignation from Cabinet on January 14, 2005, Joe Volpe
moved to fill the vacant position of Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
, and Robillard assumed his prior responsibilities as Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development
. When Belinda Stronach
crossed the floor
and joined the Liberals in the House of Commons on May 17, 2005, she replaced Robillard as Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.
On February 1, 2006, she was named deputy leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Commons by Interim Leader Bill Graham. She held this post until the newly elected leader, Stéphane Dion
(who represents the nearby riding of Saint-Laurent—Cartierville
), in accordance with the customary Anglophone/Francophone division of duties, appointed the Anglophone Michael Ignatieff
as his deputy.
On April 4, 2007, she announced she would not run in the next election. She resigned her seat on January 25, 2008.
In 2010 she became co-chair of the election campaign for the Liberal Party of Canada in Quebec. In May of 2010 she was elected President of the Liberal Party of Canada (Quebec) (LPCQ) by the Board of directors to replace Marc Lavigne who had resigned for personal reasons a few months after having been elected by the delegates at the October 2009 convention. Lucienne Robillard was also co-chair of the Electoral Commission of the LPCQ in 2010 and 2011 until the commission was dissolved at the start of the 2011 electoral campaign.
As president of the LPCQ she also sits on the National Board of Directors of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
(born June 16, 1945 in 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...
, 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....
) 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 and a member of the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
. She sat in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
as the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the riding of Westmount—Ville-Marie
Westmount—Ville-Marie
Westmount—Ville-Marie is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997. Its population in 2001 was 97,226.-Geography:...
in 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...
.
Robillard had a career as a social worker before entering politics. In the Quebec election of 1989
Quebec general election, 1989
The Quebec general election of 1989 was held on September 25, 1989, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada...
, she was elected to the Quebec National Assembly in the riding of Chambly
Chambly (provincial electoral district)
Chambly is a provincial electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada. Situated in the Montérégie region south of Montreal, the riding was created in 1829...
as a member of the Liberal Party of Quebec. She was appointed to the provincial cabinet of Premier
Premier of Quebec
The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
Robert Bourassa
Robert Bourassa
Jean-Robert Bourassa, was a politician in Quebec, Canada. He served as the 22nd Premier of Quebec in two different mandates, first from May 12, 1970, to November 25, 1976, and then from December 12, 1985, to January 11, 1994, serving a total of just under 15 years as Provincial Premier.-Early...
as Minister of Cultural Affairs. In 1992, she became Minister of Education, and then served as Minister of Health and Social Services from 1994 until the defeat of the Liberal government.
She then moved to federal politics as a star candidate
Star candidate
A star candidate refers to a high profile individual who has been recruited as a candidate by a political party. Star candidates have usually excelled in fields outside of politics such as academia, business, the media, journalism and/or sports...
when she was elected to the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in the safe Liberal riding of Westmount—Ville-Marie. Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
appointed her to the federal cabinet as Minister of Labour
Minister of Labour (Canada)
The Minister of Labour is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for setting national labour standards and federal labour dispute mechanisms...
and Minister responsible for the federal campaign in the 1995 Quebec referendum
1995 Quebec referendum
The 1995 Quebec referendum was the second referendum to ask voters in the Canadian province of Quebec whether Quebec should secede from Canada and become an independent state, through the question:...
.
In 1996, she became Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration (Canada)
The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government department responsible for immigration, refugee and citizenship issues, Citizenship and Immigration Canada...
. On August 3, 1999, she assumed the responsibilities of President of the Treasury Board
President of the Treasury Board (Canada)
The position of President of the Treasury Board was created as a ministerial position in the Canadian Cabinet in 1966 when the Treasury Board became a full-fledged department. From 1867 to 1966 the Treasury Board had been part of the Department of Finance....
.
When Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
became Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
in 2003, he moved Robillard to the position of Minister of Industry
Minister of Industry (Canada)
The Minister of Industry is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's economic development and corporate affairs department, Industry Canada. The Minister of Industry is also the minister responsible for Statistics Canada...
and Minister for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. With the cabinet shuffle
Cabinet shuffle
In the parliamentary system a cabinet shuffle or reshuffle is an informal term for an event that occurs when a head of government rotates or changes the composition of ministers in their cabinet....
that followed the 2004 election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
, she became Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs (Canada)
The Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the federal government's relations with the governments of the provinces and territories of Canada...
and President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
In the Canadian cabinet, the President of The Queen's Privy Council for Canada is nominally in charge of the Privy Council Office. The President of the Privy Council also has the largely ceremonial duty of presiding over meetings of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, a body which only convenes...
.
Upon Judy Sgro
Judy Sgro
Judy Sgro, PC, MP is a Canadian politician. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, she currently represents the electoral district of York West in the Canadian House of Commons.-Councillor:...
's resignation from Cabinet on January 14, 2005, Joe Volpe
Joe Volpe
Giuseppe Joseph "Joe" Volpe, PC, was a Canadian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 until the 2011 federal election, being surpassed by the conservative member Joe Oliver Joe Oliver, and held two senior positions in Prime Minister Paul Martin's Cabinet...
moved to fill the vacant position of Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration (Canada)
The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government department responsible for immigration, refugee and citizenship issues, Citizenship and Immigration Canada...
, and Robillard assumed his prior responsibilities as Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development
Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development (Canada)
The Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, the federal department that oversees programs such as Employment Insurance and Canada Student Loans...
. When Belinda Stronach
Belinda Stronach
Belinda Caroline Stronach, PC is a Canadian businessperson, philanthropist and former politician. She was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons from 2004 to 2008. Originally elected as a Conservative, she later crossed the floor to join the Liberals...
crossed the floor
Crossing the floor
In politics, crossing the floor has two meanings referring to a change of allegiance in a Westminster system parliament.The term originates from the British House of Commons, which is configured with the Government and Opposition facing each other on rows of benches...
and joined the Liberals in the House of Commons on May 17, 2005, she replaced Robillard as Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.
On February 1, 2006, she was named deputy leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Commons by Interim Leader Bill Graham. She held this post until the newly elected leader, Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Maurice Dion, PC, MP is a Canadian politician who has been the Member of Parliament for the riding of Saint-Laurent–Cartierville in Montreal since 1996. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Leader of the Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons from 2006 to 2008...
(who represents the nearby riding of Saint-Laurent—Cartierville
Saint-Laurent—Cartierville
Saint-Laurent—Cartierville is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988. Its population in 2006 was 109,015.-Geography:...
), in accordance with the customary Anglophone/Francophone division of duties, appointed the Anglophone Michael Ignatieff
Michael Ignatieff
Michael Grant Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic and former politician. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011...
as his deputy.
On April 4, 2007, she announced she would not run in the next election. She resigned her seat on January 25, 2008.
In 2010 she became co-chair of the election campaign for the Liberal Party of Canada in Quebec. In May of 2010 she was elected President of the Liberal Party of Canada (Quebec) (LPCQ) by the Board of directors to replace Marc Lavigne who had resigned for personal reasons a few months after having been elected by the delegates at the October 2009 convention. Lucienne Robillard was also co-chair of the Electoral Commission of the LPCQ in 2010 and 2011 until the commission was dissolved at the start of the 2011 electoral campaign.
As president of the LPCQ she also sits on the National Board of Directors of the Liberal Party of Canada.