Marc Godbout
Encyclopedia
Marc Godbout is the former Canadian
Member of Parliament
(MP) for the Ottawa—Orléans
riding. He was first elected in the 2004 Canadian federal election, representing the Liberal Party of Canada
.
Born in Ottawa
, Ontario
, Godbout has a Master's degree in education
from the University of Ottawa
.
Before entering politics, he worked as a high school history teacher. He has been Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for elementary and secondary education in Ontario and Director General and Secretary Treasurer of the Conseil des écoles catholiques de langue française du Centre-Est de l’Ontario.
He entered federal politics by running for the Liberal nomination against sitting Liberal MP Eugène Bellemare
. Bellemare, who held the riding for several elections, was removed. After his defeat in the nomination, Bellemare retired from politics.
Godbout succeeded in beating the Conservative candidate Walter Robinson in the general election of 2004, by a slim majority. He campaigned on bringing more federal government jobs to the east end of Ottawa.
In the 2006 general election, Godbout ran on a platform of Liberal support for municipalities and infrastructure. After eighteen years of the riding being held by the Liberals, Godbout was defeated for re-election when the Conservative Party of Canada won the riding under Royal Galipeau
in the federal election of January 23, 2006.
Godbout, along with a number of former and present Ontario Liberal MPs endorsed party leadership candidate Gerard Kennedy
. At the Liberal Party Convention in Montreal, Godbout supported Michael Ignatieff
after Kennedy dropped off the ballot. At the final ballot, Ignatieff was defeated by Stéphane Dion
.
On April 29, 2007, Godbout was nominated to run in the 40th Canadian federal election
in a re-match against Galipeau. In the 2008 Canadian federal election, Godbout lost for the second time in a row to Conservative incumbent Royal Galipeau, and this time by an increased majority. The re-election of Galipeau marks the first time a Conservative candidate has been re-elected in the Orléans riding since 1872.
In July 2009, Godbout announced that he would not make another run at reclaiming the riding in the next federal election. He said the decision was a professional one, as he wanted to focus on his business, a consulting firm, operating out of the east end.
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...
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,...
(MP) for the Ottawa—Orléans
Ottawa—Orléans
Ottawa—Orléans is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988....
riding. He was first elected in the 2004 Canadian federal election, representing 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...
.
Born in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, 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....
, Godbout has a Master's degree in education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
from the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
.
Before entering politics, he worked as a high school history teacher. He has been Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for elementary and secondary education in Ontario and Director General and Secretary Treasurer of the Conseil des écoles catholiques de langue française du Centre-Est de l’Ontario.
He entered federal politics by running for the Liberal nomination against sitting Liberal MP Eugène Bellemare
Eugène Bellemare
Eugène Bellemare is a Canadian politician.Bellemare is a former Member of Parliament of the Liberal Party of Canada in the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Ottawa—Orléans between 2000 and 2004 and previously Carleton—Gloucester from 1988 to 2000. Bellemare is a former...
. Bellemare, who held the riding for several elections, was removed. After his defeat in the nomination, Bellemare retired from politics.
Godbout succeeded in beating the Conservative candidate Walter Robinson in the general election of 2004, by a slim majority. He campaigned on bringing more federal government jobs to the east end of Ottawa.
In the 2006 general election, Godbout ran on a platform of Liberal support for municipalities and infrastructure. After eighteen years of the riding being held by the Liberals, Godbout was defeated for re-election when the Conservative Party of Canada won the riding under Royal Galipeau
Royal Galipeau
Royal Galipeau is a Member of Parliament for the Ottawa—Orléans federal constituency. He was the successful Conservative Party candidate in the Canadian federal elections of 2006 and 2008...
in the federal election of January 23, 2006.
Godbout, along with a number of former and present Ontario Liberal MPs endorsed party leadership candidate Gerard Kennedy
Gerard Kennedy
Gerard Michael Kennedy is a Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as Ontario's Minister of Education from 2003 to 2006, when he resigned to make an unsuccessful bid for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada...
. At the Liberal Party Convention in Montreal, Godbout supported 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...
after Kennedy dropped off the ballot. At the final ballot, Ignatieff was defeated by 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...
.
On April 29, 2007, Godbout was nominated to run in the 40th Canadian federal election
40th Canadian federal election
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
in a re-match against Galipeau. In the 2008 Canadian federal election, Godbout lost for the second time in a row to Conservative incumbent Royal Galipeau, and this time by an increased majority. The re-election of Galipeau marks the first time a Conservative candidate has been re-elected in the Orléans riding since 1872.
In July 2009, Godbout announced that he would not make another run at reclaiming the riding in the next federal election. He said the decision was a professional one, as he wanted to focus on his business, a consulting firm, operating out of the east end.