Richard Merlini is a politician from 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....

, Canada

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...

. He was an Action démocratique du Québec

Action démocratique du Québec

The Action démocratique du Québec, commonly referred to as the ADQ is a centre-right political party in Quebec, Canada. On the sovereignty question, it defines itself as autonomist, and has support from both soft nationalists and federalists....

 member of the National Assembly

National Assembly of Quebec

The National Assembly of Quebec is the legislative body of the Province of Quebec. The Lieutenant Governor and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other British-style parliamentary systems.The National Assembly was formerly the...

 for the electoral district 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...

 from 2007 to 2008.

Merlini holds a bachelor's degree

Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...

 in political science and history from Concordia University and a certificate from Toastmasters International

Toastmasters International

Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members improve their communication, public speaking and leadership skills...

 in Saint-Laurent

Saint-Laurent, Quebec

Saint-Laurent is a former city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is now the largest in area of the boroughs of the city of Montreal....

. Merlini worked for Premcor Ltee, a commercial printing company in Saint-Lambert

Saint-Lambert, Quebec

Saint-Lambert is a Canadian city in the province of Quebec located opposite Montreal on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. Saint-Lambert was named for either the early French Canadian hunter Lambert Closse or for Roman Catholic Bishop Lambert of Maastricht...

 as a clerk, a board member and the vice-president (production sector) for 26 years.

Merlini was also a candidate in Saint-Lambert in the 1990 municipal elections and in La Prairie

La Prairie, Quebec

La Prairie is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada at the confluence of the Saint-Jacques River and the Saint Lawrence River in the Regional County Municipality of Roussillon...

 in 2003. He was also involved with the Montreal South Shore Chamber of Commerce

Chamber of commerce

A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...

 and the business association of La Prairie. He also coached a local soccer team in La Prairie since 2001.

Until 2003, he was a Liberal supporter. In 2006, he was named the vice-president of the ADQ.

Merlini was first elected in the 2007 election

Quebec general election, 2007

The Quebec general election of 2007 was held in the Canadian province of Quebec on March 26, 2007 to elect members of the 38th National Assembly of Quebec. The Quebec Liberal Party led by Jean Charest managed to win a plurality of seats, but were reduced to a minority government, Quebec's first in...

 with 39% of the vote. Parti Québécois

Parti Québécois

The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...

 candidate Bertrand St-Arnaud

Bertrand St-Arnaud

Bertrand St-Arnaud is a politician in the Canadian province of Quebec, who was elected to represent the riding of Chambly in the National Assembly of Quebec in the 2008 provincial election...

 finished second with 29% of the vote. Merlini took office on April 12, 2007 and was named the critic for energy affairs.

External links

• Richard MERLINI at National Assembly of Quebec
  National Assembly of Quebec
  The National Assembly of Quebec is the legislative body of the Province of Quebec. The Lieutenant Governor and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other British-style parliamentary systems.The National Assembly was formerly the...