Ruth Ellen Brosseau

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Ruth Ellen Brosseau
MP
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Berthier—Maskinongé
Assumed office
May 2, 2011
Preceded by Guy André
Personal details
Born (1984-04-26) April 26, 1984 (age 31)
Montreal, Quebec
Political party New Democratic Party
Residence Trois-Rivières-Ouest, Quebec
Profession Pub Manager

Ruth Ellen Brosseau (born April 26, 1984)[1][2][3] is a Canadian politician. She was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a New Democratic Party candidate in the 2011 federal election and reelected in the 2015 federal election. During the 41st Canadian Parliament, she was the Deputy Agriculture Critic in the NDP's shadow cabinet, and vice-chair of the NDP National Caucus.

Early and personal life[edit]

Brosseau's father, Marc, is a francophone[4] who is also fluent in English.[5] The Brosseau family lived in Hudson, Quebec until the younger Brosseau reached grade 2. From there, the family moved to Kingston, Ontario, where she continued to take French immersion classes.[6]

Brosseau attended St. Lawrence College in Kingston, but left prior to completing her diploma.[7]

Before her election to Parliament, Brosseau held the position of assistant manager for Oliver's Pub, a bar on the campus of Carleton University in Ottawa.[8] She is also an animal welfare activist who has worked to find homes for stray animals and help injured animals recover.[9]

Brosseau is a single mother and a vegetarian.[10] She divides her time between Louiseville, Quebec in her riding of Berthier—Maskinongé and Hull, Quebec in the National Capital Region.[11][12]

Political career[edit]

2011 election[edit]

Brosseau first ran for a seat to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2011 federal election. She stood as the New Democratic Party candidate in the electoral district of Berthier—Maskinongé in central Quebec. She was the second nomination choice of the party as the original candidate, Julie Demers, opted to run in Bourassa.[13] Brosseau was a 'paper candidate' who had been selected by the party due to the lack of a viable local nominee.[14] After the fact, Brosseau referred to herself as a 'poteau', a French slang term for a paper candidate that translates to 'sign post' in English.[14] She agreed to run after being asked by some of her politically active friends who frequented the bar she worked at if they could put her name forward as a Quebec candidate.[15]

Brosseau did not campaign and never went to the riding, which straddles the regions of Lanaudière and Mauricie, during the writ period. During the election, Brosseau raised controversy when it was learned that she had spent part of the campaign on vacation in Las Vegas. Her trip had been arranged prior to the election being called. By the time the writ was dropped, it was too late to reschedule.[16] NDP leader Jack Layton defended Brosseau's decision to vacation in Vegas, pinning the blame on Harper not keeping his promise on fixed election dates.[17] An op-ed in the National Post criticized Brosseau's inexperience, writing that she is "an extreme example of what happens when people sign up to run for a party with little or no expectation of actually winning."[18]

On election night, Brosseau defeated incumbent Bloc Québécois Member of Parliament Guy André, former provincial Liberal MNA Francine Gaudet and three other candidates, winning a plurality with of 22,484 votes, representing just under 40% of all the votes cast. This represented a lead of 5,816 votes over André, who finished a distant second with only 29.4 percent of the vote.[19] Her victory was part of a wave of NDP support in Quebec that increased its standing in the province from one seat to 59.

Significant concerns had been raised about her proficiency in French, especially given the fact that 98 percent of Berthier-Maskinongé's residents are francophone[20] and 77 percent of them don't speak English at all.[7] At a press conference held the day after Brosseau's election, Thomas Mulcair, then the NDP co-deputy leader and Quebec lieutenant, addressed her language issues. While conceding that Brosseau's command of French was "not at a level we would expect for a riding like Berthier—Maskinongé," he personally promised to "help organize her office" and "give her all the help that's needed."[21]

Two days after the election, allegations were made by both the defeated Liberal and Conservative candidates about irregularities on Brosseau's nomination papers, which the other parties had chosen not to vet because of low expectations of her winning. The local Liberal and Conservative associations called for a by-election, but Elections Canada found Brosseau's nomination papers to be in order and subsequently ruled that only a court can order new elections.[22][23] Both parties subsequently declined to file a formal court challenge.[22] In response to the allegations, the NDP released a statement, stating that "All signatures were collected legitimately, the documents were tabled with Elections Canada and they were approved by the Returning Officer."[24][25]

41st Parliament[edit]

Immediately following her election, Brosseau began working with Kathleen Monk, the NDP's director of communication in 2011, to tackle some of the challenges she faced as a new MP.[15] She avoided the media and met with mayors and local business owners in her riding to get a grasp of her new constituents.[26] When discussing her political career, Monk conceded that "There were many people in the media and political backrooms who didn’t think or frankly want her to succeed.”[14]

When Brosseau officially opened her constituency office in Louiseville in July 2011 her French was described as "still hesitant".[27] By most accounts it had considerably improved by December,[12] and by April 2012 the Canadian Press stated that "original claims about her lack of proficiency in the language now appear exaggerated." It reported that the rumors about her lack of proficiency in French benefited her, as many constituents believe that she was a monolingual anglophone at the time she was elected and so are impressed by her apparently rapidly improving French. Brosseau said that she grew up speaking French as a child, but did not feel comfortable speaking it during the campaign because she'd been out of practice for some time.[28] By 2015 Chatelaine described Brosseau as being fluently bilingual.[29]

On April 19, 2012, Brosseau was named deputy agriculture critic in the NDP's shadow cabinet,[30] and on April 3, 2014, she was elected as vice-chair of the NDP National Caucus.[31]

Brosseau has earned praise from her caucus colleagues and national media, with Malcolm Allen remarking that, "lots of MPs work hard, but she has a great work ethic."[14] As a single mother, she often raised issues faced by those in a similar position during parliamentary debates.[26] A 2015 profile in Chatelaine acknowledged that, despite early criticism, "the 31-year-old has quietly evolved into an effective and highly regarded politician."[29] In 2013, Brosseau became the NDP's lead on the student loan data breach, in part because she was personally impacted by the incident.[32]

Brosseau championed local causes important to her riding such as high repair costs to fix home foundations built with defective concrete, an issue that she brought up 70 times in the 41st Parliament.[15] Although she never managed to get the Harper government to join the provincial government in providing compensation, she and fellow NDP MP Robert Aubin were credited with influencing Justin Trudeau's promise that a Liberal government would do so.[15]

2015 election and 42nd Parliament[edit]

In 2014, Brosseau announced that she would be a candidate in the 2015 federal election. Speaking with Mark Kennedy of the Ottawa Citizen, Brosseau spoke about the difficulties she faced during her first years as an MP, but noted, "It took a while to kind of get my feet planted, set up an office, learn what the job was. The negativity only encouraged me to work harder."[33] While the NDP's Quebec caucus was reduced to 16 seats during the election, Brosseau was one of the few NDP MPs elected in 2011 who kept their seats, winning re-election with 42% of the vote.[26]

Brosseau was appointed the NDP critic for Agriculture and Agri-food in the 42nd Canadian Parliament.[34]

Electoral record[edit]

Canadian federal election, 2015
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
New Democratic Ruth Ellen Brosseau 22,942 42.24% +2.61 –
Bloc Québécois Yves Perron 13,969 25.72% -3.66 –
Liberal Pierre Destrempes 11,028 20.31% +6.02 –
Conservative Marianne Foucrault 5,527 10.18% -3.76 –
Green Victoria Cate May Burton 844 1.55% -0.55 –
Total valid votes/Expense limit – 100.0     $218,838.34
Total rejected ballots – – –
Turnout 54,310 66.14% –
Eligible voters 82,109
Source: Elections Canada[35][36]
Canadian federal election, 2011: Berthier—Maskinongé
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
New Democratic Ruth Ellen Brosseau 22,484 39.63 +29.19 $0
Bloc Québécois Guy André 16,668 29.38 -16.45 $48,739
Liberal Francine Gaudet 8,109 14.29 –4.15 $32,253
Conservative Marie-Claude Godue 7,909 13.94 –8.25 $23,495
Green Léonie Matteau 1,193 2.10 –1.01 $0
Rhinoceros Martin Jubinville 375 0.66 $0
Total votes/Expense limit 56,738 100.0     $94,930
Source: "Berthier—Maskinongé election results". Elections Canada. May 2, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2011. 

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Ruth Ellen Brosseau sort de son mutisme". Cyberpresse: Le Nouvelliste. May 9, 2011. 
  2. ^ "Vegas-visiting Quebec NDP MP Brosseau admits she never visited riding". Vancouver Sun. May 7, 2011. [dead link]
  3. ^ "'Vegas girl' acknowledges her luck, embraces new challenges in Ottawa". The Globe and Mail. May 20, 2011. 
  4. ^ "NDP’s Brosseau admits she’s never been to riding". Toronto Star. May 7, 2011. 
  5. ^ "Video: When will Ruth Ellen meet the press?" The Globe and Mail, Featuring video from CTV.ca, May, 04, 2011
  6. ^ "Brosseau speaks to media, says victory was a "shock"". CTV News Ottawa. May 7, 2011. 
  7. ^ a b New Democrat doesn’t have diploma, despite inclusion in biography The Globe and Mail 2011-05-10
  8. ^ "How will Layton's new MPs take to Ottawa?". CTV News. May 3, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2011. 
  9. ^ Ruth Ellen Brosseau. "Ruth Ellen Brosseau candidate profile". New Democratic Party of Canada. Retrieved May 4, 2011. 
  10. ^ Stone, Laura (2014-11-28). "Lunch with NDP’s Ruth Ellen Brosseau: Harassment ‘happens everywhere’ – even Parliament Hill". globalnews.ca. Retrieved 27 July 2015. 
  11. ^ Allan Woods and Joanna Smith (May 4, 2011). "Reality show stars, students, museum guides: meet the new NDP MPs". The Toronto Star. Retrieved May 4, 2011. 
  12. ^ a b Gauthier, Vincent (December 28, 2011). "La rocambolesque épopée de Ruth Ellen Brosseau". Le Nouvelliste (in French) (Trois-Rivières, Quebec). Retrieved January 23, 2012. 
  13. ^ Tamsin McMahon (May 4, 2011). "The REALLY New Democrats". National Post. Retrieved May 4, 2011. 
  14. ^ a b c d Barton, Rosemary. "Brosseau's rise from paper candidate to NDP star". CBC News, May 14, 2014.
  15. ^ a b c d Austen, Ian (26 October 2015). "Accidental Lawmaker in Canada Defies Critics, and Liberal Party Resurgence". New York Times. Retrieved 27 October 2015. 
  16. ^ Bill Curry (April 26, 2011). "NDP candidate takes mid-campaign vacation in Vegas". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 4, 2011. 
  17. ^ Theodore, Terri (April 27, 2011). "Lack of fixed election dates to blame for vacationing NDP candidates: Layton". ipolitics.com. Retrieved October 30, 2015. 
  18. ^ Hamilton, Graeme (April 27, 2011). "NDP surge means some unlikely candidates have a shot at Parliament". National Post (Toronto). 
  19. ^ "Berthier—Maskinongé election results". Elections Canada. May 2, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2011. 
  20. ^ Andrew Chung (2011-04-28). "In French-speaking riding, NDP candidate speaks little French". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 4, 2011. 
  21. ^ Montpetit, Jonathan (May 3, 2011). "NDP's gang of rookies includes four McGill students, 19-year-old, Vegas visitor". The Record. Retrieved May 4, 2011. 
  22. ^ a b Marie Vastel; Rhéal Séguin (May 6, 2011). "Libs, Tories protest controversial NDP MP's win, but won't challenge it in court". Canadian Press. Retrieved May 6, 2011. 
  23. ^ Minsky, Amy (May 6, 2011). "New MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau cleared by Elections Canada". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved May 6, 2011. 
  24. ^ Tu Thanh Ha; Rhéal Séguin (May 4, 2011). "Rookie NDP MP accused of using falsified nomination paper". Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 30, 2015. 
  25. ^ Sarah Boesveld; Sarah-Taissir Bencharif (May 4, 2011). "NDP MP Thomas Mulcair questions Bin Laden pictures". National Post. Retrieved October 30, 2015. 
  26. ^ a b c Kors, Alan (20 October 2015). "Former Carleton pub worker Brosseau re-elected in Quebec riding". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 20 October 2015. 
  27. ^ Jacob, Guillaume (July 23, 2011). "Ruth-Ellen Brosseau inaugure son bureau". Le Nouvelliste (in French) (Trois-Rivières, Quebec). Retrieved July 24, 2011. 
  28. ^ Blatchford, Andy (April 23, 2012). "NDP's 'Vegas' MP, one year later". The Chronicle Herald. Canadian Press. Retrieved October 30, 2015. 
  29. ^ a b Giese, Rachel. "Ruth Ellen Brosseau: from ‘Vegas Girl’ to NDP vice-chair". Chatelaine, July 27, 2015.
  30. ^ "Mulcair names NDP shadow cabinet". CBC.ca. April 19, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2015. 
  31. ^ "Ruth Ellen Brosseau's rise from paper candidate to NDP star". CBC News, May 14, 2014.
  32. ^ Press, Jordan, "Student loan data breach affects NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau". Ottawa Citizen, February 17, 2013.
  33. ^ Kennedy, Mark. "Q & A: Brosseau flourishes in Commons after rough start as 'Vegas girl'". Ottawa Citizen, December 22, 2014.
  34. ^ Kirkup, Kristy (12 November 2015). "Tom Mulcair taps Nathan Cullen, Charlie Angus, Guy Caron for top critic roles". CBC News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 12 November 2015. 
  35. ^ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Berthier—Maskinongé, 30 September 2015
  36. ^ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates

External links[edit]

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