Yves-François Blanchet

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Yves-François Blanchet

Yves-Francois Blanchet in October 2009.jpg
Blanchet in 2009
Leader of the Bloc Québécois
Assumed office
January 17, 2019
Preceded byMario Beaulieu (interim)
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Beloeil—Chambly
Assumed office
October 21, 2019
Preceded byMatthew Dubé
Member of the Quebec National Assembly for Johnson
In office
September 4, 2012 – April 7, 2014
Preceded byÉtienne-Alexis Boucher
Succeeded byAndré Lamontagne
Member of the Quebec National Assembly for Drummond
In office
December 8, 2008 – September 4, 2012
Preceded bySébastien Schneeberger
Succeeded byRiding abolished
Personal details
Born (1965-04-16) April 16, 1965 (age 54)
Drummondville, Quebec
NationalityCanadian
Political partyParti Québécois
Bloc Québécois

Yves-François Blanchet MP (born April 16, 1965) is a Canadian politician serving as Leader of the Bloc Québécois since 2019.[1]

Life and career[edit]

Blanchet was born in Drummondville, Quebec, the son of Pierrette Bédard, a nurse, and Raymond Blanchet, a technician and lineman.[2] He is a graduate from the Université de Montréal where he obtained a bachelor's degree in history and anthropology in 1987. He later worked as a teacher and was a founder of an artist, disc and concert management firm, YFB Inc. while being the president of the ADISQ from 2003 to 2006. He was named the local business personality of the year by the Drummondville Chamber of Commerce, while he and associated artists received 10 Félix Awards.

Blanchet was elected to represent the riding of Drummond in the National Assembly of Quebec in the 2008 provincial election. In the 2012 election, he was reelected, this time in Johnson electoral district. He was defeated by Coalition Avenir Québec candidate André Lamontagne in the 2014 Quebec election. A member of the Parti Québécois (PQ), Blanchet was Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Wildlife and Parks from 2012 until 2014.[3] He was also a member of the Youth National Committee of the Parti Québécois in 1988 as well as a regional director of the PQ.

On November 26, 2018, Blanchet announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Bloc Québécois (BQ). As no other candidate had entered the race by the time nominations closed on January 15, 2019, Blanchet was officially acclaimed leader on January 17, 2019.[1]

In the 2019 election, he won his seat of Beloeil—Chambly.

Under Blanchet leadership the BQ increased its number of seats from 10 in 2015, to 32 seats in 2019 becoming the 3rd largest party in Canada and regaining official party status.

Electoral record[edit]

2019 Canadian federal election: Beloeil—Chambly
** Preliminary results — Not yet official **
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Bloc Québécois Yves-François Blanchet 35,068 50.5 +22.82
Liberal Marie-Chantal Hamel 16,059 23.1 -6.24
New Democratic Matthew Dubé 10,086 14.5 -16.57
Conservative Véronique Laprise 4,305 6.2 -3.09
Green Pierre Carrier 3,255 4.7 +2.45
People's Chloé Bernard 512 0.7
Indépendence du Québec Michel Blondin 205 0.3
Total valid votes/Expense limit 69,490 100.0
Total rejected ballots 1,064
Turnout 70,554 73.7
Eligible voters 95,723
Bloc Québécois gain from New Democratic Swing +19.79
Source: Elections Canada[4][5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Yves-François Blanchet becomes Bloc Québécois leader". CBC News. January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  2. ^ http://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/deputes/blanchet-yves-francois-1123/biographie.html
  3. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 24, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Election night results". Elections Canada. Retrieved 22 October 2019.

External links[edit]

Media related to Yves-François Blanchet at Wikimedia Commons