Mauril Bélanger
Mauril Bélanger is a
Canadian Member of Parliament. He is a member of the governing
Liberal Party and is also Deputy Government
House Leader.
Bélanger was born in Mattawa, Ontario, a small logging town in Eastern Ontario. He attended the
University of Ottawa where he was heavily involved in student politics and stayed in Ottawa working in government and the
private sector.
He was first elected to parliament on
February 13,
1995 in a
by-election after his predecessor was appointed to the
Senate. Bélanger represents a largely francophone riding of
Ottawa-Vanier in eastern
Ottawa. It is one of the most solidly Liberal ridings having returned a Liberal since
1935, usually in a landslide. Bélanger has continued this trend won by large margins in the
1997 election and
2000 election.
During the
Chretien administration he was a permanent back-bencher and attracted very little notice. Belanger became a close ally of
Paul Martin and became an organizer of his leadership bid. When Martin became Prime Minister in
2003 Belanger was given the cabinet position of deputy government house leader. In July
2004 he was also made
Associate Minister of National Defence.
Bélanger has been a noted advocate for the rights of
Franco-Ontariens. \n
External Link
\n\n\nPreceded by:
\nJean-Robert Gauthier, Liberal | \n Members of Parliament from Ottawa—Vanier | \nSucceeded by:
\n(incumbent) | \n
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