Michelle Courchesne

Michelle Courchesne (born May 6, 1953 in Trois-Rivières, Quebec) is a former Deputy Premier of Quebec. A member of the Quebec Liberal Party, she was the National Assembly Member for the riding of Fabre in Laval, Quebec. She is also the former President of the Treasury Board, Minister responsible for the Laval region, Minister of Education and Deputy Premier of Quebec. She is a former Minister of Family, Immigration, Employment and Social Solidarity.

Michelle Courchesne
Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Fabre
In office
April 14, 2003  September 4, 2012
Preceded byJoseph Facal
Succeeded byGilles Ouimet
Personal details
Born (1953-05-06) May 6, 1953
Trois-Rivières, Quebec
Political partyQuebec Liberal Party
Spouse(s)Normand Filiatreault

Courchesne attended Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf before going to the Université de Montréal and obtained a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's degree in urban development. She would become an urbanist from 1976 to 1981 before being elected to the City Council of Laval. She would also work at the Ministry of Culture and Communications as a Deputy Minister before being a member of the administration council of the National Bank of Canada, Radio-Canada, the National Theater School of Canada and the Quebec Mental Health Foundation. She was then the director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and a vice-president for Marketel and Cognicase.

Courchesne entered politics in 2003, where she was elected as the MNA for Fabre while the Liberals regained power after nine years of governing by the Parti Québécois. She was named by Jean Charest in the Cabinet as the Minister responsible for the relations with the Citizens and Immigration and was then promoted to Employment and Social Solidarity following a Cabinet shuffle in 2005 where she took the position occupied by Claude Béchard.

Following the 2007 elections, she was re-elected in a Liberal minority government, and named the Minister of Education, Leisure and Sports as well Minister of Family.

Following the 2008 election, she kept most of the portfolios but gave up the Ministry of Family to LaFontaine MNA Tony Tomassi. Courchesne lost the Education portfolio to former Environment Minister Line Beauchamp in a 2010 cabinet shuffle and became President of the Treasury Board. She regained the Education Minister position, as well as becoming Deputy Premier of Quebec, on May 14, 2012 following Beauchamp's resignation during the ongoing student protests over tuition hikes.

She retired at the 2012 election.

Electoral record

2008 Quebec general election: Fabre
Party Candidate Votes%±%
LiberalMichelle Courchesne15,34945.50
Parti QuébécoisFrançois-Gycelain Rocque12,42536.83
Action démocratiqueTom Pentefountas4,02411.93
GreenErika Alvarez1,0213.03
Québec solidairePierre Brien9182.72
Total valid votes 33,737 100.00
Rejected and declined votes 517
Turnout 34,254 57.08
Electors on the lists 60,010
Source: Official Results, Government of Quebec
  • "Biography". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). National Assembly of Quebec.
Political offices
Preceded by
Line Beauchamp
Deputy Premier of Quebec
2012
Succeeded by
François Gendron
Preceded by
Line Beauchamp
Minister of Education, Sport and Leisure
2012
Succeeded by
Marie Malavoy
Preceded by
Jean-Marc Fournier
Minister of Education, Sport and Leisure
20072010
Succeeded by
Line Beauchamp
Preceded by
Carole Théberge
Minister of Family
20072008
Succeeded by
Tony Tomassi
Preceded by
Claude Béchard
Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity
20052007
Succeeded by
Sam Hamad
Preceded by
Monique Gagnon-Tremblay
President of the Treasury Board
2010–2012
Succeeded by
Stéphane Bédard
Preceded by
Dominique Vien
Minister of government services
2010–2012
Succeeded by
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