Canadian politician (born 1965)
| This article needs to be
updated
.
Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
(
August 2021
)
|
Steven Blaney
|
---|
|
|
|
In office
July 15, 2013 ? November 4, 2015
|
Prime Minister
| Stephen Harper
|
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Preceded by
| Vic Toews
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Ralph Goodale
|
---|
|
In office
May 18, 2011 ? July 15, 2013
|
Prime Minister
| Stephen Harper
|
---|
Preceded by
| Jean-Pierre Blackburn
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Julian Fantino
|
---|
|
In office
May 31, 2007 ? June 20, 2011
|
Prime Minister
| Stephen Harper
|
---|
Preceded by
| Guy Lauzon
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Michael Chong
|
---|
|
In office
October 19, 2015 ? September 20, 2021
|
Preceded by
| Constituency established
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Dominique Vien
|
---|
|
In office
January 23, 2006 ? October 19, 2015
|
Preceded by
| Real Lapierre
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Constituency abolished
|
---|
|
|
Born
| (
1965-04-08
)
April 8, 1965
(age 59)
Sherbrooke, Quebec
, Canada
|
---|
Political party
| Conservative
(Federal)
CAQ
(Provincial)
|
---|
Spouse
| Marie Bouchard
|
---|
Residence
| Saint-Redempteur
(
Levis, Quebec
)
|
---|
Alma mater
| University of Quebec, Montreal
University of Sherbrooke
|
---|
|
Steven Blaney
PC
(born April 8, 1965) is a Canadian businessman and
Conservative
politician. He served as the
Minister of Public Safety Canada
(July 15, 2013 ? November 4, 2015) and previously as the
Minister of Veterans Affairs
and Minister of State for La Francophonie in the cabinet of Prime Minister
Stephen Harper
(May 18, 2011 ? July 14, 2013). He has represented the Quebec riding of
Levis?Bellechasse
in the Canadian House of Commons since the 2006 federal election. Despite his anglophone-sounding name, Blaney is a
Francophone
. He was reelected in the
2015 election
. In 2017, he unsuccessfully ran for Conservative party leader.
Early life
[
edit
]
Blaney was born in
Sherbrooke, Quebec
, and was raised in
Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce
. Today, he lives in
Levis
along with his wife, Marie Bouchard, and his two children, William-Antoine and Alexandra.
[1]
For 15 years, he worked in Quebec's engineering sector, more particularly in water purification and energy efficiency. Blaney started up two companies specializing in environmental technology and carried out many environmental projects.
[2]
Blaney was an active member of
Reseau Environnement
,
[
citation needed
]
Canada's largest group of environmental professionals; he presided over the organization's Quebec-Chaudiere-Appalaches chapter between 2003 and 2006.
[1]
Political career
[
edit
]
Provincial politics
[
edit
]
Blaney entered politics during the
Quebec general elections of 1998
; he was a candidate of the
Action democratique du Quebec
in the provincial electoral district of
Beauce-Nord
. Blaney arrived in third place, behind Normand Poulin (PLQ) and Gaston Gourde (PQ), collecting 14.42% of the votes.
[3]
Federal politics
[
edit
]
Following many years of activity with the Conservative Party in Quebec, Blaney decided to run for the first time for a seat at the House of Commons during the 2006 federal elections in the riding of Levis-Bellechasse. He successfully defeated Bloc Quebecois incumbent
Real Lapierre
with 46.40% of the votes.
[4]
Blaney joined nine other Quebec MPs in Ottawa, following the Conservative Party breakthrough in Quebec that year.
[5]
After his victory in 2006, Blaney was appointed vice-president of the Quebec Conservative caucus. On May 31, 2007, he was selected as Chair of the Standing Committee on Official Languages; a position that he held till September 2010.
[6]
Moreover, he joined various other committees, ranging from Indian Affairs to Industry, Science and Technology, including the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee.
[7]
In January 2006, Blaney visited Canadian soldiers in Kandahar as part of a trip organized by the Standing Committee on National Defence for its members. He is also vice-chair of the Canada-France Interparliamentary Association.
After his reelection in 2008, Blaney became the new President of the Quebec Conservative caucus.
[1]
Furthermore, he promised to offset the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from his activities through tree planting, in cooperation with Tree Canada and the
Comite de restauration de la riviere Etchemin
, thus becoming the first
carbon neutral
MP.
[8]
On May 2, 2011, Blaney was re-elected for a third mandate as representative of Levis-Bellechasse at the House of Commons earning 43.95% of the votes, beating the NDP candidate with more than 10% of the votes, receiving 1065 more votes than during the 2008 election.
[4]
Minister of Veterans Affairs
[
edit
]
On May 18, 2011, Blaney was appointed to the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He assumed the position of Minister of Veterans Affairs taking over this role from
Jean-Pierre Blackburn
, who was defeated in the May 2 election. Blaney also sits as a member of the Cabinet Committee on Social Affairs and the Cabinet Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence.
Blaney carried on the policies launched by his two conservative predecessors. During the summer following the elections, Blaney announced regulatory changes to the Enhanced Veterans Charter Act to revamp the pension system that was set up following World War I and World War II.
[9]
The New Veterans Charter (NVC) was designed to provide Veterans with the support they required to successfully transition from military to civilian life.
As Minister of Veterans Affairs, Blaney can be credited for improving the benefits and services for Veterans suffering from severe diagnosed medical conditions or/and disabilities. He also launched the Helmet to Hardhats Program which assists many former Canadian Forces members to find well-paid jobs in the construction sector.
[10]
Preoccupied by the modernization of Veterans Affairs Canada, Blaney initiated the Cutting Red Tape for Veterans initiative
[11]
aimed at simplifying administrative processes for Veterans and at making all of Veterans Affairs Canada's forms and decisions comprehensible for all.
In March 2011, Blaney told a meeting of seniors, "Et rappelez-vous, le ciel est bleu, l'enfer est rouge!" (And remember?Heaven is blue, Hell is red!), referring to the colours of the Conservative and
Liberal
parties. The slogan was used by the government of
Maurice Duplessis
in the mid-20th century during the period of church-state collaboration in Quebec known as the
Grande Noirceur
.
[12]
Minister of Public Safety
[
edit
]
On July 15, 2013, Blaney assumed the position of Minister of Public Safety, taking over this role from
Vic Toews
who announced his retirement on July 9, 2013. The announcement of the appointment was made during Prime Minister Stephen Harper's 2013 Cabinet shuffle.
On August 13, 2013, in response to a brief from
Dennis Edney
arguing that
Omar Khadr
should be held in a youth facility not an adult prison, because he was a minor when the crimes he was convicted of occurred, Blaney asserted that the Harper government would fight to keep Khadr in adult prisoner for the full term of his sentence.
[13]
On January 30, 2015, Steven Blaney introduced Bill C-51, the
Anti-terrorism Act, 2015
. This bill was tabled in response to jihadist terrorist attacks on Canada, namely the
2014 Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu ramming attack
and the
2014 shootings at Parliament Hill, Ottawa
.
The Bill has 6 key elements, namely:
- Creating a criminal offence for the advocacy or promotion of terrorism,
- Allow judges to issue seizure orders for terrorist propaganda,
- Allow CSIS to engage in threat disruption,
- Enhance the
Passenger Protect
Program to stop known terrorists from boarding planes,
- Lower the threshold for obtaining terrorism-related
peace bond
, and
- Enable the sharing of national security information across relevant agencies
Notably, during the debate on this legislation, Blaney said “the important point that often seems to be forgotten around this place, that it is the jihadis who represent a threat, not our police officers and those protecting us”.
[14]
The legislation received
Royal Assent
on June 18, 2015.
On October 7, 2014, Steven Blaney introduced Bill C-42, the Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act. There were eight measures designed to make Canada's
firearms
laws more safe and sensible. These measures included:
- A six-month grace period at the end of the five-year licence period to stop people from immediately becoming criminalized for paperwork delays around license renewals;
- Streamline the licensing system by eliminating the Possession Only Licence (POL) and converting all existing POLs to
Possession and Acquisition Licences
(PALs);
- Make classroom participation in firearms safety training mandatory for first-time licence applicants;
- Amend the Criminal Code to strengthen the provisions relating to orders prohibiting the possession of firearms where a person is convicted of an offence involving domestic violence;
- End needless paperwork around Authorizations to Transport by making them a condition of a licence for certain routine and lawful activities;
- Provide for the discretionary authority of
Chief Firearms Officers
to be subject to limit by regulation;
- Authorize firearms import information sharing when restricted and prohibited firearms are imported into Canada by businesses; and,
- Allow the Government to have the final say on classification decisions, following the receipt of independent expert advice.
These measures were supported by hunting and outdoors groups from across the country, such as the
Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters
. They were also supported by many frontline law enforcement officers.
[
citation needed
]
Opposition
[
edit
]
He was re-elected in the 2015 election. On October 14, 2016, Blaney announced that he was running for the
leadership
of the
Conservative Party of Canada
,
[15]
though he eventually lost to
Andrew Scheer
. Blaney came 9th out of 14 candidates. During his leadership campaign he ran on Supporting banning the wearing of the
niqab
while voting, taking the citizenship oath, or by federal public servants,
[16]
even if such a ban would require invoking the
notwithstanding clause of the Constitution
in order to override the
Charter of Rights and Freedoms
.
[17]
Also advocates testing of would-be citizens on "their understanding and appreciation of Canada's core principles."
[18]
Electoral record
[
edit
]
Federal
[
edit
]
2019 Canadian federal election
:
Bellechasse?Les Etchemins?Levis
|
Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
Expenditures
|
|
Conservative
|
Steven Blaney
|
32,283
|
50.09
|
-0.83
|
$56,210.72
|
|
Bloc Quebecois
|
Sebastien Bouchard-Theberge
|
14,754
|
22.89
|
+11.36
|
$5,276.21
|
|
Liberal
|
Laurence Harvey
|
10,734
|
16.66
|
-4.05
|
$12,368.08
|
|
New Democratic
|
Chamroeun Khuon
|
3,256
|
5.05
|
-8.55
|
$3,070.83
|
|
Green
|
Andre Voyer
|
1,925
|
2.99
|
-0.26
|
none listed
|
|
People's
|
Marc Johnston
|
1,307
|
2.03
|
-
|
$0.00
|
|
Christian Heritage
|
Yves Gilbert
|
188
|
0.29
|
-
|
none listed
|
Total valid votes/expense limit
|
64,447
|
98.30
|
-1.70
|
-
|
Total rejected ballots
|
1,113
|
1.70
|
+0.81
|
Turnout
|
65,560
|
69.33
|
+0.71
|
Eligible voters
|
94,558
|
|
Conservative
hold
|
Swing
|
-6.10
|
Source:
Elections Canada
[19]
[20]
|
2011 Canadian federal election
:
Levis?Bellechasse
|
Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
Expenditures
|
|
Conservative
|
Steven Blaney
|
25,850
|
43.95
|
-1.95
|
$85,522.71
|
|
New Democratic
|
Nicole Laliberte
|
19,890
|
33.81
|
+22.97
|
$336.36
|
|
Bloc Quebecois
|
Danielle-Maude Gosselin
|
8,757
|
14.89
|
-10.57
|
$44,495.06
|
|
Liberal
|
Francis Laforesterie
|
3,421
|
5.82
|
-9.24
|
$16,904.21
|
|
Green
|
Sacha Douge
|
903
|
1.54
|
-1.00
|
none listed
|
Total valid votes/Expense limit
|
58,821
|
100.0
|
|
$94.740.90
|
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots
|
808
|
1.36
|
-0.19
|
Turnout
|
59,629
|
65.88
|
+3.43
|
Eligible voters
|
90,515
|
|
Conservative
hold
|
Swing
|
-12.46
|
Sources:
[23]
[24]
|
2008 Canadian federal election
:
Levis?Bellechasse
|
Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
Expenditures
|
|
Conservative
|
Steven Blaney
|
24,785
|
45.90
|
-0.50
|
$66,280.10
|
|
Bloc Quebecois
|
Guy Bergeron
|
13,747
|
25.46
|
-3.56
|
$18,536.02
|
|
Liberal
|
Pauline Cote
|
8,130
|
15.06
|
+6.87
|
$14,138.27
|
|
New Democratic
|
Gabriel Biron
|
5,856
|
10.84
|
+6.21
|
none listed
|
|
Green
|
Lynne Champoux-Williams
|
1,370
|
2.54
|
-1.56
|
none listed
|
|
Marxist?Leninist
|
Normand Fournier
|
113
|
0.21
|
–
|
none listed
|
Total valid votes/Expense limit
|
54,001
|
100.0
|
|
$90,335
|
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots
|
848
|
1.55
|
+0.57
|
Turnout
|
54,849
|
62.45
|
-3.47
|
Eligible voters
|
87,830
|
|
Conservative
hold
|
Swing
|
+1.53
|
2006 Canadian federal election
:
Levis?Bellechasse
|
Party
|
Candidate
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
Expenditures
|
|
Conservative
|
Steven Blaney
|
25,940
|
46.40
|
+27.35
|
$59,351.14
|
|
Bloc Quebecois
|
Real Lapierre
|
16,223
|
29.02
|
-15.31
|
$61,706.32
|
|
Liberal
|
Shirley Baril
|
4,581
|
8.19
|
-19.43
|
$9,831.42
|
|
Independent
|
Normand Cadrin
|
4,275
|
7.65
|
–
|
$15,519.63
|
|
New Democratic
|
Eric Boucher
|
2,590
|
4.63
|
+0.77
|
$868.27
|
|
Green
|
Mathieu Castonguay
|
2,293
|
4.10
|
-0.69
|
$3,066.75
|
Total valid votes/Expense limit
|
55,902
|
100.0
|
|
$83,486
|
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots
|
551
|
0.98
|
-1.24
|
Turnout
|
56,453
|
65.92
|
Eligible voters
|
85,635
|
|
Conservative
gain
from
Bloc Quebecois
|
Swing
|
+21.33
|
Provincial
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
"Biography"
, Steven Blaney ? Official Website
- ^
http://www.engineerscanada.ca/e/files/engineeringonthehill_issue_09.pdf
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
1998 Quebec General Elections- Results: District Beauce-Nord
- ^
a
b
History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Levis-Bellechasse
- ^
"Conservatives make breakthrough in Quebec; Bloc wins 51 seats"
. CBC News. January 24, 2006
. Retrieved
May 11,
2018
.
- ^
Member of Parliament Profile- Steven Blaney
- ^
Idem.
- ^
Idem
.
- ^
Backgrounder NVC
- ^
Helmets to Hardhats announcement
Archived
2012-08-08 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Cutting Red Tape for Veterans ? news release"
. Archived from
the original
on 2012-04-08
. Retrieved
2012-06-19
.
- ^
Martin, Stephanie.
"≪Le ciel est bleu, l'enfer est rouge!≫ lance Blaney aux aines."
Le Soleil
(Quebec City), 24 March 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- ^
"Omar Khadr held illegally in federal prison, lawyer argues: 8-year sentence called unlawful"
.
CBC News
. 2013-08-13.
Archived
from the original on 2013-08-14.
"Omar Khadr pleaded guilty to very serious crimes, including the murder of American army medic Sgt. Christopher Speer," he said. "The government of Canada will vigorously defend against any attempted court action to lessen his punishment for these crimes."
- ^
"Debates (Hansard) No. 174 - February 18, 2015 (41-2) - House of Commons of Canada"
.
- ^
John Paul Tasker (Oct 24, 2016).
"Steven Blaney kicks off Conservative leadership campaign with proposed niqab ban"
. CBC News
. Retrieved
Oct 24,
2016
.
- ^
Annett, Evan; Alam, Mayaz (January 17, 2017).
"Who's running for the Conservative leadership? Read the list of candidates"
. The Globe and Mail
. Retrieved
January 17,
2017
.
- ^
Minsky, Amy.
"Conservative leadership contender Steven Blaney reignites niqab ban debate"
.
globalnews.ca
. Retrieved
October 25,
2016
.
- ^
"
'We have a Canadian way of living': Tory leadership candidate Steven Blaney resurrects niqab debate"
.
nationalpost.com
. Retrieved
February 13,
2023
.
- ^
"List of confirmed candidates"
.
Elections Canada
. Retrieved
October 3,
2019
.
- ^
"Official Voting Results"
. Elections Canada
. Retrieved
September 22,
2021
.
- ^
Elections Canada ? Confirmed candidates for Bellechasse?Les Etchemins?Levis, 30 September 2015
- ^
"Elections Canada ? Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates"
. Archived from
the original
on 2016-03-04
. Retrieved
2018-09-12
.
- ^
Elections Canada ? Official voting results, Forty-first general election, 2011
- ^
Elections Canada ? Candidate's electoral campaign return, 41st general election
External links
[
edit
]