Josée Verner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Hon. Josée Verner**
Minister for International Cooperation, Minister responsible for Official Languages & Minister responsible for La Francophonie

Incumbent
Riding	Louis-Saint-Laurent
In office since	2006 Federal Election
Preceded by	Bernard Cleary
Born	December 30, 1959 (age 47) Gatineau, Quebec
Political party	Conservative
Profession(s)	political staffer, executive assistant

Josée Verner, PC, MP (born December 30, 1959 in Gatineau, Québec) is a Canadian politician. She represents the electoral district of Louis-Saint-Laurent in the Canadian House of Commons and is a minister in the Conservative cabinet.

[edit] Political career

A member of the provincial Action démocratique du Québec and the federal Conservative Party of Canada, Verner also once worked as a political staffer in Quebec City in the Robert Bourassa government.

She was a candidate for the Conservatives in the 2004 federal election and finished second with 31% of the vote, the party's best Quebec showing, in a three-way race that was won by the Bloc Québécois's Bernard Cleary. This was contrasted with her victory in a two-way race in 2006.

Looking to boost the party's profile in Quebec, and hoping to make Verner a viable candidate in future elections, Conservative leader Stephen Harper named Verner to the opposition shadow cabinet from outside of parliament. She was critic for the Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec and the Minister responsible for La Francophonie both posts then held by fellow Quebecker Jacques Saada. She was also appointed chair of the Quebec Conservative caucus which at the time was made up of herself and Conservative senators.

She is also one of the most socially liberal members of the conservative party. For example, she supports same-sex marriage.

[edit] In cabinet

Running again in the 2006 election, she was elected with 57.68% of the vote in Louis-Saint-Laurent, defeating Bernard Cleary, and heading a wave of Conservative victories that swept the Quebec City area.

On February 6, 2006, she was sworn into Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet as Minister of International Co-operation and Minister for La Francophonie and Official Languages.

Her parliamentary secretary is Ted Menzies, who received some criticism for having La Francophonie as his portfolio while he does not speak French. It was subsequently specified that he was appointed parliamentary secretary to Josée Verner for his experience as opposition critic for International Co-operation rather than for La Francophonie.

Cabinet Post
28th Ministry - Government of Stephen Harper
Predecessor	Office	Successor
Aileen Carroll	Minister for International Cooperation (2006–)	incumbent
Special Cabinet Responsibilities
Predecessor	Title	Successor
Mauril Bélanger	Minister responsible for Official Languages (2006–)	incumbent
Jacques Saada	Minister responsible for La Francophonie (2006–)	incumbent
Parliament of Canada
Preceded by Bernard Cleary, Bloc Québécois	Member of Parliament for Louis-Saint-Laurent 2006-present	Succeeded by incumbent

Members of the current Canadian Cabinet
Ambrose \| Baird \| Bernier \| Blackburn \| Cannon \| Clement \| Day \| Emerson \| Finley \| Flaherty \| Fortier \| Harper \| Hearn \| LeBreton \| Lunn \| MacKay \| Nicholson \| O'Connor \| Oda \| Prentice \| Skelton \| Solberg \| Strahl \| Thompson \| Toews \| Van Loan \| Verner Secretaries of State Guergis \| Hill \| Kenney \| Paradis \| Ritz