Marcelle Mersereau
Encyclopedia
Marcelle Mersereau, is a Canadian politician
.
A civil servant for most of her career, she also served as a councillor on Bathurst, New Brunswick
city council
while on the provincial payroll from 1980 to 1991. She resigned her seat on council upon being elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
in the 1991 provincial election
. A member of Frank McKenna
's Liberal Party
, she was immediately named to cabinet
and became deputy premier in 1994. She served in a variety of roles in cabinet until the defeat of the Liberals in the 1999 election
. She defeated PC
candidate Robert N. Stairs to retain her seat in Bathurst
, one of only 10 Liberals to survive what was their worst ever electoral defeat.
In opposition she was a top critic and the media reported she had lost the vote in her caucus
to become interim leader
of her party by a margin of 4-3 following the resignation of Camille Thériault
. Her most high profile role in opposition was that of finance
critic
. She did not seek re-election to the legislature in 2003
but has remained active in her party. She was elected vice president of the New Brunswick Liberal Association on October 4, 2003 and re-elected on October 15, 2005. During the 2004 federal election
, she was co-chair of the Liberal campaign in New Brunswick. She was the Liberal
candidate for the Canadian House of Commons
in the riding of Acadie—Bathurst
in the 2006 federal election
, but finished second to Yvon Godin
of the New Democratic Party
.
She served as co-chair of the successful Liberal campaign as it prepared for the 2006 provincial election
. She succeeded Greg Byrne as president of the New Brunswick Liberal Party when he resigned after being appointed to the cabinet following the 2006 election and served the post until stepping down in the Fall of 2007.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
A civil servant for most of her career, she also served as a councillor on Bathurst, New Brunswick
Bathurst, New Brunswick
Bathurst is a Canadian city in Gloucester County, New Brunswick.Bathurst is situated on Bathurst Harbour, an estuary at the mouth of the Nepisiguit River at the southernmost part of Chaleur Bay....
city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
while on the provincial payroll from 1980 to 1991. She resigned her seat on council upon being elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick is located in Fredericton. It was established de jure when the colony was created in 1784, but only came in to session in 1786 following the first elections in late 1785. Until 1891, it was the lower house in a bicameral legislature when its upper house...
in the 1991 provincial election
New Brunswick general election, 1991
The 32nd New Brunswick general election was held on September 23, 1991, to elect 58 members to the 52nd New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada....
. A member of Frank McKenna
Frank McKenna
Francis Joseph "Frank" McKenna, PC, OC, ONB, QC is a Canadian businessman and former politician and diplomat. He is currently Deputy Chairman of the Toronto-Dominion Bank. He served as Canadian Ambassador to the United States from 2005 to 2006...
's Liberal Party
New Brunswick Liberal Association
The New Brunswick Liberal Association , more popularly known as the New Brunswick Liberal Party or Liberal Party of New Brunswick, is one of the two major political parties in the Canadian province of New Brunswick...
, she was immediately named to cabinet
Executive Council of New Brunswick
The Executive Council of New Brunswick is the cabinet of that Canadian province....
and became deputy premier in 1994. She served in a variety of roles in cabinet until the defeat of the Liberals in the 1999 election
New Brunswick general election, 1999
The 34th New Brunswick general election was held on June 7, 1999, to elect 55 members to the 54th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It marked the debut of both Camille Thériault and Bernard Lord as leaders of the Liberals and...
. She defeated PC
Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick
The Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick is a centre-right political party in New Brunswick, Canada. It has its origins in the pre-Canadian confederation Conservative Party that opposed the granting of responsible government to the colony...
candidate Robert N. Stairs to retain her seat in Bathurst
Bathurst (electoral district)
Bathurst is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, Canada.-History and Geography:It was created in the 1967 redistribution when cities were separated from their counties and made independent districts. It was not changed in either the 1973 or 1994...
, one of only 10 Liberals to survive what was their worst ever electoral defeat.
In opposition she was a top critic and the media reported she had lost the vote in her caucus
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
to become interim leader
Interim leader
An interim leader, in Canadian politics, is a party leader appointed by the party's legislative caucus or the party's executive to temporarily act as leader when a gap occurs between the resignation or death of a party leader and the election of a formal successor...
of her party by a margin of 4-3 following the resignation of Camille Thériault
Camille Thériault
Camille Henri Thériault served as the 29th Premier of the Canadian province of New Brunswick.The son of Joséphine Martin and Norbert Thériault, a former provincial cabinet minister and Canadian Senator, Camille Thériault was born in Baie-Ste-Anne, New Brunswick, and graduated from Baie-Sainte-Anne...
. Her most high profile role in opposition was that of finance
Finance minister
The finance minister is a cabinet position in a government.A minister of finance has many different jobs in a government. He or she helps form the government budget, stimulate the economy, and control finances...
critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
. She did not seek re-election to the legislature in 2003
New Brunswick general election, 2003
The 35th New Brunswick general election was held on June 9, 2003, to elect 55 members to the 55th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada...
but has remained active in her party. She was elected vice president of the New Brunswick Liberal Association on October 4, 2003 and re-elected on October 15, 2005. During the 2004 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
, she was co-chair of the Liberal campaign in New Brunswick. She was the Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
candidate for the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
in the riding of Acadie—Bathurst
Acadie—Bathurst
Acadie—Bathurst is a federal electoral district in New Brunswick, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1867. Its population in 2001 was 76,392....
in the 2006 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
, but finished second to Yvon Godin
Yvon Godin
Yvon Godin is a Canadian politician.Godin is currently a New Democratic Party Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Acadie—Bathurst since 1997. Previously, Godin was a labour representative for the United Steelworkers...
of the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
.
She served as co-chair of the successful Liberal campaign as it prepared for the 2006 provincial election
New Brunswick general election, 2006
The 36th New Brunswick general election was held on September 18, 2006, to elect 55 members to the 56th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada....
. She succeeded Greg Byrne as president of the New Brunswick Liberal Party when he resigned after being appointed to the cabinet following the 2006 election and served the post until stepping down in the Fall of 2007.