Ève-Mary Thaï Thi Lac
Encyclopedia
Ève-Mary Thaï Thi Lac is a Canadian
politician. She was elected to the Canadian House of Commons on September 17, 2007, as the Bloc Québécois
candidate in the Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot by-election, defeating the Conservative
candidate Bernard Barré.
Born in Vietnam
, Thi Lac was adopted at age two by a Quebec
family and grew up on a farm
near Acton Vale
. Prior to her election, she worked for her predecessor, Yvan Loubier
, as an executive assistant in his constituency office.
She is the first Vietnamese Canadian
ever elected to the Canadian House of Commons. She acknowledged that racism
was a factor at the outset of her campaign, but stressed her local roots by joking that having grown up on a farm, she was the only candidate in the race who knew how to castrate
a pig
. She later credited her willingness to simply talk to people as her most effective strategy:
She was re-elected in the 2008 election
, but was defeated in the 2011 election by Marie-Claude Morin
of the New Democratic Party
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician. She was elected to the Canadian House of Commons on September 17, 2007, as the Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
candidate in the Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot by-election, defeating the Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
candidate Bernard Barré.
Born in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Thi Lac was adopted at age two by a Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
family and grew up on a farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
near Acton Vale
Acton Vale, Quebec
Acton Vale is an industrial town in south-central Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Regional County Municipality of Acton and is in the Montérégie administrative region. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 7,797...
. Prior to her election, she worked for her predecessor, Yvan Loubier
Yvan Loubier
Yvan Loubier is a Canadian politician and one of the founders of the Bloc Québécois. He was a Bloc Québécois member of the Canadian House of Commons representing the district of Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, from the since he was first elected in the 1993 election, until his resignation on February 21,...
, as an executive assistant in his constituency office.
She is the first Vietnamese Canadian
Vietnamese Canadian
Mainstream Vietnamese communities began arriving in Canada in the mid 1970s and early 1980s as refugees or boat people following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, though a couple thousand were already living in Quebec before then, most of whom were students...
ever elected to the Canadian House of Commons. She acknowledged that racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
was a factor at the outset of her campaign, but stressed her local roots by joking that having grown up on a farm, she was the only candidate in the race who knew how to castrate
Castration
Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses the functions of the testicles or a female loses the functions of the ovaries.-Humans:...
a pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
. She later credited her willingness to simply talk to people as her most effective strategy:
She was re-elected in the 2008 election
Canadian federal election, 2008
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
, but was defeated in the 2011 election by Marie-Claude Morin
Marie-Claude Morin
Marie-Claude Morin is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 2011 election. She represents the electoral district of Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot as a member of the New Democratic Party....
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...
.