France Gélinas

France Gélinas
MPP
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
for Nickel Belt
Assumed office
October 10, 2007
Preceded by Shelley Martel
Personal details
Political party New Democrat
Residence Naughton, Sudbury, Ontario
Profession Physiotherapist, health care administrator

France Gélinas is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She is a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who was elected in 2007. She represents the riding of Nickel Belt.

Background

Gélinas, was born and raised in Shawinigan Quebec. She is also trained as a physiotherapist. She has been the executive director of the Community Health Centre of Sudbury, is on the United Way's Citizens' Advisory Panel, and serves as president of the Francophone Reference Group of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. She lives in the Naughton neighbourhood of Sudbury with her family.[1]

Politics

She ran in the 2007 provincial election as the New Democratic candidate in the riding of Nickel Belt. She defeated Liberal candidate Ron Dupuis by 2,762 votes.[2] She was re-elected in the 2011, and 2014 elections.[3][4]

In May 2008, she joined caucus colleagues Michael Prue and Peter Tabuns in calling on the provincial government to crack down on private hydroelectricity marketers.[5]

She has been an outspoken critic of competitive bidding in the province's home care services,[6] and of layoffs affecting nurses in provincial hospitals.[7]

Following the announcement of Howard Hampton's retirement as leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party, there was some speculation in Sudbury's local media that Gélinas might join the leadership campaign. However, she indicated on June 16, 2008 that as a relatively new MPP, she did not feel that she was ready to become a leadership candidate.[8] She later endorsed Gilles Bisson for the leadership, and supported the eventual winner, Andrea Horwath, on the final ballot at the convention.

In 2009, Gélinas introduced the Healthy Decisions for Healthy Eating bill, a private member's bill which would mandate the provision of nutritional and calorie information on restaurant menus.[9] In 2011, she introduced a private member's bill to have the provincial Commissioner of French Language Services report to the full Legislative Assembly of Ontario, rather than exclusively to the Minister of Francophone Affairs.[10]

In 2015, Gélinas introduced a private member's bill to mandate the creation of a fully independent French-language university in Ontario.[11]

She is currently the party's critic for Health and Long-Term Care, and francophone affairs in the NDP's shadow cabinet.[12]

Electoral record

Ontario general election, 2011
Party Candidate Votes % ±
New DemocraticFrance Gélinas 16,826 54.89 +8.26
LiberalTony Ryma 7,434 24.25 -13.79
Progressive ConservativePaula Peroni 5,625 18.35 +8.29
GreenStephanie-Lynn Russell 770 2.5 -1.72
Total valid votes 30,655 100.00
Ontario general election, 2007
Party Candidate Votes % ±
New DemocraticFrance Gélinas 15,126 46.6 0.08
LiberalRon Dupuis 12,341 38.0 -0.64
Progressive ConservativeRenée Germain 3,264 10.1 -3.39
GreenFred Twilley 1,368 4.2 2.85
Family CoalitionRichard St-Denis 341 1.1

References

  1. ↑ "About France". Retrieved 2012-07-21.
  2. ↑ "Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. October 10, 2007. p. 9 (xviii). Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  3. ↑ "Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. October 6, 2011. p. 11. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  4. ↑ "General Election by District: Nickel Belt". Elections Ontario. June 12, 2014.
  5. ↑ "NDP demands crackdown on door-to-door marketers". Northern Life. May 23, 2008.
  6. ↑ Mulligan, Carol (February 2009). "Bidding for care, Cause for concern -- or rhetoric?". Sudbury Star.
  7. ↑ "Nurses protest layoffs in legislature". Toronto Star. March 5, 2009.
  8. ↑ Bradley, Bill (June 16, 2008). "Gelinas declines to run to replace NDP leader". Northern Life.
  9. ↑ Ferguson, Rob (April 10, 2009). "Calorie-count bill clears hurdle". Toronto Star.
  10. ↑ "New bill to change who French language commissioner reports to". Sudbury Star. May 30, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Ontario needs a French university? Bien sûr, Gélinas says". Northern Life, May 26, 2015.
  12. ↑ Reevely, David (June 25, 2014). "Horwath sticks around, names NDP shadow cabinet".
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