Madeleine Bélanger (née Audet; born April 7, 1932) is a Canadian politician who served as a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec (MNA) for the riding of Mégantic-Compton from 1983 until 2003. Following the death of her second husband, Fabien Bélanger, on October 2, 1983, she was elected as his replacement on December 5, 1983. She served as a member of the Quebec Liberal Party.

Madeleine Bélanger
Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Mégantic-Compton
In office
December 5, 1983 – April 14, 2003
Preceded byFabien Bélanger
Succeeded byDaniel Bouchard
Personal details
Born (1932-04-07) April 7, 1932 (age 92)
Saint-Sébastien, Quebec, Canada
Political partyQuebec Liberal Party
Spouse(s)Jules Gonthier
Fabien Bélanger (1973-1983)
ChildrenJohanne Gonthier
ProfessionEducator

Bélanger's daughter, Johanne Gonthier, served as the Liberal MNA for the same riding from 2007 to 2012.[1] Bélanger's nephew, Gérard Gosselin, served as a Parti Québécois MNA for Sherbrooke from 1976 to 1981.[2]

Biography

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Bélanger was born April 7, 1932, in Saint-Sébastien, Quebec to Léopold Audet, a farmer, and Zélia Saint-Pierre.[3] She worked as an elementary school teacher at Saint-Samuel-Station for three years.[3] She owned two hairdressing salons and worked as an administrator and manager of a home electrical installation company for three years, then as a director of two residential development companies.[3]

Political career

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Bélanger's husband, Fabien Bélanger, died suddenly on October 2, 1983.[4] She secured the Liberal nomination for Mégantic-Compton and won the ensuing by-election. She was re-elected in 1985, 1989, 1994 and 1998.[3] Bélanger served as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs during the brief government of Daniel Johnson Jr. and later became Chair of the Committee on Planning and the Public Domain as well as the Chairperson of the Committee on Education during her time in office.[3]

She did not seek re-election in 2003.[3]

Electoral record

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Provincial

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1998 Quebec general election: Mégantic-Compton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Madeleine Bélanger 12,675 50.49 -3.46
Parti Québécois Suzanne Durivage 10,339 41.18 -1.18
Action démocratique Olivier Chalifoux 1,835 7.31
Socialist Democracy Yves Couturier 174 0.69
Equality Frank Moller 81 0.32 -1.50
Total valid votes 25,104 99.01
Rejected and declined votes 250 0.99 -1.07
Turnout 25,354 79.89 -1.14
Electors on the lists 31,736
Source: Official Results, Government of Quebec
Liberal hold Swing -2.32
1994 Quebec general election: Mégantic-Compton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Madeleine Bélanger 12,799 53.95 -6.44
Parti Québécois Jacques Blais 10,051 42.36 +12.44
Natural Law Christian Simard 444 1.87
Equality Matthew Begbie 432 1.82 -3.16
Total valid votes 23,725 97.94
Rejected and declined votes 500 2.06 +0.55
Turnout 24,225 81.03 +4.32
Electors on the lists 29,896
Source: Official Results, Government of Quebec
Liberal hold Swing -9.44
1989 Quebec general election: Mégantic-Compton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Madeleine Bélanger 12,608 60.39 +0.91
Parti Québécois Léon Ducharme 6,246 29.92 -7.43
Equality Frank Moller 1,039 4.98
Green Pierre Gilbert 740 3.54
Parti 51 Edmond Trudeau 245 1.17
Total valid votes 20,878 98.49
Rejected and declined votes 320 1.51 +0.41
Turnout 21,198 76.71 -0.68
Electors on the lists 27,634
Source: Official Results, Government of Quebec
Liberal hold Swing +4.17
1985 Quebec general election: Mégantic-Compton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Madeleine Bélanger 12,865 59.48 -8.12
Parti Québécois Maurice Bernier 8,708 37.35 +6.87
New Democratic Joseph Lemoine 594 2.75
Christian Socialist Steeve Stratford 91 0.42
Total valid votes 21,628 98.90
Rejected and declined votes 241 1.10 +0.15
Turnout 21,869 77.39 +4.96
Electors on the lists 28,257
Source: Official Results, Government of Quebec
Liberal hold Swing -7.50
Quebec provincial by-election, December 5, 1983: Mégantic-Compton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Madeleine Bélanger 13,711 67.60 +15.87
Parti Québécois Noël Landry 6,182 30.48 -11.04
Independent Jean-Luc Perron 233 1.15
No Affiliation Patricia Métivier 156 0.77
Total valid votes 20,282 99.05  
Total rejected ballots 194 0.95 +0.23
Turnout 20,476 72.43 -9.61
Electors on the lists 28,270
Liberal hold Swing +13.50
By-election due to the death of Fabien Bélanger
Source(s)
"December 5, 1983 By-election". Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec. December 5, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2017.


References

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  1. ^ "Johanne Gonthier". Québec Dictionary of Parliamentary Biography, from 1764 to the present (in French). National Assembly of Quebec. September 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  2. ^ "Gérard Gosselin". Québec Dictionary of Parliamentary Biography, from 1764 to the present (in French). National Assembly of Quebec. March 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Madeleine Bélanger". Québec Dictionary of Parliamentary Biography, from 1764 to the present (in French). National Assembly of Quebec. September 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  4. ^ "Fabien Bélanger". Québec Dictionary of Parliamentary Biography, from 1764 to the present (in French). National Assembly of Quebec. May 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2022.