Yves-François Blanchet

Yves-François Blanchet MP
File:Yves-Francois Blanchet in October 2009.jpg Blanchet in 2009
Leader of the Bloc Québécois
Incumbent
Assumed office January 17, 2019
President	Yves Perron
Preceded by	Mario Beaulieu (interim)
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Beloeil—Chambly
Incumbent
Assumed office October 21, 2019
Preceded by	Matthew Dubé
Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Wildlife and Parks
In office December 4, 2012 – April 23, 2014
Premier	Pauline Marois
Preceded by	Daniel Breton
Succeeded by	David Heurtel
Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Johnson (Drummond; 2008–2012)
In office December 8, 2008 – April 7, 2014
Preceded by	Sébastien Schneeberger
Succeeded by	André Lamontagne
Personal details
Born	(1965-04-16) April 16, 1965 Drummondville, Quebec, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Political party	Bloc Québécois (federal)
Other political affiliations	Parti Québécois (provincial)
Spouse(s)	Nancy Déziel
Residence	Shawinigan, Quebec
Alma mater	Université de Montréal (BA)

Yves-François Blanchet MP (French: [iv fʁɑ̃swa blɑ̃ʃɛ]; born April 16, 1965) is a Canadian politician who has served as leader of the Bloc Québécois (BQ) since 2019. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Beloeil—Chambly since the 2019 election.

Before federal politics, Blanchet was in provincial politics, serving as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for the Parti Québécois (PQ) from 2008 until his defeat in the 2014 election. He was Quebec's Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Wildlife and Parks from December 2012 to April 2014 under Premier Pauline Marois. Prior to his political career, Blanchet ran an artist management firm and was the president of ADISQ from 2003 to 2006.

Life and career

Blanchet was born April 16, 1965 in Drummondville, Quebec, to Pierrette Bédard, a nurse, and Raymond Blanchet, a technician and lineman. He is a graduate from the Université de Montréal where he obtained a bachelor's degree in history and anthropology in 1987. He later worked as a teacher and was a founder of an artist, disc and concert management firm, YFB Inc. while being the president of the ADISQ from 2003 to 2006. He was named the local business personality of the year by the Drummondville Chamber of Commerce, while he and associated artists received 10 Félix Awards.

Blanchet was elected to represent the riding of Drummond in the National Assembly of Quebec in the 2008 provincial election. In the 2012 election, he was reelected, this time in Johnson electoral district. He was defeated by Coalition Avenir Québec candidate André Lamontagne in the 2014 Quebec election. A member of the Parti Québécois (PQ), Blanchet was Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Wildlife and Parks from 2012 until 2014. He was also a member of the Youth National Committee of the Parti Québécois in 1988 as well as a regional director of the PQ.

On November 26, 2018, Blanchet announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Bloc Québécois (BQ). As no other candidate had entered the race by the time nominations closed on January 15, 2019, Blanchet was officially acclaimed leader on January 17, 2019.

In the 2019 election, the Bloc polling number rose to his alignment towards the popular Francois Legault's CAQ government. S.E Fortin in the Journal de Montreal noted an article from Don Braid from the Calgary Herald when arguing that people from the prairies province were more worried about Blanchet than environmentalists Dominic Champagne or Steven Guilbeault. He won his seat of Beloeil—Chambly. Under Blanchet's leadership, the BQ increased its number of seats from 10 in 2015, to 32 seats in 2019, both overtaking the NDP to become the third largest party in Canada and regaining official party status.

Personal life

Blanchet is married to Nancy Déziel.

On an anonymously managed Facebook page, he was the subject of an anonymous allegation of sexual misconduct against a woman in a Montreal bar in the 1990s; an allegation that he characterized as defamatory and which he categorically denied while inviting the alleged victim to file a complaint with the appropriate authorities. No complaint was filed. The Facebook page was closed a few days after this publication.

In September 2020, Blanchet tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after his wife had tested positive earlier in the month, requiring him to self-isolate at his residence in Shawinigan during the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec.

Electoral record

Federal results

Canadian federal election, 2019: Beloeil—Chambly
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%	Expenditures
	Bloc Québécois	Yves-François Blanchet	35,068	50.5	+22.82	$36,540.34
	Liberal	Marie-Chantal Hamel	16,059	23.1	-6.24	$62,823.63
	New Democratic	Matthew Dubé	10,086	14.5	-16.57	$20,636.78
	Conservative	Véronique Laprise	4,305	6.2	-3.09	$0.00
	Green	Pierre Carrier	3,255	4.7	+2.45	$18,235.50
	PPC	Chloé Bernard	512	0.7	–	$5,931.38
	Indépendence du Québec	Michel Blondin	205	0.3	–	$768.82
Total valid votes/Expense limit			69,490	100.0
Total rejected ballots			1,064
Turnout			70,554	73.7
Eligible voters			95,723
	Bloc Québécois gain from New Democratic		Swing		+19.79
Source: Elections Canada

Provincial results

Quebec general election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	Parti Québécois	Yves-François Blanchet	15,007	36.16	+1.34
	Coalition Avenir Québec	Stéphane Legault	14,804	35.67	+5.16
	Liberal	Nancy Boyce	8,434	20.32	-9.55
	Québec solidaire	Julie Dionne	1,887	4.55	+1.57
	Option nationale	Steve Lemay	889	2.14
	Conservative	Benoit Lussier	479	1.15

2008 Quebec general election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Parti Québécois	Yves-Francois Blanchet	11,480	34.40
	Liberal	Jacques Sigouin	10,860	32.54
	Action démocratique	Sébastien Schneeberger	9,757	29.23
	Québec solidaire	Luce Daneau	1,279	3.83

External links

Media related to Yves-François Blanchet at Wikimedia Commons

• Parti Quebecois biopage