| Ruth Ellen Brosseau | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for Berthier—Maskinongé |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Guy André |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 26, 1984 Montréal, Québec |
| Political party | New Democratic Party |
| Residence | Hull (Gatineau), Quebec and Louiseville, Québec |
Ruth Ellen Brosseau (born April 26, 1984)[1][2][3] is a Canadian politician. She was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a New Democratic Party candidate in the 2011 federal election.
Contents |
Brosseau's father, Marc, is a francophone[4] who is also fluent in English.[5] The Brosseau family lived in Hudson, Quebec until the younger Brosseau reached grade 2. From there, the family moved to Kingston, Ontario, where she continued to take French immersion classes.[6]
Brosseau attended St. Lawrence College in Kingston. Her online biography initially indicated that she graduated from the college, but it was later clarified that she left before graduating, while being two credits short of completing her diploma.[7] The NDP issued a statement that Brosseau had never claimed to have received a diploma, adding, "When her bio was posted on our website, a party staffer inadvertently changed the wording. We apologize for posting this information in error and regret any inconvenience this has caused Ms. Brosseau."[8] She is also an animal welfare activist who has worked to find homes for stray animals and help injured animals recover.[9]
As of May 2011, Brosseau is a single mother who resides in Gatineau, Quebec.[10] Brosseau held the position of assistant manager for Oliver's Pub, a bar on the campus of Carleton University in Ottawa.[11]
| 2011 Canadian federal election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berthier—Maskinongé[12] | ||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| NDP | Ruth Ellen Brosseau | 22,484 | 39.63% | |
| Bloc Québécois | Guy André | 16,668 | 29.38% | |
| Liberal | Francine Gaudet | 8,109 | 14.29% | |
| Conservative | Marie-Claude Godue | 7,909 | 13.94% | |
| Green | Léonie Matteau | 1,193 | 2.10% | |
| Rhinoceros | Martin Jubinville | 375 | 0.66% | |
| Total | 56,738 | 100.00% | ||
Brosseau ran for a seat to the Canadian House of Commons in the 2011 federal election. She stood as the New Democratic Party candidate in the electoral district of Berthier—Maskinongé in central Quebec. She was the second nomination choice of the party as the original candidate, Julie Demers, decided to run in Bourassa instead (where she lost).[13]
Initially, Brosseau was considered a paper candidate who had been selected by the party due to the lack of a viable local nominee. She never put a serious campaign together and never went to the riding, which straddles the regions of Lanaudière and Mauricie, during the writ period. However, on election night, Brosseau defeated incumbent Bloc Québécois Member of Parliament Guy André, former provincial Liberal MNA Francine Gaudet and three other candidates, winning with a plurality of 5,735 votes and taking just under 40% of all the votes cast. André finished a distant second, with only 29.4 percent of the vote.[12] Her victory was part of a wave of NDP support in Quebec, a province in which the party has historically not done well. The NDP increased its standing in the province from one seat in Montreal to a surprising total of 59.
Brosseau's victory was one of the biggest upsets of the 2011 election. Central Quebec, which includes Berthier–Maskinongé, has historically been a very nationalist region, a factor which made it a Bloc stronghold for nearly two decades. Most of the riding's residents had been represented by Bloc MPs since the Bloc's 54-seat breakthrough in 1993. Previously, the NDP had never finished higher than fourth in the riding's present incarnation (dating to 2004), and every previous NDP challenger had lost his or her deposit.
Significant concerns had been raised about her proficiency in French, especially given the fact that 98 percent of Berthier-Maskinongé's residents are francophone[14] and 77 percent of them don't speak English.[8] Of the NDP's Quebec MPs, she was the only one who did not fluently speak French at the time the writs were dropped.[13] Early in the campaign, she granted an interview with CHHO-FM in Louiseville, but station officials opted not to air it due to concerns about the quality of her French.[8][14][15][16] When asked about his daughter's French proficiency, her father, Marc Brosseau, said that "The quality of (her) French is good. It's just if she wants to rise to the occasion, she speaks it, but let's just say it's not at a high proficiency level."[5][17]
Brosseau did not address the media or take questions from reporters for several days after her election.[18] Her father felt that her silence was an act of caution. "There's so much bad publicity that's surrounded all of this, and there's so much misinformation. She wants to make sure that when it does come out, it'll come out properly. This is maybe another stage in her life that's gonna put her in a whole new different sphere."[5][17]
At a press conference held the day after Brosseau's election, NDP co-deputy leader and Quebec lieutenant Thomas Mulcair addressed her language issues. While conceding that Brosseau's command of French was "not at a level we would expect for a riding like Berthier—Maskinongé," he personally promised to "help organize her office" and "give her all the help that's needed."[19] He also said that he was willing to handle most of Berthier-Maskinongé's constituency issues in the short term.[13]
On May 6, Brosseau gave her first interview since being elected, with Le Nouvelliste of Trois-Rivières. Brosseau acknowledged that she had not expected to be elected and that she had not been to her new riding, but planned to go there soon.[20] The Globe and Mail noted that the interview was conducted "almost entirely in English."[20][21] Earlier, the NDP sent an automated telephone message introducing Brosseau to her new constituents, in which she spoke in "rehearsed and passable French".[20][21][22]
On May 11, she made her first public appearance in her new riding. She attended a museum opening in Lavaltrie where she made a speech in French.[23] She also met with the mayors of Lavaltrie, Louiseville and Trois-Rivières and was granted an interview with Trois-Rivières television station CHEM-TV, also in French.[23][24]
By the time the new Parliament opened, Brosseau listed both English and French as her preferred languages on the Commons floor.
On July 22, Brosseau officially opened her constituency office in Louiseville; her French was described as "still hesitant".[25]
During the 2011 federal election, Brosseau raised controversy when it was learned that she had spent part of the campaign on vacation in Las Vegas. Her trip had been arranged prior to the election being called. By the time the writ was dropped, it was too late to reschedule.[26] NDP leader Jack Layton defended Brosseau's decision to vacation in Vegas, pinning the blame on Harper not keeping his promise on fixed election dates.[27] An op-ed in the National Post criticized Brosseau's inexperience, writing that she is "an extreme example of what happens when people sign up to run for a party with little or no expectation of actually winning."[28]
Two days after the election, allegations were made by both the defeated Liberal and Conservative candidates about irregularities on Brosseau's nomination papers. While each party has the chance to vet each other's nomination papers before the election, the other parties chose not to vet Brosseau's papers because no one believed she had a realistic chance of winning. The local Liberal and Conservative associations have called for a by-election, but Elections Canada has ruled that only a court can order new elections.[29] Both parties subsequently declined to file a formal court challenge.[29]
In response to the allegations, the NDP released a statement, stating that "All signatures were collected legitimately, the documents were tabled with Elections Canada and they were approved by the Returning Officer."[30][31]