Christian Paradis (; born January 1, 1974) is a Canadian politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mégantic—L'Érable from 2006 to 2015. A member of the

Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC; , ), sometimes referred to as the Tories, is a Government of Canada, federal List of political parties in Canada, political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main Right-wing ...

, he was first elected in the 2006 federal election and served as parliamentary secretary to the

Minister of Natural Resources The minister of energy and natural resources () is the minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada, Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). In addition to NRCan, the minister oversees the federal government' ...

until January 4, 2007, when he was appointed Secretary of State for

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC; sometimes Ag-Canada; )''Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food (). is the Structure of the Can ...

and the

Rural Secretariat The Rural Secretariat was a focal point for the Government of Canada to work in partnership with Canadians in rural and remote areas to build strong, dynamic communities. It was dismantled by the Conservative government in 2013. Located in Agri ...

. On June 25, 2008, Paradis was appointed

Minister of Public Works and Government Services The minister of government transformation, public services and procurement () is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the Government of Canada's "common service organization" ( Public Services and ...

, retaining his position as Secretary of State for Agriculture until October that same year. On October 30, 2008, in a cabinet shuffle following the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...

, he retained the Public Works portfolio. In addition, he succeeded

Lawrence Cannon Lawrence Cannon, (born December 6, 1947) is a Canadian politician from Quebec and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's former Quebec lieutenant. In early 2006, he was made the Minister of Transport. On October 30, 2008, he relinquished oversight ...

Quebec Lieutenant In Canadian politics, a Quebec lieutenant () is a Quebec politician who is selected by the party leader to be the main advisor or spokesperson on issues specific to Quebec. This is particularly the case when the leader is an anglophone, though se ...

. On January 19, 2010, in a cabinet shuffle, Prime Minister

Harper Harper may refer to: Names * Harper (name), a surname and given name and place names, for example: Harper Islands, Nunavut. Places ;in Canada * Harper Islands, Nunavut * Harper, Prince Edward Island ;In the United States *Harper, former name ...

appointed him

. On May 18, 2011, in a cabinet shuffle he was appointed to be the Minister of Industry. On July 15, 2013, in a cabinet shuffle, he was appointed as Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie. Paradis did not run in the 2015 federal election, and in December 2015, it was announced that he would be the Senior Vice President, Strategic Development of Protective Services at

GardaWorld GardaWorld Corporation is a Canadian private security firm, headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, with 120,000 employees as of January 2022. Its U.S. business name is United American Security LLC, dba GardaWorld. GardaWorld International Protecti ...

, starting January 2016.

Early life and career

Originally from Thetford Mines, he graduated from the University of Sherbrooke in civil law and holds a graduate degree in corporate law from Laval University. He entered the Quebec Bar in 1997. He is the son of Pierre Paradis, also a lawyer. He chaired the Asbestos Chamber of Commerce in 2004 and 2005. Christian Paradis has been married to Julie Roberge since June 2000 and is the father of three children. He was first elected in the 2006 federal election and served as parliamentary secretary to the

until January 4, 2007, when he was appointed Secretary of State for

and the

. On June 25, 2008, Paradis was appointed

, retaining his position as Secretary of State for Agriculture until October that same year. On October 30, 2008, in a cabinet shuffle following the

, he retained the Public Works portfolio. In addition, he succeeded

. On January 19, 2010, in a cabinet shuffle, Prime Minister

appointed him

. On May 18, 2011, in a cabinet shuffle he was appointed to be the Minister of Industry. On July 15, 2013, in a cabinet shuffle, he was appointed as Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie. On April 3, 2015, Paradis announced that he would not seek re-election.

Federal politics

Paradis served as representative of the riding of Megantic-L'Érable from 2006 to 2015. He received nearly 50% of the vote in each federal election.

Secretary of State for Agriculture

Christian Paradis was appointed Secretary of State in charge of Agriculture on January 4, 2007. He notably inherited the dossier of the pork industry, plagued by difficulties due to numerous diseases affecting pig herds in Canada: his ministry takes support measures for producers by announcing financial assistance to producers over a period of 4 years. Under his leadership, the Harper government launched a $1.5 billion program aimed at supporting the production of bio-fuels by farmers. He also played a crucial role in preserving the

Supply management (Canada) Canada's supply management (), abbreviated SM, is a national agricultural policy framework used across the country, which controls the supply of dairy, poultry and eggs through production and import mechanisms to ensure that prices for supply-ma ...

system during the development of Canadian cheese regulations in 2007.

Minister of Public Services and Procurement

He became Minister of Public Works and Government Services replacing Michael Fortier on June 25, 2008. On November 27, he announced the return of Formula 1 to Canada, with the resumption of the

Canadian Grand Prix The Canadian Grand Prix () is an annual motor racing event held since 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967. It was first staged at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, as a sports car event, before alterna ...

in Montreal. The Ministry of Public Works contributes $5 million annually.

Quebec Lieutenant and Minister responsible for the Montreal region

He became

Quebec lieutenant In Canadian politics, a Quebec lieutenant () is a Quebec politician who is selected by the party leader to be the main advisor or spokesperson on issues specific to Quebec. This is particularly the case when the leader is an anglophone, though se ...

and Minister responsible for the Montreal region in November 2008, replacing

. One of its main files is the regulation on the harmonization of the Canada-Quebec sales tax with the retrocession to the Government of Quebec of 2.2 billion dollars annually from the federal government coming from the Tax on products and services. He led the electoral campaign in Quebec during the

2011 Canadian federal election The 2011 Canadian federal election was held on May 2, 2011, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 41st Canadian Parliament. The writs of election for the 2011 election were issued by Governor General of Canada, Governor Gene ...

; the Conservatives won 16.52% of the vote and overtook the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...

in Quebec, but won only 5 seats out of 78, against a strong push from the NDP who won 59 seats.

Minister of Natural Resources

In March 2011, as Minister of Natural Resources, Minister Paradis in the company of Minister Normandeau announced that the governments of Canada and Quebec reached a historic agreement in principle for the co-management of the Old Harry hydrocarbon reservoir, located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Minister of Industry

As Minister of Industry and therefore responsible for telecommunications, Minister Paradis stood up to the telecommunications industry, stressing the need for four national carriers to maintain competition in all regions of the country. He announced in March 2012, the lifting of restrictions on foreign ownership for smaller players in the wireless industry and in March 2013, he announced a new broadband wireless spectrum auction to enable access to new entrants and incumbents.

Minister for International Development and La Francophonie

He was appointed Minister of International Development and La Francophonie on July 15, 2013. He supports the candidacy of the former Governor General of Canada,

Michaëlle Jean Michaëlle Jean (; born September 6, 1957) is a Canadian former journalist who served as the 27th governor general of Canada from 2005 to 2010. She is the first Haitian Canadian and black person to hold this office. Jean was the Organisation i ...

and supports her successful campaign for the position of Secretary General of the

Organisation internationale de la Francophonie The (OIF; sometimes shortened to ''La Francophonie'', , sometimes also called International Organisation of in English) is an international organization representing where there is a notable affiliation with French language and culture. ...

After politics

Since January 2016, the former minister of the Harper government has held the position of senior vice-president, strategic development of protective services in Canada at GardaWorld. He sits on several boards of directors:

Forum of Federations The Forum of Federations is an international organization based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It develops and shares comparative expertise on the practice of federal and decentralized governance through a global network. The Forum and its partners ...

, Canada World Youth,

Macdonald–Laurier Institute The Macdonald–Laurier Institute (MLI) is a public policy think tank located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 2010, the institute is named after John A. Macdonald, a Tory and Canada's first Prime Minister, and Wilfrid Laurier, a Liberal a ...

and Leomed Technologies.

Electoral record

Honours

* Member of the

Queen's Privy Council for Canada The King's Privy Council for Canada (), sometimes called His Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal advisors to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs. Practically, ...

(2007). *

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal () or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. There are four versions of the medal: one iss ...

(2012) presented by the Right Honorable David Lloyd Johnston

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paradis, Christian 1974 births Conservative Party of Canada MPs Living people Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada People from Thetford Mines Lawyers in Quebec Université de Sherbrooke alumni Université Laval alumni Ministers of mining of Canada Members of the 28th Canadian Ministry 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada