Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet (born October 3, 1955) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

anthropologist, unionist, and politician, who was first elected to the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Commo ...

in the 2011 election. She represented the electoral district of Hochelaga as a member of the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

. From November 2015 to October 2019, she was also the NDP's

Whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally ...

. She did not run for re-election in 2019.

Career

After obtaining her Master's degree of anthropology at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a Public university, public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexande ...

, Boutin-Sweet participated in various archeological digs in Canada and the United States. She also taught at the University of Alberta Campus Saint-Jean and at Grant McEwan University. From 1992 to 2011, Boutin-Sweet worked as a guide/animator at the Pointe-à-Callière Museum and was involved in union activities. Co-founder and treasurer of the museum’s employees union, which is affiliated with the Centrale des syndicats démocratiques (CSD), she was a member of the pay equity and bargaining committees. With the CSD, she sat on the committee on the status of women and served as trainer, auditor and vice-president, trade and services. Until 2011, Marjolaine worked both as an archeologist and as a trade-unionist for the Pointe-à-Callière museum.

Political career

In 2011, she decided to put her name forward as a candidate for the New Democratic Party in the federal district of Hochelaga. In the

41st 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 David Johnston on March ...

, she was elected with 48.17% of the votes, defeating the incumbent candidate

Daniel Paillé Daniel Paillé (; born April 1, 1950) is a Canadian politician, who represented the riding of Prévost in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1994 to 1996 as a member of the Parti Québécois, and represented the district of Hochelaga in t ...

, from the

Bloc Québécois The Bloc Québécois (BQ; , " Quebecer Bloc") is a federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebec nationalism and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was formed by Members of Parliament (MPs) who defected from the federal Prog ...

. She was re-elected in Hochelaga in the

42nd Canadian federal election The 2015 Canadian federal election held on October 19, 2015, saw the Liberal Party, led by Justin Trudeau, win 184 seats, allowing it to form a majority government with Trudeau becoming the next prime minister. The election was held to elect me ...

, an election that was subject to a recount, in which she was declared the victor by 500 votes, giving her 30.89% of the vote. On 12 November 2015, she was named Chief Whip for the NDP, as well as being asked to continue her role as Housing Critic. After the 2015 election, Boutin-Sweet was appointed the NDP

as well as the critic for Housing in the

42nd Canadian Parliament The 42nd Canadian Parliament was in session from December 3, 2015, to September 11, 2019, with the membership of its lower chamber, the House of Commons of Canada, having been determined by the results of the 2015 federal election held on Octobe ...

. On February 21, 2019, Boutin-Sweet announced that she wouldn't run for re-election in the

2019 Canadian federal election The 2019 Canadian federal election was held on October 21, 2019. Members of the House of Commons were elected to the 43rd Canadian Parliament. In keeping with the maximum four-year term under a 2007 amendment to the ''Canada Elections Act'', ...

Personal life

She is married and has two grown sons.

Electoral record

References

External links

Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet // Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boutin-Sweet, Marjolaine Trade unionists from Quebec Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec New Democratic Party MPs Women members of the House of Commons of Canada Living people Women in Quebec politics 1955 births People from Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Canadian anthropologists Canadian women anthropologists 21st-century Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians Canadian women trade unionists