Harold "Buckley" Belanger (; born March 21, 1960) is a Canadian politician who has been Secretary of State (Rural Development) since 2025. Belanger was elected to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

in the 2025 federal election and serves as the member of Parliament (MP) for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. Belanger is of

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

descent and a member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

. Belanger previously served in provincial politics, as the

member of the Legislative Assembly A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several nation ...

(MLA) for Athabasca from 1995 to 2021. He was initially elected with the Saskatchewan Liberal Party before switching to the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1998. In 2021, Belanger resigned as MLA to run federally as a Liberal in Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, but lost to Conservative Gary Vidal. He ran again and won in 2025, becoming the only Liberal MP from Saskatchewan (a predominantly

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

province).

Political career

Saskatchewan provincial politics

He was originally elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 1995 general election as a Liberal member. He left the party to join the NDP in 1998, recontesting his seat in a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

in which he attained 93.64 per cent of the vote, the second highest margin of victory ever attained by an electoral candidate in the province. He was swiftly placed in the cabinet by then Premier Roy Romanow. Belanger was re-elected in every provincial election to follow, most recently in the 2020 general election. Belanger was a candidate in the 2001 Saskatchewan New Democratic Party leadership election, which was held after Roy Romanow announced his intention to resign as premier and party leader. He placed seventh, and Lorne Calvert was subsequently elected leader. During his time as an MLA, Belanger served for almost a decade as a key member of the Roy Romanow and Lorne Calvert governments, including serving as minister for the Environment and Resource Management, associate minister for Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs, and minister of Northern Affairs. Prior to his election to the Saskatchewan legislature, Belanger served as mayor of Île-à-la-Crosse from 1988 to 1994 and worked as a journalist and administrator for MBC Radio. On August 15, 2021 he resigned from the legislature to run in the

2021 Canadian federal election The 2021 Canadian federal election was held on September 20, 2021, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons to the 44th Canadian Parliament. The Writ of election, writs of election were issued by Governor General of ...

, as a federal Liberal in Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River. He was defeated by Conservative candidate Gary Vidal. He was subsequent elected to again serve as mayor of Île-à-la-Crosse in 2024.

Federal politics

Belanger ran in the

, under the

in Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River. The federal Liberals again chose Belanger as their candidate in Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River ahead of the

2025 Canadian federal election The 2025 Canadian federal election was held on April 28, 2025, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons to the 45th Canadian Parliament. Governor General Mary Simon issued the writs of election on March 23, 2025, afte ...

. On May 13, 2025, he was appointed Secretary of State (Rural Development).

Personal life

Belanger is

. He is married to Rebecca Pederson and they have three adult daughters.

Electoral history

Federal elections

Provincial elections

References

External links

Buckley Belanger
- Saskatchewan New Democrat caucus website Members of the 30th Canadian Ministry Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada {{DEFAULTSORT:Belanger, Buckley 1960 births Living people Saskatchewan New Democratic Party MLAs Saskatchewan Liberal Party MLAs Métis politicians Canadian radio journalists Journalists from Saskatchewan Members of the Executive Council of Saskatchewan Canadian Métis people 20th-century mayors of places in Saskatchewan 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan Liberal Party of Canada MPs 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Saskatchewan Indigenous Members of the House of Commons of Canada