Caroline Desbiens () is a Canadian politician and singer who served as the member of Parliament for the riding of Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix from 2019 to 2025 as a member of the

Bloc Québécois The Bloc Québécois (, , BQ) is a centre-left politics, centre-left and list of federal political parties in Canada, federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebec nationalism, Quebecois nationalism, social democracy, and the promotion o ...

Background

Caroline Desbiens was born in L'Isle-aux-Coudres where her parents owned and operated a hotel, the ''Hôtel du Capitaine'', founded in 1961. She attended

Université Laval (; English: ''Laval University)'' is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university traces its roots to the Séminaire de Québec, founded by François de Montmorency-Laval in 1663, making it the oldest institutio ...

where she initially enrolled in French studies, but ultimately earned a bachelor's degree in industrial relations. After completing her degree, she spent a year studying literature and communications.

Singing career

Upon completing her studies, Desbiens discovered an interest in singing and songwriting. She would often perform at the family hotel where she worked. Her music focussed on themes related to the local people, heritage, and geography. In 2003, she released an album, ''Sortir de l'eau''.

Political career

Desbiens ran as the

candidate for the riding of Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix in the 2019 federal election. During the campaign, some of her past social media posts attracted public attention. In a 2013 Facebook post, she expressed support for the Parti Québécois' proposed

Charter of Quebec Values The ''Charter of Quebec Value''s ( or ) was Bill 60 in the Canadian province of Quebec, introduced by the governing Parti Québécois in 2013 under Premier Pauline Marois, trying to legislate the Quebec controversy on reasonable accommodatio ...

, warning that women might soon be forced to wear religious veils in public. In a 2016 post, she praised far-right French politician

Marine Le Pen Marion Anne Perrine "Marine" Le Pen (; born 5 August 1968) is a French lawyer and politician of the far-right National Rally, National Rally party (RN). She served as the party's president from 2011 to 2021, and ran for the French presidency in ...

. She later apologized for her comments. She won the election, defeating

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 ...

incumbent Sylvie Boucher. She was the first ''marsouine'' – a resident of L'Isle-aux-Coudres – to serve as a member of Parliament. She was re-elected in the 2021 election. During her first term, she served as the Bloc Québécois critic for culture before being appointed critic for fisheries, oceans, and the

Canadian Coast Guard The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG; ) is the coast guard of Canada. Formed in 1962, the coast guard is tasked with marine search and rescue (SAR), communication, navigation, and transportation issues in Canadian waters, such as navigation aids and i ...

in the party’s shadow cabinet for the 44th Parliament. In the 2025 election, Desbiens was defeated by Conservative candidate

Gabriel Hardy Gabriel Hardy is a Canadian politician from the Conservative Party of Canada. He was elected Member of Parliament for Montmorency—Charlevoix in the 2025 Canadian federal election The 2025 Canadian federal election was held on April 28, 2 ...

Electoral record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Desbiens, Caroline 1960s births Living people 21st-century Canadian women politicians 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada Bloc Québécois MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec People from Capitale-Nationale Université Laval alumni Women members of the House of Commons of Canada