Denis Ducharme
Encyclopedia
Denis Archie Ducharme is a former Alberta
n MLA
. From April 6 until December 15, 2006, he also served as Minister of Community Development. He did not seek re-election in the 2008 election.
He was first elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly
on March 11, 1997 defeating Liberal
incumbent Leo Vasseur
in the new riding of Bonnyville-Cold Lake
. He was re-elected to his second term on March 12, 2001, and to his third term on November 22, 2004. In addition to his duties as MLA
, Mr. Ducharme has served as Government
Caucus
Whip
, Chair of the Francophone Secretariat, co-chair of the Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI), Deputy Chairman of the Special Standing committee on Members’ Services, and Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee on Legislative Offices.
During his time in the Alberta Legislature, Mr. Ducharme sponsored four bills: Fair Trading Act; Maintenance Enforcement Amendment Act; Metis Settlements Statutes Amendment Act; and Fair Trading Amendment Act, 2000.
Prior to being elected, he was involved with his family-owned Ford automotive dealership, Ducharme Motors Ltd., which has been operating in Bonnyville
since 1959. He was involved in all aspects of dealership management and held a business interest in the operation from 1981 to 1994.
In 1986 Mr. Ducharme was elected to the Lakeland Catholic School Board. During his two terms with the board he served as a trustee, vice-chairman, and chairman.
Mr. Ducharme and his wife, Rose, currently live in Bonnyville and have two adult children.
Ducharme is also one of the notable Franco-Albertan
s, in part due to the Bonnyville-Cold Lake area having a very large Francophone population in comparison to the rest of the province.
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
n MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
. From April 6 until December 15, 2006, he also served as Minister of Community Development. He did not seek re-election in the 2008 election.
He was first elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
on March 11, 1997 defeating Liberal
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
incumbent Leo Vasseur
Leo Vasseur
Leo Vasseur is a politician from Alberta, Canada. He was elected in the 1993 Alberta general election defeating Ernie Isley of the Progressive Conservatives....
in the new riding of Bonnyville-Cold Lake
Bonnyville-Cold Lake
Bonnyville-Cold Lake is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is one of 83 current districts mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of voting....
. He was re-elected to his second term on March 12, 2001, and to his third term on November 22, 2004. In addition to his duties as MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
, Mr. Ducharme has served as Government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
Caucus
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
, Chair of the Francophone Secretariat, co-chair of the Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI), Deputy Chairman of the Special Standing committee on Members’ Services, and Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee on Legislative Offices.
During his time in the Alberta Legislature, Mr. Ducharme sponsored four bills: Fair Trading Act; Maintenance Enforcement Amendment Act; Metis Settlements Statutes Amendment Act; and Fair Trading Amendment Act, 2000.
Prior to being elected, he was involved with his family-owned Ford automotive dealership, Ducharme Motors Ltd., which has been operating in Bonnyville
Bonnyville, Alberta
Bonnyville, Alberta is a town situated in east-central Alberta between the City of Cold Lake and the Town of St. Paul. It is the seat of the Municipal District of Bonnyville No...
since 1959. He was involved in all aspects of dealership management and held a business interest in the operation from 1981 to 1994.
In 1986 Mr. Ducharme was elected to the Lakeland Catholic School Board. During his two terms with the board he served as a trustee, vice-chairman, and chairman.
Mr. Ducharme and his wife, Rose, currently live in Bonnyville and have two adult children.
Ducharme is also one of the notable Franco-Albertan
Franco-Albertan
The Franco-Albertans are an extended community of French Canadians or French-speaking people living in Alberta. They are centred in the Bonnie Doon area of Edmonton, and there are tens of thousands of Franco-Albertans living in communities such as Legal north of Edmonton, Bonnyville, Plamondon, and...
s, in part due to the Bonnyville-Cold Lake area having a very large Francophone population in comparison to the rest of the province.