Francis Scarpaleggia
Encyclopedia
Francis Scarpaleggia, MP (born June 6, 1957 in Montreal
, Quebec
) is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada
(since 1985) and Member of Parliament
for the riding of Lac-Saint-Louis
, which encompasses the western tip of the island of Montreal, Quebec
. Scarpaleggia was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons
in the 2004 federal election
, and re-elected in the 2006 election
, both times by large margins. In the 2011 election he was re-elected by a more narrow margin.
and his Master’s degree in economics at Columbia University
in New York City before spending several years working in the private sector. Scarpaleggia holds an MBA from Concordia University, as well as a diploma in business administration from McGill.
He has held positions at Petro-Canada
and Bristol-Myers Squibb
, in addition to running his own company. Prior to his career in politics, Scarpaleggia was a professor of business administration at Montreal’s Dawson College
, where he taught marketing, accounting and entrepreneurship.
Scarpaleggia held the position of senior political advisor to Clifford Lincoln
, Member of Parliament for the riding of Lachine—Lac-Saint-Louis
(1993–1997) and the more recently formed riding of Lac-Saint-Louis (1997–2004).
Scarpaleggia, 52, is currently married and resides in the City of Kirkland with his wife, Jan, and two children.
, Scarpaleggia became a member of the Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, and the Committee on Transport. He was also an associate member of the Committee of Canadian Heritage and the Committee of Environment and Sustainable Development.
Scarpaleggia voiced objections to plans to reduce the flight attendant-to-passenger ratio on Canadian commercial flights, plans which would have been detrimental to air safety as highlighted by the crash of Air France flight 358 at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.
Scarpaleggia was one of a small minority of Liberal MPs to vote against Bill C-38, which formally legalized same-sex marriage in Canada in accordance with a ruling by the judiciary.
Since October 2005, Scarpaleggia has chaired a new national Liberal caucus on water. As chair, Scarpaleggia has led the caucus as it focuses on the political, legislative, scientific, and public health issues surrounding Canada’s water supplies.
, and one of only thirteen Liberal MPs remaining in the province of Quebec, Scarpaleggia was named Associate Critic to the Minister of Heritage. Additionally, Scarpaleggia was named to the Committee of Canadian Heritage, and the Committee of Environment and Sustainable Development.
During the 2006 Liberal Party of Canada leadership contest Scarpaleggia was one of two Quebec MPs who backed the candidacy of Stéphane Dion
, who ultimately went on to win the race on December 2, 2006 at the Montreal convention centre
.
Scarpaleggia once again broke with his party and voted with the Conservative government to re-open the same-sex marriage debate on December 7, 2006 (see Members of the 39th Canadian Parliament and same-sex marriage
), the only Quebec Liberal MP to do so.
On October 9, 2007, Scarpaleggia was named Liberal Critic for Federal Water Policy.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
) is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
(since 1985) and Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the riding of Lac-Saint-Louis
Lac-Saint-Louis (electoral district)
Lac-Saint-Louis is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997. Its population in 2001 was 101,919.-Geography:...
, which encompasses the western tip of the island of Montreal, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. Scarpaleggia was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
in the 2004 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
, and re-elected in the 2006 election
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
, both times by large margins. In the 2011 election he was re-elected by a more narrow margin.
Biography
Scarpaleggia, the son of Maurice and Lois Scarpaleggia, was raised in the City of Laval and the Town of Mount Royal, both suburbs of the City of Montreal. Scarpaleggia completed his Bachelor’s degree in economics at McGill UniversityMcGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
and his Master’s degree in economics at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City before spending several years working in the private sector. Scarpaleggia holds an MBA from Concordia University, as well as a diploma in business administration from McGill.
He has held positions at Petro-Canada
Petro-Canada
Petro-Canada was a crown corporation of Canada in the field of oil and natural gas. It was headquartered in the Petro-Canada Centre in Calgary, Alberta. In August, 2009, Petro-Canada merged with Suncor Energy, a deal in which Suncor investors received approximately 60 per cent ownership of the...
and Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb , often referred to as BMS, is a pharmaceutical company, headquartered in New York City. The company was formed in 1989, following the merger of its predecessors Bristol-Myers and the Squibb Corporation...
, in addition to running his own company. Prior to his career in politics, Scarpaleggia was a professor of business administration at Montreal’s Dawson College
Dawson College
Dawson College was the first English CEGEP and is located in Westmount, just west of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Dawson College is located near the heart of downtown Montreal in a former nunnery on 4.85 hectares of green space...
, where he taught marketing, accounting and entrepreneurship.
Scarpaleggia held the position of senior political advisor to Clifford Lincoln
Clifford Lincoln
Clifford Albert Lincoln is a retired Canadian politician who served as a Quebec cabinet minister prior to serving in the Canadian House of Commons....
, Member of Parliament for the riding of Lachine—Lac-Saint-Louis
Lachine—Lac-Saint-Louis
Lachine—Lac-Saint-Louis was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 1997.This riding was created in 1987 from Lachine and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine East ridings...
(1993–1997) and the more recently formed riding of Lac-Saint-Louis (1997–2004).
Scarpaleggia, 52, is currently married and resides in the City of Kirkland with his wife, Jan, and two children.
2004-2006
Elected by one of the largest margins in the country in the Canadian federal election, 2004Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
, Scarpaleggia became a member of the Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, and the Committee on Transport. He was also an associate member of the Committee of Canadian Heritage and the Committee of Environment and Sustainable Development.
Scarpaleggia voiced objections to plans to reduce the flight attendant-to-passenger ratio on Canadian commercial flights, plans which would have been detrimental to air safety as highlighted by the crash of Air France flight 358 at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.
Scarpaleggia was one of a small minority of Liberal MPs to vote against Bill C-38, which formally legalized same-sex marriage in Canada in accordance with a ruling by the judiciary.
Since October 2005, Scarpaleggia has chaired a new national Liberal caucus on water. As chair, Scarpaleggia has led the caucus as it focuses on the political, legislative, scientific, and public health issues surrounding Canada’s water supplies.
2006-Present
Re-elected with a large margin in the Canadian federal election, 2006Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
, and one of only thirteen Liberal MPs remaining in the province of Quebec, Scarpaleggia was named Associate Critic to the Minister of Heritage. Additionally, Scarpaleggia was named to the Committee of Canadian Heritage, and the Committee of Environment and Sustainable Development.
During the 2006 Liberal Party of Canada leadership contest Scarpaleggia was one of two Quebec MPs who backed the candidacy of Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Maurice Dion, PC, MP is a Canadian politician who has been the Member of Parliament for the riding of Saint-Laurent–Cartierville in Montreal since 1996. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Leader of the Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons from 2006 to 2008...
, who ultimately went on to win the race on December 2, 2006 at the Montreal convention centre
Palais des congrès de Montréal
The Palais des congrès de Montréal is a convention center located in the Quartier international de Montréal at the north end of Old Montreal in Montreal's borough of Ville-Marie....
.
Scarpaleggia once again broke with his party and voted with the Conservative government to re-open the same-sex marriage debate on December 7, 2006 (see Members of the 39th Canadian Parliament and same-sex marriage
Members of the 39th Canadian Parliament and same-sex marriage
This article lists the members of the 39th Parliament of Canada and their voting records in regards to the Civil Marriage Act. Bill C-38 amended the Marriage Act of Canada to recognize same-sex marriage . The 39th Parliament was elected at the federal election of January 23, 2006...
), the only Quebec Liberal MP to do so.
On October 9, 2007, Scarpaleggia was named Liberal Critic for Federal Water Policy.