Line Maheux
Encyclopedia
Line Maheux is a Canadian
communications consultant and political strategist. At different times, she has worked for Preston Manning
, Stockwell Day
, Mike Harris
, John Nunziata
, and Stephen Harper
.
's first Quebec organizer in July 1994, after the party ended its practice of not running candidates in the province. Newspaper reports from the period describe her as a 32-year-old bilingual single mother. A former sales representative, she left university to take the position.
Maheux was the Reform Party's first nominated candidate in Quebec, for a by-election
in Brome—Missisquoi
held on February 13, 1995. She acknowledged that she had little chance of winning and said that she was trying to counter a perception that the Reform Party was sexist, racist, and anti-French. She received less than two per cent of the vote, finishing fourth against Liberal Party
candidate Denis Paradis
. After the election, she was hired as an advisor to party leader Preston Manning
on Quebec issues.
She was a spokesperson for Reform in the 1997 federal election
, when the party ran advertisements that were widely regarded as anti-Quebec. After the election, Maheux became Manning's top adviser on national unity issues.
Premier of Ontario
Mike Harris
. In accepting the position, she cited parallels between the Reform Party and Harris's right-wing government in opposing employment equity and distinct status for Quebec. In the same period, Maheux supported efforts to unite the federal Reform Party with the more moderate Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
.
Because of Maheux's Reform Party connections, some of the more moderate figures in Harris's provincial party opposed her appointment. She was replaced by Guy Giorno
in June 1999, amid reports that she never entirely fit in with Harris's other advisers.
, a successor party to Reform, and worked as a strategist and communications director for Stockwell Day
in that party's first leadership election in 2000
. Day won the party leadership, and Maheux was hired as Day's media spokesperson. She left after the 2000 federal election
, but returned on a temporary basis in mid-2001 when Day faced a challenge to his leadership.
In 2003, the Canadian Alliance merged with the federal Progressive Conservative Party to form the Conservative Party of Canada
. Maheux joined the new party and worked for Stephen Harper
in its 2004 leadership election
. During this period, she said that Harper was more skilled at communicating his message than Stockwell Day had been.
She was a spokesperson for Harper in the 2004 federal election
and ran communications sessions for party candidates. Maheux has been described as a personal friend of Harper and, since 2004, she has assisted him in preparing for political debates.
's unsuccessful campaign to become mayor of Toronto in the 2003 municipal election
.
She works as a communications consultant outside of political life. In 2007, she was hired by Bell Canada
as its director of government relations.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
communications consultant and political strategist. At different times, she has worked for Preston Manning
Preston Manning
Ernest Preston Manning, CC is a Canadian politician. He was the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance...
, Stockwell Day
Stockwell Day
Stockwell Burt Day, Jr., PC, MP is a former Canadian politician, and a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He is a former cabinet minister in Alberta, and a former leader of the Canadian Alliance. Day was MP for the riding of Okanagan—Coquihalla in British Columbia and the president of...
, Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
, John Nunziata
John Nunziata
John Nunziata is a Canadian politician. He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1984 to 2000, initially as a Liberal and later as an independent member.-Background:...
, and Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
.
Reform Party
Maheux was hired as the Reform Party of CanadaReform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
's first Quebec organizer in July 1994, after the party ended its practice of not running candidates in the province. Newspaper reports from the period describe her as a 32-year-old bilingual single mother. A former sales representative, she left university to take the position.
Maheux was the Reform Party's first nominated candidate in Quebec, for a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in Brome—Missisquoi
Brome—Missisquoi
Brome—Missisquoi is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1925...
held on February 13, 1995. She acknowledged that she had little chance of winning and said that she was trying to counter a perception that the Reform Party was sexist, racist, and anti-French. She received less than two per cent of the vote, finishing fourth against Liberal Party
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...
candidate Denis Paradis
Denis Paradis
Denis Paradis, PC is a politician and lawyer from the Canadian province of Quebec. He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1995 to 2006 and was a minister in the governments of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin...
. After the election, she was hired as an advisor to party leader Preston Manning
Preston Manning
Ernest Preston Manning, CC is a Canadian politician. He was the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance...
on Quebec issues.
She was a spokesperson for Reform in the 1997 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1997
The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government...
, when the party ran advertisements that were widely regarded as anti-Quebec. After the election, Maheux became Manning's top adviser on national unity issues.
Ontario Progressive Conservative Party
In April 1998, Maheux became communications director for the office of Progressive ConservativeProgressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
Premier of Ontario
Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
. In accepting the position, she cited parallels between the Reform Party and Harris's right-wing government in opposing employment equity and distinct status for Quebec. In the same period, Maheux supported efforts to unite the federal Reform Party with the more moderate Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
.
Because of Maheux's Reform Party connections, some of the more moderate figures in Harris's provincial party opposed her appointment. She was replaced by Guy Giorno
Guy Giorno
Guy Giorno is a Canadian lawyer and conservative political activist. Giorno was Chief of Staff to then Premier of Ontario Mike Harris. In 2002 he joined the Toronto office of the Fasken Martineau DuMoulin law firm...
in June 1999, amid reports that she never entirely fit in with Harris's other advisers.
Canadian Alliance and Conservative Party
Maheux later joined the Canadian AllianceCanadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
, a successor party to Reform, and worked as a strategist and communications director for Stockwell Day
Stockwell Day
Stockwell Burt Day, Jr., PC, MP is a former Canadian politician, and a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He is a former cabinet minister in Alberta, and a former leader of the Canadian Alliance. Day was MP for the riding of Okanagan—Coquihalla in British Columbia and the president of...
in that party's first leadership election in 2000
Canadian Alliance leadership elections
The Canadian Alliance, a conservative political party in Canada, held two leadership elections to choose the party's leader. The first was held shortly after the party's founding in 2000, and the second was held in 2002...
. Day won the party leadership, and Maheux was hired as Day's media spokesperson. She left after the 2000 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2000
The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons of the 37th Parliament of Canada....
, but returned on a temporary basis in mid-2001 when Day faced a challenge to his leadership.
In 2003, the Canadian Alliance merged with the federal Progressive Conservative Party to form the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
. Maheux joined the new party and worked for Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
in its 2004 leadership election
Conservative Party of Canada leadership election, 2004
The 2004 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election took place on March 20, 2004 in Toronto, Ontario, and resulted in the election of Stephen Harper as the first leader of the new Canadian Conservative Party...
. During this period, she said that Harper was more skilled at communicating his message than Stockwell Day had been.
She was a spokesperson for Harper 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 ran communications sessions for party candidates. Maheux has been described as a personal friend of Harper and, since 2004, she has assisted him in preparing for political debates.
Other
Maheux was the communications director in John NunziataJohn Nunziata
John Nunziata is a Canadian politician. He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1984 to 2000, initially as a Liberal and later as an independent member.-Background:...
's unsuccessful campaign to become mayor of Toronto in the 2003 municipal election
Toronto municipal election, 2003
The Toronto municipal election of 2003 was held on November 10, 2003, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to elect the Mayor of Toronto, 44 city councillors, and school board trustees.David Miller was elected mayor ....
.
She works as a communications consultant outside of political life. In 2007, she was hired by Bell Canada
Bell Canada
Bell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...
as its director of government relations.