Shirley Maheu
Encyclopedia
Shirley Maheu was a Canadian
politician.
A resident of Saint-Laurent, Quebec
since 1965, where she operated a successful insurance brokerage firm in partnership with her husband Renė Maheu, Senator Maheu was a founding member of the Saint-Laurent Chamber of Commerce and served as its first Vice-President. She was also active in a number of local and national community groups and charities including Boy Scouts of Canada.
In addition to business and community work, she was an active municipal and federal politician, and served as a Saint-Laurent Municipal Councillor from 1982 to 1988. In the 1988 federal election
in November 1988, she was elected to the Canadian House of Commons
as the Liberal
Member of Parliament
for Saint-Laurent
, Quėbec
. Sitting on the opposition bench, she served as the Liberal Critic for Multiculturalism and Citizenship. In September, 1990 she was also appointed Regional Whip for Quebec. Re-elected in the renamed riding of Saint-Laurent—Cartierville
during the 1993 election
that brought the Liberals to power under Jean Chrétien
, she served as Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole from January 1994 to February 1996, with one of her roles being assistant deputy Speaker of the House of Commons
.
In 1996, she was appointed to the Canadian Senate
on Chrėtien's recommendation in order to give "star candidate
" Stéphane Dion
the opportunity to contest a by-election
to fill the vacancy in the House created by Maheu's appointment.
She was active on a number of Senate committees, including serving as Chair of the Standing Committees on Human Rights and that of Privileges, Standing Rules and Orders. In October 2004, she was appointed Speaker pro tempore of the Senate of Canada.
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...
politician.
A resident of Saint-Laurent, 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....
since 1965, where she operated a successful insurance brokerage firm in partnership with her husband Renė Maheu, Senator Maheu was a founding member of the Saint-Laurent Chamber of Commerce and served as its first Vice-President. She was also active in a number of local and national community groups and charities including Boy Scouts of Canada.
In addition to business and community work, she was an active municipal and federal politician, and served as a Saint-Laurent Municipal Councillor from 1982 to 1988. In the 1988 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1988
The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....
in November 1988, she was 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...
as the Liberal
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...
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 Saint-Laurent
Saint-Laurent—Cartierville
Saint-Laurent—Cartierville is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988. Its population in 2006 was 109,015.-Geography:...
, Quėbec
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....
. Sitting on the opposition bench, she served as the Liberal Critic for Multiculturalism and Citizenship. In September, 1990 she was also appointed Regional Whip for Quebec. Re-elected in the renamed riding of Saint-Laurent—Cartierville
Saint-Laurent—Cartierville
Saint-Laurent—Cartierville is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988. Its population in 2006 was 109,015.-Geography:...
during the 1993 election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
that brought the Liberals to power under Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
, she served as Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole from January 1994 to February 1996, with one of her roles being assistant deputy Speaker of the House of Commons
Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of Canada and is elected at the beginning of each new parliament by fellow Members of Parliament...
.
In 1996, she was appointed to the Canadian Senate
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
on Chrėtien's recommendation in order to give "star candidate
Star candidate
A star candidate refers to a high profile individual who has been recruited as a candidate by a political party. Star candidates have usually excelled in fields outside of politics such as academia, business, the media, journalism and/or sports...
" 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...
the opportunity to contest 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....
to fill the vacancy in the House created by Maheu's appointment.
She was active on a number of Senate committees, including serving as Chair of the Standing Committees on Human Rights and that of Privileges, Standing Rules and Orders. In October 2004, she was appointed Speaker pro tempore of the Senate of Canada.