Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has announced the four national campaign co-chairs of the Liberal Party of Canada, who will be charged with the task of preparing for the next federal election.
“I am thrilled to welcome this distinguished and accomplished group of people to serve the party in this capacity,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “The experience and dedication they bring to this job is considerable, and I know the party will greatly benefit from the work they will do.”
The four new campaign co-chairs are:
• Former veteran Liberal cabinet minister and MP the Honourable Anne McLellan;
• Senator David Smith;
• Past-president of the New Brunswick Liberal Party and former Deputy Premier Marcelle Mersereau; and
• Former MP and member of the Order of Canada Rémi Bujold.
“We are all very excited to be bringing together such a dynamic group of very talented people,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “Working together with other Liberals and with our newly-formed renewal committee, I know we will be more than ready for the next election, whenever that may occur.”
Biographies of the new campaign co-chairs are below.
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The Honourable A. Anne McLellan, P.C.
The Honourable A. Anne McLellan, P.C. is currently at Bennett Jones LLP’s Edmonton office providing strategic advice to the firm and its clients.
On May 12, 2006, she was appointed Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the University of Alberta in the newly established Institute for United States Policy Studies.
She serves on the Board of Directors of Nexen, Agrium and Cameco Corporation. She also sits on the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation, the Community Outreach Committee for the Lois Hole Hospital for Women and is Chair of the Friends of the Legal Resource Centre, an organization that promotes access to justice.
Ms. McLellan served four terms as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre from October 25, 1993 – January 23, 2006.
She served as Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and as the first Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness in the government of Prime Minister Paul Martin (December 2003 – January 2006). She also served as Minister of Health (January 2002 – December 2003), Minister of Justice (June 1997 – January 2002) and Minister of Natural Resources (November 1993 – June 1997).
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Marcelle Mersereau, B.Sc.
Marcelle Mersereau has spent her professional life in public service. She has served as a councillor on the Bathurst City Council in New Brunswick. Ms. Mersereau was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in the 1991 provincial election. Former Premier Frank McKenna named Marcelle the deputy premier.
Ms. Mersereau has remained very active in party politics after leaving the legislature. She was elected vice president of the New Brunswick Liberal Association. During the 2004 federal election, she was co-chair of the Liberal campaign in New Brunswick. Ms. Mersereau also ran as the candidate for the federal riding of Acadie-Bathurst in the 2006 election.
She served as co-chair of the successful Liberal campaign as it prepared for the 2006 provincial election and then served as the president of the New Brunswick Liberal Party until stepping down in the fall of 2007.
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Senator David Smith P.C., Q.C., LL.B., B.A.
Appointed to the Senate by former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien in June 2002, Ontario Senator David Smith is a member of several Senate Standing Committees.
In addition to being a respected lawyer, Mr. Smith has a distinguished record of public service. He has served as president of the Carleton University Liberal Club, National Youth Director of the Liberal Party and National President of the Young Liberals. Mr. Smith also served as executive assistant to two cabinet ministers, the Hon. Walter Gordon and the Hon. John Turner, during the Pearson years.
In 1972, he was elected to Toronto City Council, and he served for three two-year terms until 1978. During his last term he also served as President of Toronto City Council and Deputy Mayor of Toronto.
From 1980-84, Mr. Smith was MP for the riding of Don Valley East and also served in Prime Minister Trudeau’s cabinet as Minister of Small Business and Tourism.
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Rémi Bujold, P.C., C.M., LL.B.
The Honourable Rémi Bujold, a member of the Order of Canada, is Senior Consultant with FH Canada. Mr. Bujold is the founder of Consilium, a major consulting firm in Quebec, whose activities have been merged with FH Canada in 1994.
Mr. Bujold began his career as a special advisor to the Minister of Financial Institutions in Quebec, before becoming chief of staff of the Minister of State for Social Affairs. In 1975, he became Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honorable Pierre Trudeau.
In 1979 and 1980, Mr. Bujold was elected in the federal riding of Bonaventure / Îles-de-la-Madeleine. He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Immigration, and in 1983 as president of the national caucus of the Liberal Party of Canada. In 1984, Mr. Bujold was appointed Minister of State for Regional Development. He left federal politics to take on the position of Chief of Staff to the Honorable Robert Bourassa.
