Benoît Sauvageau

Infobox_Politician


name = Benoît Sauvageau
caption =
birth_date = birth date|1963|11|22|mf=y
birth_place = Charlemagne
death_date= death date and age|2006|8|28|1963|11|22|mf=y
residence = Repentigny, Quebec
office1 = MP for Terrebonne
term_start1 = 1993
term_end1 = 1997
predecessor1 = Jean-Marc Robitaille
successor1 = Paul Mercier
office2 = MP for Repentigny
term_start2 = 1997
term_end2 = August 28, 2006
predecessor2 = first member
successor2 = Raymond Gravel
party = Bloc Québécois
spouse = Jacinthe Amireault
religion = Roman Catholic
occupation = teacher

Benoît Sauvageau (November 22 1963 – August 28 2006) was a Canadian politician.

Born in Charlemagne, Quebec, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree and was a professor before entering politics. In 1993, he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons for the Quebec riding of Terrebonne. A Bloc Québécois Member of Parliament (MP), he was re-elected in the 1997, 2000, and 2004 elections in the riding of Repentigny. From 2003 to 2004, he was the Deputy Whip of the Bloc Québécois. In the federal election that fell on January 23, 2006, Sauvageau garnered over 62% of the vote in his riding for a landslide victory over the Conservatives and the Liberals, who were still reeling from their political fall-out concerning details surrounding the sponsorship scandal. Admired for his warmth and good nature by friend and adversary alike, Sauvageau championed fiscal responsibility on the Public Accounts committee and the language rights of francophones on the Official Languages committee.

Death

Sauvageau died in a car accident in his riding of Repentigny on August 28, 2006 on the way to a constituency event. [http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060828/Benoit_Sauvageau_060827/20060828?hub=TopStories CTV.ca | BQ MP Benoit Sauvageau killed in traffic accident ] ]

LCN initially reported that just a few minutes before the accident, his wife Jacinthe had called 9-1-1 because Sauvageau had allegedly threatened to commit suicide shortly before leaving their home. [ [http://lcn.canoe.com/lcn/infos/national/archives/2006/08/20060830-175334.html Il menaçait de se suicider quelques minutes avant - LCN - National ] ] However, a coroner's report concluded in August 2007 that Sauvageau did not intentionally crash his vehicle, and confirmed that he was distracted by his cellphone. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2007/08/30/sauvageau-coroner.html MP Sauvageau distracted by cellphone in fatal crash: coroner ] ]

Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe described him "as a hard working and determined MP who knew everyone in his riding". Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement that: "Mr. Sauvageau was proud of his francophone roots, and was a dedicated MP who served his constituents well. He was appreciated by his colleagues for his integrity and human values and he will be missed."Long-time colleague, and then interim Liberal leader, Bill Graham stated that Sauvageau "brought to his job a great dedication and a willingness to work for the common good that made him an admired colleague for all." [ [http://www.liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?type=news&id=11848 Liberal.ca :: Reportage non trouvé ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?lang=E&query=252&s=M Synopsis of federal political experience from the Library of Parliament]