Josée Verner

Infobox CanadianMP
honorific-prefix = The Honourable
name = Josée Verner
honorific-suffix =
PC, MP


riding = Louis-Saint-Laurent
parliament = Canadian
term_start = 2006 federal election
term_end =
predecessor = Bernard Cleary
successor =
birth_date = birth date and age|1959|12|30
birth_place = Gatineau, Quebec
death_date =
death_place =
party = Conservative
portfolio = Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women
Minister responsible for Official Languages
profession = Political staffer, executive assistant
spouse = Marc Lacroix
residence = Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Quebec
footnotes =

Josée Verner, PC, MP (born December 30, 1959 in Gatineau, Québec) is a Canadian politician. She represents the electoral district of Louis-Saint-Laurent in the Canadian House of Commons and is a minister in the Conservative cabinet.

On February 6, 2006, she was sworn in as the Minister of International Co-operation and Minister responsible for La Francophonie and Official Languages in Prime Minister Harper’s cabinet. She was moved from International Cooperation to Heritage on August 14, 2007 trading jobs with Bev Oda while Maxime Bernier became the Minister responsible for La Francophonie. [ [http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/Politique/2007/08/14/004-Remaniement-Harper.shtml Remaniement ministériel : Le pari Harper | Politique | Radio-Canada.ca ] ]

Following the resignation of Maxime Bernier from his cabinet post on May 26, 2008, Verner was once again appointed to the post of Minister responsible for La Francophonie. [ [http://pm.gc.ca/eng/bio.asp?id=21 The Honourable Josée Verner] ]

Political career

A member of the provincial Action démocratique du Québec and the federal Conservative Party of Canada, Verner also once worked as a political staffer in Quebec City in the Robert Bourassa government. Verner has spent almost 20 years in the communications and public service fields.

She was a candidate for the Conservatives in the 2004 federal election and finished second with 31% of the vote, the party's best Quebec showing, in a three-way race that was won by the Bloc Québécois's Bernard Cleary. This was contrasted with her victory in a two-way race in 2006.

Looking to boost the party's profile in Quebec, and hoping to make Verner a viable candidate in future elections, Conservative leader Stephen Harper took the unusual step of naming Verner to the opposition shadow cabinet even though she was not a Member of Parliament. She served as critic for the Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec and the Minister responsible for La Francophonie, both posts then held by fellow Quebecker Jacques Saada. She was also appointed chair of the Quebec Conservative caucus which at the time was made up of herself and Conservative senators.

She is also one of the most socially liberal members of the Conservative caucus. For example, she supports same-sex marriage.

Canadian Copyright Law Reforms

Industry Minister Jim Prentice and Josée Verner are currently working on a Copyright Act amendment bill which is set to be introduced (at least in part) on June 12, 2008. It has been stated by Prentice during a confrontation with the public demanding details on the bill that "When Canadian Heritage Minister Josée Verner and I have reached a consensus and we're satisfied, we will introduce a bill."

So far, little details have been publicly released on the proposed bill, but preliminary copies have been leaked onto the internet, and have prompted major fears from Michael Geist, Research Chair of Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, as well as the public at large, that the core desire of the draft legislation is "to satisfy U.S. pressure by enacting something very close to the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act". [David George-Cosh, [http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=558674 Tories eye $500 fine for illegal downloads] - "Financial Post", 2 June 2008, retrieved 11 June 2008]

In cabinet

Running again in the 2006 election, she was elected with 57.68% of the vote in Louis-Saint-Laurent, defeating Bernard Cleary, and heading a wave of Conservative victories that swept the Quebec City area.

On February 6 2006, she was sworn into Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet as Minister of International Co-operation and Minister for La Francophonie and Official Languages.

Her parliamentary secretary is Ted Menzies, who received some criticism for having La Francophonie as his portfolio while he does not speak French. It was subsequently specified that he was appointed parliamentary secretary to Josée Verner for his experience as opposition critic for International Co-operation rather than for La Francophonie.

References

External links

* [http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/membersofparliament/ProfileMP.aspx?Key=78774&Language=E Parliamentary profile]
* [http://www.joseeverner.ca/ Verner's website]

* [http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/pc-ch/min/verner/biograph_e.cfm Verner's Bio]