# Bernard Valcourt

Bernard Valcourt PC KC (born February 18, 1952) is a Canadian politician and lawyer, who served as Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Madawaska—Restigouche, New Brunswick until he was defeated in the 2015 federal election.

## Early federal political career and Mulroney cabinet

Valcourt was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a Progressive Conservative candidate in the 1984 election that brought Brian Mulroney to power. He was appointed to the Cabinet of Canada in 1986 as a Minister of State. In January 1989, he was promoted to Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs, but was forced to resign from Cabinet in August when he was involved in a drunk driving motorcycle accident that cost him an eye.
He returned to Cabinet seven months later as Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. In 1991, he was promoted to Minister of Employment and Immigration, and held the position until the government of Mulroney's successor as Progressive Conservative Party leader and prime minister, Kim Campbell, was defeated in the 1993 election. Valcourt was defeated in that election, along with every Tory MP in Atlantic Canada except Elsie Wayne.

## Provincial leader

In May 1995, Valcourt was elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick. While he won a seat in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in the 1995 provincial election, his party only won six seats against 48 for Frank McKenna's Liberals. Valcourt resigned as leader in 1997 following a lukewarm endorsement of his leadership at a party convention, and was succeeded by Bernard Lord.

## Return to federal politics

On March 28, 2011, Valcourt declared his candidacy in the 2011 federal election, running in the riding of Madawaska—Restigouche, which covers the bulk of the territory he'd represented two decades earlier. He was elected on May 2, 2011, defeating Liberal incumbent Jean-Claude D'Amours. He was subsequently appointed to cabinet as Minister of State for both the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and La Francophonie. His sister Martine Coulombe was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in the 2010 provincial election. On July 4, 2012, he was given the additional portfolio of Associate Minister of Defence. Valcourt was part of the AEG initiative, saying co-operation between both the federal and provincial governments, as well as utilities, is key. "The Atlantic Energy Gateway initiative has brought the critical players in the region's energy sector together to not only work toward an affordable, secure, clean energy future, but to also maximize the business and job growth potential of further developing our region's clean and renewable energy industries," said Valcourt in a release.
On February 22, 2013, Valcourt became Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development in a cabinet shuffle. Valcourt stirred controversy when he claimed that the high rates of suicide among aboriginal youths were "the responsibility of their parents".
In the 2015 federal election, Valcourt was defeated by Liberal René Arseneault, finishing third with just over 16% of the vote.

## Electoral record

vte2015 Canadian federal election: Madawaska—Restigouche :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | René Arseneault | 20,778 | 55.70 | +20.91 | $66,315.47 |
| | New Democratic | Rosaire L'Italien | 9,670 | 25.92 | +6.58 | $92,730.82 |
| | Conservative | Bernard Valcourt | 6,151 | 16.49 | -23.99 | $101,364.85 |
| | Green | Françoise Aubin | 707 | 1.90 | +0.10 | – |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 37,306 | 99.08 | | $199,271.58 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 348 | 0.92 | – |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,654 | 74.02 | – |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 50,871 |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | Swing | +22.45 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
vte2011 Canadian federal election: Madawaska—Restigouche :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Bernard Valcourt | 14,224 | 40.64 | +7.41 | $52,308.15 |
| | Liberal | Jean-Claude D'Amours | 12,309 | 35.17 | -12.23 | $60,570.18 |
| | New Democratic | Wilder Jules | 6,562 | 18.75 | +3.13 | $6,934.01 |
| | Independent | Louis Bérubé | 1,290 | 3.69 | – | $113.00 |
| | Green | Lynn Morrison | 612 | 1.75 | -2.00 | $0.00 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 34,997 | 100.0 | | $81,731.56 |
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 577 | 1.62 | +0.04 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,574 | 69.80 | +3.03 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 50,966 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +9.82 |
| Sources: |||||||
1995 New Brunswick general election: Edmundston :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Bernard Valcourt | 4,215 | 59.20 | +38.41 |
| | Liberal | Roland Beaulieu | 2,803 | 39.37 | −26.91 |
| | New Democratic | Maureen Michaud | 102 | 1.43 | −11.50 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 7,120 | 100.0 |
| | Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal | Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +32.66 |
1993 Canadian federal election: Madawaska—Victoria :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Pierrette Ringuette | 16,058 | 48.8 | +5.0 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Bernard Valcourt | 15,045 | 45.7 | −2.5 |
| | Reform | Kimberly Spikings | 955 | 2.9 | +2.9 |
| | New Democratic | Parise Martin | 844 | 2.6 | −5.4 |
| Total | Total | Total | 32,902 | | |
1988 Canadian federal election: Madawaska—Victoria :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Bernard Valcourt | 14,747 | 48.2 | −3.7 |
| | Liberal | Romeo Rossignol | 13,385 | 43.8 | +1.9 |
| | New Democratic | Réal Couturier | 2,441 | 8.0 | +1.8 |
| Total | Total | Total | 30,573 | | |
1984 Canadian federal election: Madawaska—Victoria :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Bernard Valcourt | 16,411 | 51.9 | +29.0 |
| | Liberal | Gerald Clavette | 13,245 | 41.9 | −23.9 |
| | New Democratic | Floranne McLaughlin-St-Amand | 1,968 | 6.2 | −5.1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 31,624 | | |