Mauril Bélanger

Mauril A. Bélanger, PC, MP (born June 15, 1955) is a Member of the Canadian Parliament from the Liberal Party, representing Ottawa-Vanier. Bélanger has been involved in advocacy for the rights of Franco-Ontarians.

Bélanger was first elected to Parliament on February 13, 1995 in a by-election. His predecessor, Jean-Robert Gauthier, was appointed to the Senate.

Bélanger represents the riding of Ottawa—Vanier in the eastern part of the city, an electoral district containing diverse economic and social classes. It is home to many ethnic communities and has a large Francophone population. Ottawa-Vanier is considered a solid Liberal riding, having returned a Liberal MP since its creation in 1935, usually in a landslide. Bélanger himself has won by large margins in the 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, and 2008 elections. He won re-election for a seventh term by a reduced margin with 38.2% of the vote in the May 2011 election. As member of Parliament, Bélanger has served as Chair of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, member of the Standing Committee on the Library of Parliament and member of the Prime Minister's Task Force on Urban Issues. From July 1998 to August 2000, he was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. In December 2003, he was appointed Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Chief Government Whip.

Positions
Belanger has earned recognition for his promotion of francophone rights.

He has also stated his belief in the value of co-ops, and is currently the Liberal party advocate for co-operatives.
 * "Co-operatives create jobs and contribute to regional economies where private businesses would not see the desired returns on equity. This is particularly true in rural areas, where often the only convenient store or gas station is a Co-op and the only financial institution in town is a credit union. Co-operatives follow a model that greatly empowers each member, resulting in a wonderful combination of business success and social responsibility—which plays an important role in the economy and in our communities."

In 2012, Belanger asked the House of Commons to create a committee to examine the role of co-ops in the Canadian economy. This motion was unanimously passed by the House of Commons.

Early life
Bélanger was born in Mattawa, Ontario, a small logging town in Eastern Ontario.

He graduated from the University of Ottawa in 1977, where he had served as President of the Student Federation. In the early 1980s, he worked for Jean-Luc Pépin, then Minister of Transport. In the mid to late 1980s, he worked as a registered investment advisor. He was then the Chief of Staff to Peter Clark (Chair of the Regional Council of Ottawa-Carleton).

Honours
He was given the title of Commandeur de l’Ordre de la Pléiade in 2005. The Ordre de la Pléiade is a francophone order which focuses on contributions made to international friendship and cooperation. In 2007, László Sólyom, President of Hungary, made him an Officer of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary. In April 2009, the Royal Canadian Legion recognized Belanger's for his contribution to the promotion of goodwill.

Electoral record

 * align="left" colspan=2|Liberal hold
 * align="right"|Swing
 * align="right"|+2.64
 * align="right"|
 * align="right"|


 * align="left" colspan=2|Liberal hold
 * align="right"|Swing
 * align="right"| -5.67
 * align="right"|