Updated: 6/3/11

About Stéphane Dion:

A political science professor and the son of an eminent Quebec political scholar, Stéphane Dion was recruited by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to handle the national unity file. He went on to become Environment Minister under Prime Minister Paul Martin. Stéphane Dion was elected leader of the Liberal Party of Canada in 2006.

Stéphane Dion combines concerns for social issues and economic growth with a strong commitment to the environment.


Stéphane Dion has built a reputation for being trustworthy and a straight shooter. Determined, and gracious under pressure, Stéphane Dion can also be stubborn. His refusal to switch the focus of the Liberal campaign away from his complicated Green Shift environmental policy until the end of the 2008 election campaign was a major cause of the disastrous Liberal results.

Dion stepped down as Liberal Party leader in December 2008, and was replaced by Michael Ignatieff.

Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada:

2006 to 2008

Birth:

November 28, 1955 in Quebec City, Quebec.

Education:

• BA in political science - Université Laval
• MA in political science - Université Laval
• PhD in sociology - Institut d’études politiques de Paris

Profession:

Professor of political science and author

Political Party:

Liberal Party of Canada

Riding (Electoral District):

Saint-Laurent - Cartierville

Political Career of Stéphane Dion:

• Recruited by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, Stéphane Dion was first elected to the House of Commons in 1996.

• In 1996, Stéphane Dion was appointed President of the Queen's Privy Council and also Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs.
• From 2001 to 2003, Stéphane Dion was the Minister responsible for Official Languages.
• Stéphane Dion was dropped from cabinet when Paul Martin became prime minister in December 2003.
• When the Liberals won a minority government in 2004, Stéphane Dion was brought back into cabinet as Minister of the Environment.
• With the defeat of the Liberal government in early 2006, Stéphane Dion became opposition critic for foreign affairs.
• Stéphane Dion was elected leader of the Liberal Party of Canada in 2006.
• The 2008 federal election, Stéphane Dion's first as leader, was a disaster for the Liberals, with the party winning 26 fewer seats than in the 2006 election. After the election Dion announced he would step down as Liberal leader once the party chose a new leader at a convention scheduled for May 2009.
• When all three opposition parties decided they would vote against the Conservative Economic and Fiscal Statement (see Canadian Parliament in Crisis), Stéphane Dion and NDP Leader Jack Layton signed an accord to create a coalition, with the support of the Bloc Québécois, that would be prepared to govern if the Prime Minister asked the Governor General for an election. The Prime Minister instead asked the Governor General to prorogue parliament to give the government time to bring in a budget that might satisfy the opposition. The Governor General complied.
• Faced with the possibility of another election with the unpopular Dion as leader, the Liberal Party moved quickly to resolve the leadership issue.
• In early December 2008, Stéphane Dion stepped down as Liberal leader and Michael Ignatieff replaced him as Liberal Party Leader.
• Stéphane Dion kept his seat as the Liberal member of parliament for Saint-Laurent - Cartierville.
• Stéphane Dion was re-elected in the 2011 Canadian federal election. Undfer the leadership of Bob Rae Dion becomes critic of Intergovernmental Affairs, the Queen’s Privy Council of Canada, Democratic Reform and La Francophonie.