Martine Ouellet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martine Ouellet
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Ouellet in 2016
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| Leader of Climat Québec | |
| Assumed office May 14, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Position established |
| Leader of the Bloc Québécois | |
| In office March 14, 2017 – June 11, 2018 |
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| President | Mario Beaulieu |
| Preceded by | Rhéal Fortin (interim) |
| Succeeded by | Mario Beaulieu (interim) |
| Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Vachon | |
| In office July 5, 2010 – October 1, 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Camil Bouchard |
| Succeeded by | Ian Lafrenière |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 8, 1969 Longueuil, Quebec, Canada |
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| Other political affiliations |
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| Alma mater | HEC Montreal McGill University |
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Martine Ouellet (born April 8, 1969) is a Canadian politician. She led the Bloc Québécois political party from 2017 to 2018. Before that, she was a minister in the Quebec government. She served as the Minister of Natural Resources from 2012 to 2014.
Ouellet was first elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in 2010. She represented the area of Vachon for the Parti Québécois. In 2021, she started a new provincial political party called Climat Québec.
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Early Life and Education
Martine Ouellet grew up in the South Shore area of Quebec. She studied mechanical engineering at McGill University, finishing in 1992. She also earned a master's degree in business from HEC Montreal.
Before becoming a politician, Ouellet worked as an engineer. She was employed at Hydro-Québec, a large electricity company in Quebec.
Political Journey
Serving Quebec: Provincial Politics
Martine Ouellet began her political career in Quebec. She was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in a special election on July 5, 2010. She represented the area of Vachon as a member of the Parti Québécois.
When the Parti Québécois won the election in 2012, Ouellet became the Minister of Natural Resources. She held this important job until her party lost the next election in 2014. After this, she tried to become the leader of the Parti Québécois twice, in 2015 and 2016. She finished third in both leadership races.
Leading a Federal Party
On February 5, 2017, Ouellet decided to run for leader of the Bloc Québécois. This is a federal political party that focuses on Quebec's interests in the Canadian Parliament. At the same time, she left the Parti Québécois and became an independent member in the Quebec National Assembly.
She was the only person running for the leadership. So, on March 18, 2017, she was officially named the leader of the Bloc Québécois.
In June 2017, some members of her team had disagreements. Ouellet solved the problem by making changes to her staff.
Later, in February 2018, seven of the Bloc's ten Members of Parliament (MPs) left the party. They said they disagreed with Ouellet's leadership style. This left the Bloc with only three MPs. Many former Bloc MPs, including past leader Gilles Duceppe, asked Ouellet to step down.
On June 3, 2018, the party held a vote to see if members still supported her leadership. Only 32% voted to keep her as leader, while 67% voted against her. After this vote, Martine Ouellet announced she would resign as party leader on June 11, 2018. The seven MPs who had left the party later rejoined the Bloc Québécois.
Back to Quebec Politics
On May 14, 2021, Martine Ouellet announced she was returning to provincial politics. She started a brand new party called Climat Québec. This party focuses on climate issues in Quebec.
She ran as a candidate in a special election for the Jean-Talon area in 2023. She finished in sixth place, receiving about 1% of the votes.
