Stéphane Dion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stéphane Dion
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Dion in 2016
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| Canadian Ambassador to France and Monaco | |
| Assumed office 1 June 2022 |
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| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Isabelle Hudon |
| Special Envoy of Canada to the European Union |
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| Assumed office 1 May 2017 |
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| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Canadian Ambassador to Germany | |
| In office 1 May 2017 – 1 June 2022 |
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| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Marie Gervais-Vidricaire |
| Succeeded by | Isabelle Poupart (acting) |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 4 November 2015 – 10 January 2017 |
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| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Rob Nicholson |
| Succeeded by | Chrystia Freeland |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 2 December 2006 – 10 December 2008 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Stephen Harper |
| Deputy | Michael Ignatieff |
| Preceded by | Bill Graham |
| Succeeded by | Michael Ignatieff |
| Leader of the Liberal Party | |
| In office 2 December 2006 – 10 December 2008 |
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| Deputy | Michael Ignatieff |
| Preceded by | Bill Graham (interim) |
| Succeeded by | Michael Ignatieff |
| Minister of the Environment | |
| In office 20 July 2004 – 6 February 2006 |
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| Prime Minister | Paul Martin |
| Preceded by | David Anderson |
| Succeeded by | Rona Ambrose |
| Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs | |
| In office 25 January 1996 – 11 December 2003 |
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| Prime Minister | Jean Chrétien |
| Preceded by | Marcel Massé |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Pettigrew |
| President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada | |
| In office 25 January 1996 – 11 December 2003 |
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| Prime Minister | Jean Chrétien |
| Preceded by | Marcel Massé |
| Succeeded by | Denis Coderre |
| Member of Parliament for Saint-Laurent (Saint-Laurent—Cartierville; 1996–2015) |
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| In office 25 March 1996 – 6 February 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Shirley Maheu |
| Succeeded by | Emmanuella Lambropoulos |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Stéphane Maurice Dion
28 September 1955 Quebec City, Quebec, Canada |
| Citizenship |
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| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse |
Janine Krieber
(m. 1986) |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | Laval University (BA, MA) Sciences Po (PhD) |
| Signature |  |
Stéphane Maurice Dion is a Canadian diplomat, professor, and former politician. He was born on September 28, 1955. He has served as the Canadian Ambassador to France and Monaco since 2022. He is also a special envoy to the European Union since 2017.
Before becoming a politician, Dion was a professor. He taught political science at the Université de Montréal. He studied how Canada's federal system works and how public services are managed.
Dion held many important roles in the Canadian government. He was the intergovernmental affairs minister from 1996 to 2003. He also served as environment minister from 2003 to 2006. Later, he was the foreign affairs minister from 2015 to 2017. From 2006 to 2008, he was the Leader of the Opposition and the leader of the Liberal Party.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Stéphane Dion was born in Quebec City, Quebec, on September 28, 1955. He was the second of five children. His mother, Denyse, was a real estate agent from Paris, France. His father, Léon Dion, was a well-known professor in Quebec.
Because his mother was French, Stéphane Dion has dual citizenship in both Canada and France. He grew up in a modest home in Sillery, which is now part of Quebec City. He remembers being teased for his family's non-religious views in a mostly Catholic society.
As a teenager and university student, Dion was involved in the Quebec sovereignty movement. This movement wanted Quebec to become an independent country. However, he later changed his mind and became a strong supporter of Canada staying united.
Dion studied political science at Université Laval. There, he met his future wife, Janine Krieber. They married in 1986 and adopted their daughter, Jeanne, from Peru later that year. His wife is an expert in security and teaches political science.
Education and Academic Career
Dion earned his first university degrees in 1977 and 1979. His master's thesis looked at the strategies of the Parti Québécois, a political party that supports Quebec independence. After his studies, he and Janine moved to Paris, France.
In Paris, Dion studied public administration and earned a doctorate in sociology from Sciences Po. He then taught at the Université de Moncton and later at the Université de Montréal. He taught there from 1984 to 1996. He focused on how public services are managed and how organizations work.
After a political agreement called the Meech Lake Accord failed in 1990, Dion started studying Quebec nationalism. He became known for disagreeing with the idea that Quebec would be better off as a separate country. His ideas caught the attention of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, who asked him to join politics.
Between 1987 and 1995, Dion wrote many books and articles on political science. His speeches and writings about Canadian unity were published in a book called Straight Talk.
Political Career
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
In 1996, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien asked Stéphane Dion to join his government. On January 25, 1996, Dion became the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. This role involved managing relationships between the federal government and Canada's provinces.
Dion was elected as a Member of Parliament for the riding of Saint-Laurent—Cartierville in Quebec. He held this seat in many elections until 2015. He remained Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs until December 2003.
Clarity of Referendum Questions
After a very close vote in the 1995 Quebec referendum on sovereignty, Dion was given the task of challenging the arguments for Quebec's separation. Many people in Ottawa felt that the referendum results were not clear enough to be legally binding. They also worried about Quebec's plan to declare independence on its own.
Dion wrote three open letters to leaders of the Quebec sovereignty movement. He argued that international law does not support a province declaring independence on its own from a democratic country like Canada. He also said that a simple "50% plus one" majority vote was not enough for such a huge change. He stressed that if Quebec separated, its borders might not stay the same.
These letters and the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling on secession led to the Clarity Act. This law, introduced by Dion in 1999, set rules for future referendums. It stated that a referendum question must be clear about independence. It also said that a "clear majority" was needed, not just 50% plus one, for separation talks to begin. The House of Commons passed this law in 2000.
Pie Incident
In 1999, Dion was hit in the face with a pie by a group called les Entartistes. This group liked to "pie" important political figures. Dion was not amused and pressed charges. Two members of the group were found guilty of assault.
First International Conference on Federalism
Dion organized the First International Conference on Federalism in Mont Tremblant in 1999. He wanted to show international support for Canada's federal system. Even though Quebec's leaders used the conference to criticize Canadian federalism, Dion's views were supported by U.S. President Bill Clinton. Clinton said that federalism allows different groups to keep their identity without separating.
Minister of the Environment
In July 2004, Prime Minister Paul Martin appointed Dion as the Minister of the Environment. Dion wanted to make environmental protection a key part of Canada's economy. He talked about a "new industrial revolution" focused on green technologies. He aimed to work with businesses to achieve environmental goals.
Dion received praise for leading the U.N. Climate Change summit in Montreal in 2005. Elizabeth May, a well-known environmentalist, called him a "very very good environment minister." However, Canada did not make much progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions during his time as minister.
Leader of the Liberal Party
After the Liberal government lost the 2006 election, Paul Martin resigned as leader. Stéphane Dion decided to run for the leadership of the Liberal Party. He focused his campaign on social justice, economic success, and protecting the environment.
Many people thought other candidates were more likely to win. However, at the Liberal Party leadership convention in December 2006, Dion surprised everyone. He gained support from other candidates who dropped out. On the fourth ballot, he won with 54.7% of the votes. He became the 11th leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Some people, including NDP leader Jack Layton, suggested Dion should give up his French citizenship. They felt that a Canadian party leader should only have Canadian citizenship. Dion chose to keep his dual citizenship.
Leader of the Official Opposition
After becoming leader, Dion appointed many of his former rivals to important roles. This showed that the Liberal Party was united. He also made decisions like asking a Liberal MP, Wajid Khan, to choose between advising the Prime Minister and staying with the Liberal Party. Khan chose to join the Conservative Party.
Dion often challenged the Conservative government led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He pushed for Canada to stick to its promises under the Kyoto Protocol to fight climate change. He also worked with other parties to vote against parts of the Anti-Terrorism Act that he felt threatened civil liberties.
In 2008, Dion's Liberals, along with the Green Party, agreed not to run candidates against each other in certain ridings. This deal aimed to help the Green Party leader, Elizabeth May, win a seat.
Dion also released a plan to fight poverty in Canada. He aimed to reduce overall poverty by 30% and child poverty by 50%.
2008 Federal Election
In 2008, Dion proposed a plan called The Green Shift. This plan would put a tax on carbon emissions (a "carbon tax") but reduce income taxes for people and businesses. He believed this would encourage cleaner energy and help the environment.
Prime Minister Harper criticized the plan, calling it a "tax grab." The NDP also said it would hurt consumers. However, environmentalist David Suzuki supported the idea.
In the October 2008 federal election, the Liberals lost a lot of support. They won only 77 seats, down from 103 in 2006. This was one of the party's worst results ever. Dion took responsibility for the loss, saying he failed to get his message out.
Resignation
After the election, Dion faced pressure to step down as leader. On December 8, 2008, he announced he would resign once a new leader was chosen. His resignation became official on December 10, 2008, when Michael Ignatieff became interim leader. Dion was the shortest-serving permanent Liberal leader since Canada's Confederation.
After Leadership
After resigning, Dion took a less public role. He continued to work in his riding. In 2011, he received an award for his work on sustainable development.
In the 2011 Canadian federal election, the Liberal Party fell to third place for the first time in Canadian history. Dion was one of only seven Liberal MPs re-elected in Quebec. After this election, he became the Liberal Critic for Intergovernmental Affairs.
In the 2015 Canadian federal election, Dion campaigned for the Liberal Party across Canada. The election was a big victory for Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party. Dion was easily re-elected for his eighth term as an MP.
Minister of Foreign Affairs
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On November 4, 2015, Justin Trudeau appointed Dion as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also became the chair of the cabinet's committee on environment and climate change.
As Foreign Affairs Minister, Dion focused on re-engaging with the world. He emphasized working with other countries, fighting climate change, and supporting the United Nations. He stated that Canada would oppose the death penalty for Canadians abroad. He also changed Canada's military role against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant from airstrikes to training.
Dion justified a large sale of military vehicles to Saudi Arabia despite human rights concerns. He said it was important to protect Canadian jobs and maintain Canada's reputation for international deals. However, he promised to review rules for future export permits to ensure they align with human rights.
On January 10, 2017, Dion was replaced as Minister of Foreign Affairs by Chrystia Freeland. This change was partly in response to Donald Trump becoming President of the United States.
Diplomatic Career
After leaving politics, Stéphane Dion announced his retirement from being a Member of Parliament. He accepted a new role as Canada's Ambassador to the European Union and Germany. His resignation from Parliament became official on February 6, 2017.
Dion served as Ambassador to Germany until June 1, 2022. Then, he was appointed Canada's Ambassador to France and Monaco. He continues to serve as a special envoy to the European Union.
Images for kids
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Stéphane Dion's signature
Honorary Degrees
Stéphane Dion has received several honorary degrees. These are special degrees given to people to recognize their achievements.
| Location | Date | School | Degree |
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| Spain | 13 November 2002 | Charles III University of Madrid | Doctorate |
See also
In Spanish: Stéphane Dion para niños
- List of foreign ministers in 2017
- Université Laval
