Marie France Lalonde

Background

Lalonde was born in Ottawa, Ontario and she grew up in Gatineau, Quebec. She attended Collège de l'Outaouais and later the University of Ottawa. She worked for the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the Ottawa Hospital and is co-owner of Portobello Manor, a senior's residence. She lives in Orleans, Ontario with her husband Alvaro and their daughter.

Politics

Lalonde ran in the 2014 provincial election as the Liberal candidate in the riding of Ottawa—Orléans. She defeated Progressive Conservative candidate Andrew Lister by 11,472 votes.

She was the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure focusing on economic development issues. She was the also the Parliamentary Assistant to Madeleine Meilleur in her capacity as responsible for francophone affairs. On September 2, 2015, she was appointed Chief Government Whip and served until her appointment to cabinet. In June 2016, she was appointed to cabinet as the Minister of Government and Consumer Services and the Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs on June 13, 2016. On January 12, 2017, she was move to the position of Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services replacing David Orazietti who resigned unexpectedly in December 2016.

In March 2015 she introduced a Private Member's Bill to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Bill 75, which would ban the production and addition of microbeads to cosmetic products in Ontario. Ontario was the first provincial jurisdiction to address the growing concern of microbeads. In June Bill 75 went to public hearings at committee.

In March 2016 MPP Lalonde introduced a motion that sought to have a monument to the first two female MPPs elected to the Ontario Legislature erected on the grounds of the legislature. The motion was debated on March 22, 2016 and received unanimous support from all three parties.