Диана Марло: Канадский политик и общественный деятель

Canadian politician

Diane Marleau, (June 21, 1943 – January 30, 2013) was a Canadian politician. She represented the riding of Sudbury in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 2008, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Jean Chrétien. Marleau was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. She was married to Paul Marleau, a prominent businessman in Sudbury who ran for mayor of the city in the 2003 municipal election. in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, one of three children raised by a single mother in a low income household. She was a childhood friend of Marie Paule Charette, who later became a Senator and president of the Liberal Party. She studied Commerce at the University of Ottawa, but left after three years when she married fellow student Paul Marleau, with whom she had three children: Brigitte, Donald and Stéphane, and moved to Sudbury. She worked as the secretary to a medical doctor for five years, prior to the introduction of Medicare. She later said that this experience made her realize the importance of a publicly funded health system, saying "I was the one who had to collect the bills. It gave me an understanding of what it means when people are obliged to pay to see a doctor." Marleau returned to Laurentian University as a mature student, and completed a Bachelor's Degree in Economics (1976). She worked as an accountant, managed an office for a firm of chartered accountants (Thorne and Riddell and then with Collins, Barrow Maheux Noiseux), and operated a restaurant she co owned with her husband. She also served on the boards of Laurentian University and Laurentian Hospital. Marleau worked on Judy Erola's campaign in the 1980 federal election, and later credited Erola as a role model for her own career in public life.

Marleau entered politics at the municipal level, serving as a Sudbury alderman and a Regional Municipality of Sudbury councillor from 1980 to 1985. She chaired the city's Finance Committee, and backed a "pay as you go" debt elimination plan that prohibited borrowing on capital investments. She served on the board of governors of Cambrian College, and was a member of the Ontario Advisory Council on Women's Issues. In 1983, she chaired the Canadian Games for Physically Disabled. After the 1985 provincial election, Ontario Liberal Party leader David Peterson appointed Marleau to a ten member transition team that assisted the party as it formed government for the first time in 42 years. She ran for Mayor of Sudbury in the 1985 municipal elections, and lost to incumbent Peter Wong. She was asked to run for the Ontario Liberal Party in the 1987 provincial election, but declined. Marleau was considered to be on the right wing of the Liberal Party in this period, although she later identified with a more left wing position.

Marleau was first elected to the House of Commons in the 1988 federal election. The Progressive Conservative Party under Brian Mulroney won a majority government in this election, and Marleau served in the Official Opposition as critic for Energy, Mines and Resources. She supported Jean Chrétien's successful bid for the party leadership in 1990, and was appointed to a five person working group to design the party's tax policy. She was named deputy Liberal whip in 1991, and became associate finance critic in 1992. Marleau criticized Bank of Canada governor John Crow during this period, arguing that his high interest rate policy was driving the economy into a recession.

Marleau was dropped from cabinet on August 3, 1999. She became increasingly critical of Jean Chrétien's leadership after being sent to the backbenches, and developed a reputation as a party maverick. In 2000, she argued that Chrétien was not doing enough to protect medicare and called on the government to block Alberta's plans to allow public funding for private, for profit clinics. Some Liberal MPs were unhappy with Marleau's remarks; when asked about the matter, Chrétien remarked, "It looks like [bitterness], but I don't know". Nothing came of this in the short term, and Chrétien led the Liberals to a third consecutive majority government. Marleau ran to become Speaker of the House of Commons in January 2001, but was eliminated on the first ballot. In July 2002, she became one of the first sixteen Liberal MPs to openly call on Chrétien to resign as party leader. In May 2003, Marleau introduced the first ever Older Adults Justice Act in Canada. It called for the creation of a national ombudsman on the rights of older Canadians, and sought to amend the Criminal Code to make it a criminal offence to knowingly target the elderly for criminal purposes. The legislation died at committee when parliament was dissolved for the 2004 federal election, and was re introduced by Lloyd St. Amand in the next Parliament. Paul Martin succeeded Jean Chrétien as Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister of Canada in December 2003, and led the Liberals to a minority government in the 2004 election. Marleau was re elected to a fifth term, and was appointed as parliamentary secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and the minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board. There was speculation that she would be returned to cabinet in late 2005, but nothing came of this. The Liberals were defeated in the 2006 federal election, as the Conservatives under Stephen Harper won a minority government. Marleau ran for Speaker again at the start of the new parliament, arguing that she would work to restore decorum during Question Period. She was defeated by incumbent speaker Peter Milliken. Marleau endorsed Bob Rae in the 2006 Liberal Party leadership contest, and moved to the camp of Stéphane Dion when Rae was eliminated on the next to last ballot. She later became a prominent supporter of Dion's Green Shift plan within the Liberal Party. Marleau chaired the House Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates in the 39th parliament, and was also elected chair of the Liberal Women's Caucus in March 2008. Marleau was defeated by New Democratic Party candidate Glenn Thibeault in the 2008 federal election. She later said that comments made by Sudbury Member of Provincial Parliament Rick Bartolucci shortly before election day played a "crucial" role in her defeat. Marleau later said that she would probably not seek re election to the House of Commons. The Conservative Party won a second minority government in the 2008 election. In December 2008, the Liberals and New Democrats announced plans to defeat the Conservatives on a motion of non confidence and form a new coalition government. Marleau was a supporter of the proposed coalition, which dissolved when Stephen Harper prorogued parliament and Michael Ignatieff replaced Dion as Liberal leader.

Marleau was awarded the Bernadine Yackman Award from the Business and Professional Women's Club of Greater Sudbury in March 2009. She died on January 30, 2013, following a battle with colorectal cancer. Bob Rae, Leona Aglukkaq and Dwight Duncan.

Marleau was elected to the Sudbury City Council in 1980 and 1982. She also served on the Sudbury Regional Council. All statistical information is taken from Elections Canada. Italicized expenditures from elections after 1997 refer to submitted totals, and are presented when the final reviewed totals are not available.