Gerry Sklavounos
| Gerry Sklavounos | |
|---|---|
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| MNA for Laurier-Dorion | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office March 26, 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Elsie Lefebvre |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 16, 1974 Montreal, Quebec |
| Political party | Quebec Liberal Party |
| Residence | Montréal |
| Profession | Attorney |
Gerry Sklavounos, B.C.L., LL.B., (born December 16, 1974) is a Quebec politician. He is the current Liberal Member of the National Assembly for the electoral district of Laurier-Dorion, as well as Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Health and Social Services.
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[edit] Biography
Gerasimos (Gerry) Sklavounos, Jr. was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada to Athina Melissinos and Gerasimos Sklavounos, both immigrants from Greece to Canada in the early sixties. He spent his early years in the Plateau Mont Royal area of Montreal before moving to the district of Park Extension at age six. He spent the next 23 years of his life living in the area he now represents at the National Assembly of Québec. Sklavounos received his Diploma of Collegial Studies from Vanier College in 1994, and went on to obtain Bachelor’s degrees in both Civil and Common Law from McGill University in 1998. Sklavounos speaks, reads and writes English, French and Greek.
[edit] Law career
Prior to being called to the Québec bar in 1999, Sklavounos completed his legal articles in the Criminal Prosecutions section of the Federal Justice Department. He then went on to practice criminal law as a public defender for the Montreal Legal Aid Office from 2000 to 2004. In 2004, Sklavounos joined the criminal defense firm of Silver Sandiford where he practiced until his entry into politics.
[edit] Involvement with the Greek Community
Sklavounos has been active in the Greek community on several levels. He served on the executive board of the Hellenic Congress of Quebec from 2003–2007 and in 2006 was elected Vice-President-Public Relations of the Canadian Hellenic Congress. In 2007, Sklavounos served on the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Scholarships Foundation. He was also a torch bearer in the 2004 Olympic relay for the Athens Summer games.
On June 12, 2010, Sklavounos was selected as one of North America's Top 40 Greek Leaders under 40 Years of Age by the Greek America Foundation[1]. One of only two Canadians chosen, Sklavounos received his award at a gala held in Chicago.
[edit] First term as M.N.A. for Laurier-Dorion
Sklavounos was first elected to the Quebec National Assembly in the riding of Laurier-Dorion in the provincial general elections of March 26, 2007. Sklavounos defeated the then-incumbent Member of the Parti Québécois, Elsie Lefebvre, earning 40% of the vote versus Lefebvre's 36%.
Sklavounos was named Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, Line Beauchamp, by Quebec Premier Jean Charest. Sklavounos was also named Vice-Chair of the Committee on Economy and Labour. For the duration of that same term, he also served on the Social Affairs Committee as well as the Transportation and Environment Committee.
Sklavounos represented the Québec government both nationally and internationally during his first term in office. In September 2007, he represented Québec at the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Meeting in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was also Québec’s executive member of the U.S.-based National Conference of State Legislatures (N.C.S.L.) and was Québec’s representative at the 9th meeting of the parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity held in Bonn, Germany in May 2008.
[edit] Second Term as M.N.A. for Laurier-Dorion
Sklavounos was re-elected as Member of the Quebec National Assembly for the riding of Laurier-Dorion in the provincial general elections of December 8, 2008 garnering 42.57% of the vote to defeat his Parti Québécois challenger Badiona Bazin who earned 34.04% of the vote.
On January 15, 2009 Quebec Premier, Jean Charest, appointed Sklavounos Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr. Yves Bolduc. Sklavounos was also named to the Committee on Institutions and the Social Affairs Committee, later renamed the Committee on Health and Social Services.
Since May 27, 2009, Sklavounos has also been a member of the Quebec sections of the Francophone and Commonwealth Parliamentary Associations.
In the summer of 2009, Sklavounos was selected to represent Québec as part of the International Organisation of the Francophonie (I.O.F.) observer delegation sent to monitor the July 18th presidential elections in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
On the 10th of February, 2011, Sklavounos was elected Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Health and Social Services.
[edit] External links
- Gerry Sklavounos - Official Website
- "Biography" (in French). Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours. National Assembly of Quebec. http://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/deputes/sklavounos-gerry-1179/index.html.
- Gerry Sklavounos - Notable Vanier College Alumni
