Michèle Audette

The Honourable
Michèle Audette
The Honourable Michèle Audette
	Audette in 2021
Canadian Senator; from De Salaberry
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; July 29, 2021
Nominated by	Justin Trudeau
Appointed by	Mary Simon
Government Liaison in the Senate
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; August 9, 2023
Leader	Marc Gold
Preceded by	Patti LaBoucane-Benson
Personal details
Born	Michèle Taïna Audette; July 20, 1971 (age 53); Wabush, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Political party	Non-affiliated; (2021; since 2023)
Other political; affiliations	Independent Senators Group (2021-2022); Progressive Senate Group (2022-2023)
Occupation	Politician; activist;
Known for	President of the Native Women's Association of Canada

Michèle Taïna Audette (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian politician and activist. She served as president of Femmes autochtones du Québec (Quebec Native Women) from 1998 to 2004 and again from 2010 to 2012. She was also the president of Native Women's Association of Canada from 2012 to 2014. From 2004 through 2008, she served as Associate Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Relations with Citizens and Immigration of the Quebec government, where she was in charge of the Secretariat for Women.

In 2017, she was appointed as one of the five commissioners of the government's national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. In 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominated her to the Canadian Senate, as a Senator for Quebec.^[1]

Life

In 1971, Audette's mother was returning to Schefferville from Sept-Îles by train when she unexpectedly went into labour.^[2] The train stopped and her mother was airlifted by helicopter to the nearest hospital, in Wabush, Labrador, where Audette was born. She grew up in Schefferville, Maliotenam, and Montreal. Audette is from the Innu community of Uashat mak Mani-Utenam in Quebec.^[3] Her mother, Evelyne St-Onge, is Innu and her father, Gilles Audette, is French-Canadian from Montreal. The family was denied a house on her mother's reserve under federal law because her mother married a non-Native man.^[4] St-Onge co-founded the Quebec Native Women Association in 1974,^[5] which fought against the clause in the federal Indian Act that stated that a Native woman who marries a non-Native man did not have the right to live in her reserve community. Native men who marry non-Native women do not suffer such restrictions.^[4]

As Audette grew up, she too became an activist in Indigenous affairs. She served as president of Femmes autochtones du Québec (FAQ) from 1998 to 2004, and from 2010 to 2012, then led the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) from 2012 to 2014, the youngest women to be elected.^[6]^[2]^[7] She also acted in one of the short film vignettes on Canadian history known as Heritage Minutes as a member of an Attikamek family teaching early French settlers how to make maple syrup.^[8]

Audette was appointed as Associate Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Relations with Citizens and Immigration Quebec government, in charge of the Secretariat for Women, serving from 2004 through 2008. She has conducted public relations for and acted as coordinator of many festivals. She has also worked as a researcher for Aboriginal Nations, a news magazine broadcast on Télé-Québec.

In 2017, Audette was appointed as one of five commissioners to the national inquiry: Missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls to raise awareness and gain government action on the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada.^[2] The inquiry, which had an estimated cost of $53.8 million, examined the factors and institutions that contribute to a high rate of violence against Indigenous women and girls.^[6] Their final report, delivered to the federal government in 2019, included 231 calls for justice.^[9]

In May 2021 she appeared on Ici Radio-Canada's literary debate show Le Combat des livres, advocating for Michel Jean's novel Kukum.^[10] The novel won the competition.^[11]

Politics

Some years after her first government service, Audette decided to enter electoral politics. In the 2015 Canadian federal election, she ran as the Liberal candidate for the Quebec riding of Terrebonne^[12] and was defeated to Bloc Québécois candidate Michel Boudrias.^[13]

In July 2021, she was appointed a senator for Quebec.^[14] Initially non-affiliated, she joined the Independent Senators Group on September 27, 2021.^[15] On June 27, 2022, she joined the Progressive Senate Group.^[16]

On August 9, 2023, she was appointed Government Liaison by Representative of the Government in the Senate Marc Gold. The role entails acting as a whip to secure votes for government legislation in the Senate.^[17] She subsequently left the Progressive Senate Group and became once again non-affiliated.

Personal life

Audette, a mother of five,^[6] lives in both Wendake near Quebec City and the Innu reserve of Maliotenam near Sept-Îles, Quebec,^[18] with her domestic partner Serge Ashini Goupil.^[2] She is a consultant with the indigenous rights group Nation Innue.^[2]

Awards

Woman of Distinction Award in the Inspiration category from the Women’s Y Foundation of Montréal (2018)^[3]
Woman of the Year in by the Montreal Council of Women (2014)^[19]
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012)^[19]

Electoral record

v t e 2015 Canadian federal election: Terrebonne
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Bloc Québécois	Michel Boudrias	19,238	33.01	+2.23	$17,316.45
	Liberal	Michèle Audette	16,316	27.99	+21.07	$28,471.60
	New Democratic	Charmaine Borg	14,928	25.61	-25.93	$66,226.31
	Conservative	Michel Surprenant	6,615	11.35	+3.28	$4,734.68
	Green	Susan Moen	1,016	1.74	-0.95	–
	Strength in Democracy	Louis Clément Sénat	171	0.29	–	$1,208.41
Total valid votes/expense limit			58,284	97.89		$222,232.39
Total rejected ballots			1,256	2.11	–
Turnout			59,540	70.46	–
Eligible voters			84,502
	Bloc Québécois gain from New Democratic		Swing		+14.08
Source: Elections Canada^[20]^[21]

References

^ "The Prime Minister announces the appointment of Senators". 28 July 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Curtis, Christopher (2016-08-05). "Michèle Audette "a fighter" for missing and murdered aboriginal women". montrealgazette. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
^ ^a ^b Canada, Senate of. "Senator Michèle Audette". SenCanada. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
^ ^a ^b García, Leani (Spring 2013). "Politics Innovator: Michèle Audette, Canada". Americas Quarterly.
^ "MMIWG inquiry commissioner Michèle Audette appointed to Senate". CBC News. 2021-07-29.
^ ^a ^b ^c Shingler, Benjamin (2016-08-03). "Michèle Audette to help lead MMIW inquiry". CBC.
^ Déry, Emy-Jane. "Michèle Audette en larmes lors de l'annonce de la tenue d'une enquête sur les femmes autochtones disparues ou assassinées". Le Journal de Québec. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
^ "Syrup". Historica Canada. 1997. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
^ "Michele Audette, commissioner of MMIWG inquiry, among five named to Senate". CTVNews. 2021-07-29. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
^ "Cinq combattantes et combattants dans l’arène pour le Combat national des livres". Ici Radio-Canada, April 1, 2021.
^ "Michèle Audette remporte le Combat national des livres 2021 avec Kukum". Ici Radio-Canada, May 7, 2021.
^ Lévesque, Catherine (August 21, 2015). "Michèle Audette To Run For Liberals In Quebec Riding Of Terrebonne". The Huffington Post Quebec. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
^ "Former NWAC president Audette misses red wave". APTN National News. October 20, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
^ "Senate appointments include Michèle Audette, MMIWG inquiry commissioner". Canada's National Observer. 2021-07-30. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
^ "Michèle Audette Joins Independent Senators Group". September 27, 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
^ Jane Cordy [@SenatorCordy] (June 27, 2022). "Senator @michele_audette will bring her strong voice and impressive abilities to @Prog_Senate. We look forward to her valuable contributions to our discussions and work as we walk forward together. Welcome, Senator Audette! #SenCA #cdnpoli" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^ "Senator Audette named Government Liaison". Senate Government Representative’s Office. August 8, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
^ Macdonald, Nancy (2017-09-13). "Lost and Broken". Maclean's. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
^ ^a ^b "Michèle Audette". Prime Minister of Canada. 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
^ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Terrebonne, 30 September 2015
^ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates

v t e Current members of the Senate of Canada
Presiding officers: Speaker: Raymonde Gagné Speaker pro tempore: Pierrette Ringuette
AB	■ Fridhandler ■ LaBoucane-Benson ■ Simons ■ Sorensen ■ Tannas ■ K. Wells
BC	■ Busson ■ Greenwood ■ Martin ■ Woo 2 vacancies
MB	■ Adler ■ Gagné ■ McCallum ■ McPhedran ■ Osler ■ Plett
NB	■ Boudreau ■ Cormier ■ Hartling ■ Kingston ■ McNair ■ Poirier ■ Quinn ■ Richards ■ Ringuette ■ Ross
NL	■ Manning ■ Marshall ■ Petten ■ Ravalia ■ D. Wells ■ White
NS	■ Aucoin ■ Bernard ■ Cordy ■ Coyle ■ Cuzner ■ C. Deacon ■ Greene ■ Kutcher ■ MacDonald ■ Prosper
ON	■ Al Zaibak ■ Ataullahjan ■ Black ■ Boehm ■ Boniface ■ Boyer ■ Burey ■ Cardozo ■ Clement ■ Dasko ■ M. Deacon ■ Dean ■ Harder ■ McBean ■ Moncion ■ Moodie ■ Omidvar ■ Pate ■ R. Patterson ■ Senior ■ Varone ■ Yussuff 1 vacancy
PE	■ Downe ■ Francis ■ MacAdam ■ Robinson 1 vacancy
QC	■ Audette ■ Brazeau ■ Carignan ■ Dagenais ■ Dalphond ■ Forest ■ Galvez ■ Gerba ■ Gignac ■ Gold ■ Housakos ■ Loffreda ■ Massicotte ■ Mégie ■ Miville-Dechêne ■ Moreau ■ Oudar ■ Petitclerc ■ Saint-Germain ■Seidman ■ Smith ■ Verner ■ Youance 1 vacancy
SK	■ Arnot ■ Batters ■ Cotter ■ Klyne ■ Muggli ■ Wallin
Territories	NT ■ Anderson NU 1 vacancy YT ■ Duncan
■ Independent Senators Group (41) ■ Canadian Senators Group (18) ■ Progressive Senate Group (13) ■ Conservative (12) ■ Non-affiliated (16) vacant (5)

v t e Senate Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples
Chair	Brian Francis
Vice Chair	Daniel Christmas
Members	David Arnot Michèle Audette Patrick Brazeau Mary Coyle Nancy Hartling Sandra Lovelace Nicholas Yonah Martin Kim Pate Dennis Patterson Scott Tannas