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Mélanie Joly

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The Honourable
Mélanie Joly
PC MP
Joly in 2022
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 26, 2021
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded byMarc Garneau
Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages
In office
November 20, 2019 – October 26, 2021
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded byNavdeep Bains (Economic Development)
Herself (Official Languages)
Succeeded byMary Ng (Economic Development)
Ginette Petitpas Taylor (Official Languages)
Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario
In office
November 20, 2019 – October 26, 2021
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded byNavdeep Bains
Succeeded byPatty Hajdu
Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie
In office
July 18, 2018 – November 20, 2019
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded by
Succeeded byHerself (as Minister for Official Languages)
Minister of Canadian Heritage
In office
November 4, 2015 – July 18, 2018
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded byShelly Glover
Succeeded byPablo Rodríguez
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Ahuntsic-Cartierville
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 19, 2015
Preceded byMaria Mourani
Personal details
Born (1979-01-16) January 16, 1979 (age 45)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Political partyLiberal
Other political
affiliations		Vrai changement pour Montréal (municipal)
SpouseFélix Marzell
RelativesCarole-Marie Allard (stepmother)
Residence(s)Le Plateau, Montreal, Quebec[1]
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Politician
  • lawyer
AwardsChevening Scholarship

Mélanie Joly PC MP (French pronunciation: [melani ʒɔli]; born January 16, 1979) is a Canadian politician and lawyer who has served as minister of Foreign Affairs since October 2021. A member of the Liberal Party, Joly represents the Montreal-area riding of Ahuntsic-Cartierville in the House of Commons, taking office as a member of Parliament (MP) following the 2015 federal election. She has held a number of portfolios including Canadian heritage, tourism, and La Francophonie. Joly ran for mayor of Montreal in the 2013 Montreal municipal election, placing second behind eventual winner Denis Coderre.

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Joly graduated from Université de Montréal and Brasenose College, Oxford.

Early and personal life

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Born on January 16, 1979,[2] she grew up in Montreal's northern neighbourhood of Ahuntsic.[3] Joly's father is Clément Joly, an accountant who was president of the Liberal Party's finance committee in Quebec and manager of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority from 2002 to 2007. Her stepmother, Carole-Marie Allard, is a lawyer and journalist, who was an MP representing Laval—East from 2000 to 2004.

Joly is married to Felix Marzell, an artist and entrepreneur.[4][5]

Education and career

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After completing her Bachelor of Laws degree at the Université de Montréal in 2001, Joly became a member of the Bar of Quebec. She subsequently received the Chevening scholarship and continued her studies at Brasenose College, Oxford, where she received a Magister Juris in comparative and public law in 2003.[6] Joly also interned at Radio-Canada, in 2007.[7]

At the beginning of her career, Joly practiced law at two major Montreal law firms, Stikeman Elliott and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg. At the latter firm, her mentor was former Parti Quebecois premier Lucien Bouchard, who supplied her with a letter of recommendation for her Oxford application.[8] She worked primarily in the areas of civil and commercial litigation, bankruptcy and insolvency law. She was also a prosecutor before the Gomery Commission of inquiry.[9]

In 2010, she became the first Quebecer to receive the Arnold Edinborough award, which recognizes philanthropic involvement within the Canadian cultural community.[10]

In 2013, she was appointed to head the Quebec Advisory Committee for Justin Trudeau’s leadership campaign of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Along with her colleagues, she founded Generation of Ideas, which is a political forum for 25- to 35-year-olds.[11] She is also a member of the collective group Sortie 13, for which she wrote "Les villes au pouvoir ou comment relancer le monde municipal québécois".[12]

Political career

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Municipal campaign

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In June 2013, Joly announced her candidacy for mayor of Montreal in the elections which occurred in the same year. She founded a new party, Vrai changement pour Montréal, to support her candidacy. On November 3, election day, she obtained 26.50 per cent of the votes, finishing six points behind the winner, Denis Coderre. However, she finished ahead of several more established challengers.[13]

Federal politics

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In 2015, Joly left municipal politics and announced her candidacy for the nomination of the Liberal Party of Canada in the new electoral district of Ahuntsic-Cartierville for the 2015 federal election to the 42nd Canadian Parliament.[14] Joly won the riding with 47.5 per cent of the vote, unseating incumbent Maria Mourani.[15]

Minister of Canadian Heritage (2015-2018)

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After the 2015 general election, Joly was named as the minister of Canadian heritage as part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's new government.[16]

Minister of Tourism (2018-2019)

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On August 28, 2018, Joly was named to the tourism, official languages, and La Francophonie portfolio.[17]

Minister of Economic Development (2019-2021)

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She assumed the position of Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages on December 13, 2019. Her mandate was marked by the introduction of separate regional development agencies for Western Canada: Canada Economic Development for the Prairies (PrairieCan)[18] and Canada Economic Development for the Pacific (PacifiCan).[19]

On June 15, 2021, she introduced Bill C-32 in the House of Commons, an Act to achieve substantive equality of English and French and to strengthen the Official Languages Act.[20] The first reform since 1988, Joly's modernization was intended to ensure that the government's broad range of measures in support of official languages responded to and adapted to the challenges faced by these languages in the various regions of the country.[21]

Minister of Foreign Affairs (2021-present)

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Joly and Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba in Phnom Penh, 2022
Joly with James Cleverly, Annalena Baerbock, Yoshimasa Hayashi and Antony Blinken at the 59th Munich Security Conference, 2023

Joly took office as Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs on October 26, 2021.[22]

Amidst global concerns about a buildup of Russian troops on the country's eastern border,[23][24][25] she visited Ukraine in January 2022.[26] Amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she visited again on May 8, 2022 when she accompanied Trudeau on an unannounced visit to Kyiv to reopen the Canadian embassy. However, it was reported that the Canadian Embassy was never in fact reopened and the Canadian ambassador did not return.[27] One year after the invasion began, she touted her government's efforts to promote regime change in Russia.[28]

In May 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan voiced his opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, accusing the two countries of tolerating groups which Turkey classifies as terrorist organizations, including the Kurdish militant groups PKK and YPG and the supporters of Fethullah Gülen, a US-based Muslim cleric accused by Turkey of orchestrating a failed 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt.[29] Joly held talks with Turkey to convince the Turkish government of the need for the integration of the two Nordic nations into NATO.[30]

During the March 2023 House of Commons committee studying Chinese election interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, Joly accused China of 'trying to sow division in many democracies' and suggested ways foreign meddling could be hindered in the future.[31]

Following a vote on the Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang, it was reported in May 2023 that Conservative MP Michael Chong's family in Hong Kong was targeted, including by a Chinese diplomat named Zhao Wei. Wei was later declared persona non grata by Joly.[32][33]

The murder of Canadian Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar caused a diplomatic crisis, with Canada–India relations falling to their lowest point.[34] Joly ordered the expulsion of Pavan Kumar Rai, a top Indian diplomat in Canada who headed the operations of the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency, in Canada.[35]

In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive against the self-declared breakaway state of Republic of Artsakh, a move seen by the European Parliament as a violation of the 2020 ceasefire agreement.[36] Joly expressed grave concern with Azerbaijan's military intervention, calling for immediate cessation of hostilities, asking the Azerbaijani government to refrain from any actions and activities that pose a risk to the safety and welfare of the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, labelling the military action as "unjustifiable" and the Lachin corridor blockade as "illegal".[37] On 29 September 2023 the Republic folded,[38] and in October 2023 the residents of Stepanakert evacuated to Armenia in one weekend, leaving not a soul.[39]

After the events of the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, on October 30 Joly rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war, but expressed support for a "humanitarian pause".[40]

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Electoral record

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2021 Canadian federal election: Ahuntsic-Cartierville
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal Mélanie Joly 26,402 52.38 –0.07 $71,604.96
Bloc Québécois Anna Simonyan 11,112 22.04 +0.31 $12,053.64
New Democratic Ghada Chaabi 5,844 11.59 +0.19 $3,163.17
Conservative Steven Duarte 4,247 8.43 +1.15 $0.00
Green Luc Joli-Coeur 1,491 2.96 –3.12 $0.00
People's Manon Chevalier 1,313 2.60 +1.54 $1,694.83
Total valid votes 50,409 100.00 – $110,827.67
Total rejected ballots 1,054 2.05 +0.23
Turnout 51,463 64.16 –3.34
Eligible voters 80,206
Liberal hold Swing –0.19
Source: Elections Canada[41][42]
2019 Canadian federal election: Ahuntsic-Cartierville
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal Mélanie Joly 28,904 52.45 +5.65 $75,399.95
Bloc Québécois André Parizeau 11,974 21.73 +8.53 none listed
New Democratic Zahia El-Masri 6,284 11.4 −18.6 none listed
Conservative Kathy Laframboise 4,013 7.28 −0.02 $0.00
Green Jean-Michel Lavarenne 3,352 6.08 +3.98 $7,837.28
People's Raymond Ayas 584 1.06 $7,512.42
Total valid votes/expense limit 55,111 100.0
Total rejected ballots 1,022
Turnout 56,133 67.5
Eligible voters 83,176
Liberal hold Swing −1.44
Source: Elections Canada[43][44]
2015 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal Mélanie Joly 26,026 46.8 +15.7 $149,387.67
New Democratic Maria Mourani 16,684 30.0 +0.1 $86,722.49
Bloc Québécois Nicolas Bourdon 7,346 13.2 -15.1 $27,931.96
Conservative Wiliam Moughrabi 4,051 7.3 -1.3 $12,346.58
Green Gilles Mercier 1,175 2.1 +0.7 –
Rhinoceros Catherine Gascon-David 285 0.5 – –
Total valid votes/Expense limit – 100.0     $220,041.13
Total rejected ballots – – –
Turnout – – –
Eligible voters 82,863
Source: Elections Canada[45][46]

References

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  1. ^ "Search For Contributions". Elections Canada. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  2. ^ "The Hon. Mélanie Joly, P.C., M.P." Parliament of Canada. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  3. ^ Patriquin, Martin (June 10, 2016). "The sunniest Liberal, Mélanie Joly". Maclean's Magazine. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  4. ^ Columnist, Susan Delacourt National (December 26, 2022). "Susan Delacourt: Mélanie Joly opens up about her miscarriage — and why she hasn't given up on getting pregnant". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on November 26, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  5. ^ Tristin, Hopper. "The Canadian politicians who say they want privacy for their families — and actually mean it". National Post. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  6. ^ "Mélanie Joly". LinkedIn. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  7. ^ "Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly once interned at Radio-Canada". CBC.ca. November 7, 2015. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  8. ^ Campbell Clark, Liberal newcomers could bring wide-ranging experience to Trudeau's cabinet Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, The Globe & Mail, October 31, 2015.
  9. ^ "À PROPOS DE MÉLANIE JOLY". Le vrai changement pour Montréal - groupe Mélanie Joly. Archived from the original on September 14, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  10. ^ "Business for the Arts — Previous Winners". www.businessforthearts.org. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  11. ^ Frigon, Gaétan (June 1, 2013). "Mélanie qui? Mélanie Joly". La Presse. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  12. ^ Joly, Mélanie. "Les villes au pouvoir ou comment relancer le monde municipal québécois". Sortie13. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  13. ^ "Élections municipales 2013 - Résultats | ICI.Radio-Canada.ca". Radio-Canada.ca. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  14. ^ De Grandpré, Hugo (February 19, 2015). "Mélanie Joly dans Ahuntsic: des libéraux réitèrent leur intention d'être candidats". La Presse. Archived from the original on February 20, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  15. ^ "Election results: Mélanie Joly wins as Maria Mourani fails to stop second wave in Ahuntsic-Cartierville". Montreal Gazette. October 20, 2015. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  16. ^ "The Honourable Mélanie Joly". Prime Minister's Office. November 4, 2015. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  17. ^ Leblanc, Daniel (October 8, 2018). "Prime Minister Trudeau has last shot to help Michaëlle Jean stay on as Francophonie leader". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on October 9, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  18. ^ "Prairies Economic Development". August 9, 2021. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  19. ^ "Pacific Economic Development". June 27, 2021. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  20. ^ "Introduction of Bill C-32, an Act for the Substantive Equality of French and English and the Strengthening of the Official Languages Act". June 15, 2021. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  21. ^ "Modernization of the Official Languages Act". February 3, 2021. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  22. ^ Curry, Bill; Kirkup, Kristy; Raman-Wilms, Menaka; Dickson, Janice (October 26, 2021). "Trudeau cabinet shuffle: Anita Anand moves to Defence, Steven Guilbeault to Environment, Mélanie Joly to Foreign Affairs". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  23. ^ "Russian ships, tanks and troops on the move to Ukraine as peace talks stall". the Guardian. January 23, 2022. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  24. ^ Gordon, Joanna Sugden, Yaroslav Trofimov and Michael R. (January 25, 2022). "What Does Russia Want With Ukraine? Tensions Between Putin and NATO Explained". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ "Momentum is building for war in Ukraine". The Economist. January 22, 2022. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  26. ^ Canadian foreign minister to visit Ukraine, archived from the original on May 12, 2022, retrieved January 15, 2022
  27. ^ "Canadian embassy in Kyiv still shuttered despite 'reopening' in May". Archived from the original on January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  28. ^ Robertson, Dylan (March 10, 2023). "Canada bans Russian steel, aluminum imports as Joly raises 'regime change' in Moscow". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023.
  29. ^ "Erdogan says Turkey not supportive of Finland, Sweden joining NATO". Reuters. May 13, 2022. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  30. ^ Brzozowski, Alexandra (May 16, 2022). "Sweden takes formal decision to apply for NATO membership". www.euractiv.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  31. ^ "Canada will expel Chinese diplomats if there is evidence of wrongdoing: Joly". March 9, 2023. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  32. ^ "Canada expelling diplomat accused of targeting MP Michael Chong's family". CBC News. May 9, 2023. Archived from the original on June 18, 2023.
  33. ^ "China views Canada as a 'high priority' for interference: CSIS report". The Globe and Mail. May 2023. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  34. ^ Kaushik, Krishn; Jain, Rupam; Rajesh, Y. P.; Kaushik, Krishn (September 22, 2023). "India stops new visas for Canadians, asks Ottawa to downsize missions as spat worsens". Reuters. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023.
  35. ^ Tasker, John Paul (September 18, 2023). "Trudeau accuses India's government of involvement in killing of Canadian Sikh leader". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on September 19, 2023.
  36. ^ "Joint statement on Azerbaijan's attack on Nagorno-Karabakh". European Parliament. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023.
  37. ^ "Canada calls for cessation of hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh region". canada.ca. September 20, 2023. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023.
  38. ^ "So-called "police" of separatists, abandons weapons in Khankendi, leaves Karabakh". Trend News Agency. September 29, 2023. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  39. ^ "UN team in Nagorno-Karabakh, a first in 30 years, as ethnic Armenians flee". Aljazeera.com. October 1, 2023. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  40. ^ "Under criticism, Canada sticks to call for humanitarian truce, not a ceasefire — but says the world is watching". Toronto Star. October 30, 2023. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  41. ^ "Election Night Results — Ahuntsic-Cartierville". Elections Canada. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  42. ^ "Final Election Expenses Limits for Candidates — 44th Canadian Federal Election". Elections Canada. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  43. ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  44. ^ "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  45. ^ "Voter Information Service - Find your electoral district". www.elections.ca. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  46. ^ "Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates". Archived from the original on August 15, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mélanie Joly.
29th Ministry – Cabinet of Justin Trudeau
Cabinet posts (3)
Predecessor Office Successor
Marc Garneau Minister of Foreign Affairs
October 26, 2021 – present 		Incumbent
Bardish Chagger (Tourism)
Marie-Claude Bibeau
(La Francophonie) 		Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and la Francophonie
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Shelly Glover Minister of Canadian Heritage
November 4, 2015 – July 17, 2018 		Pablo Rodriguez
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