Pierre-Luc Dusseault
Member of Parliament
for Sherbrooke
In office
May 2, 2011 – October 21, 2019
Preceded bySerge Cardin
Succeeded byÉlisabeth Brière
Chair of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics
In office
April 24, 2012 – August 2, 2015
MinisterPeter Penashue
Denis Lebel
Preceded byJean Crowder
Succeeded byBlaine Calkins
Chair of the Standing Committee on
Government Operations & Estimates
In office
October 24, 2013 – February 4, 2015
MinisterDiane Finley
Preceded byPat Martin
Succeeded byPat Martin
Personal details
Born (1991-05-31) May 31, 1991 (age 32)
Granby, Quebec
Political partyNew Democratic Party
Spouse
Joanie Boulet
​
(m. 2013)​
[1]
Residence(s)Sherbrooke, Quebec
ProfessionStudent

Pierre-Luc Dusseault (born May 31, 1991) is a Canadian politician who was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2011 federal election at the age of 19, becoming the youngest member of Parliament (MP) in the country's history.[2] He was re-elected in 2015 but lost his seat in the 2019 Canadian federal election.

Early life and education

Born in Granby, Quebec, and educated in Magog, Dusseault is the son of a daycare administrator and a customer service manager.[2] He received a DEC diploma in social studies from Cégep de Sherbrooke.[3][4]

Dusseault was a first-year student studying applied politics at the Université de Sherbrooke at the time of his election as an MP. He was the co-founder and president of the university's student NDP club, having joined the NDP in 2009. He has told the press he would like to finish the degree once his political career is over.[2]

2011 election

As a New Democratic Party candidate in the riding of Sherbrooke, Dusseault defeated the incumbent Bloc Québécois MP Serge Cardin (four decades Dusseault's elder), and was elected at the age of 19 years, 336 days, making him the youngest Canadian ever to be elected to the House of Commons, surpassing former Liberal Party MP Claude-André Lachance, who was aged 20 years, 94 days when elected in 1974.[2] Dusseault turned 20 two days before the 41st Parliament was sworn in.

He was elected in the same election as five McGill University students, fellow NDP MPs Charmaine Borg, Matthew Dubé, Mylène Freeman, Laurin Liu, and Jamie Nicholls, following the NDP's unexpected mid-campaign surge in Quebec.[5]

Dusseault voted for the first time in this election and had originally planned to work a summer job at a golf course but served in Parliament instead.[2] In Parliament, he served as the chair of the access to information, privacy and ethics committee.[6]

2015 election

Dusseault retained his seat at the 2015 general election, one of 17 NDP candidates elected in Quebec. He remained the youngest MP at the start of the 42nd Parliament.[7]

Quebec sovereignty

Three days after the 2011 election, Toronto radio host John Oakley conducted an interview with Dusseault, who drew himself into the debate on the Quebec sovereignty movement by stating, "Sovereignty will be done in Quebec. And Quebecers will decide if they want to be a country." He later clarified his remarks, saying that he was a federalist who respects sovereignty.[8][9]

Personal

Dusseault, a Francophone, stated that he would like to improve his English language skills while in Parliament.[8]

Electoral record

2019 Canadian federal election: Sherbrooke
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal Élisabeth Brière 17,490 29.3 -0.5 $41,211.61
New Democratic Pierre-Luc Dusseault 16,881 28.3 -9.0 $34,349.81
Bloc Québécois Claude Forgues 15,470 25.9 +5.4
Conservative Dany Sévigny 6,362 10.6 +1.2
Green Mathieu Morin 2,716 4.5 +3.3 $1,651.14
Independent Edwin Moreno 471 0.8
Rhinoceros Steve Côté 219 0.4
No affiliation Hubert Richard 117 0.2
Total valid votes/expense limit 59,726 100.0
Total rejected ballots 1,003
Turnout 60,729 68.3
Eligible voters 88,936
Liberal gain from New Democratic Swing +4.25
Source: Elections Canada[10][11]
2015 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
New Democratic Pierre-Luc Dusseault 21,374 37.33 -5.64 –
Liberal Tom Allen 17,071 29.81 +20.32 –
Bloc Québécois Caroline Bouchard 11,713 20.46 -15.51 –
Conservative Marc Dauphin 5,391 9.42 +0.06 –
Green Sophie Malouin 1,143 1.20 -0.51 –
Independent Benoit Huberdeau 303 0.53 – –
Rhinoceros Hubert Richard 262 0.46 +0.03 –
Total valid votes/Expense limit 57,257 100.0     $226,355.78
Total rejected ballots – – –
Turnout – – –
Eligible voters 86,809
New Democratic hold Swing -12.98
Source: Elections Canada[12][13]
2011 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
New Democratic Pierre-Luc Dusseault 22,344 42.97 +29.9
Bloc Québécois Serge Cardin 18,703 35.97 −14.1
Liberal Éric Deslauriers-Joannette 4,953 9.49 −10.0
Conservative Pierre Harvey 4,865 9.36 −5.0
Green Jacques Laberge 890 1.71 N/A
Rhinoceros Crédible Berlingot Landry 224 0.43 −0.5
Total valid votes/Expense limit 51.999 100.0%
New Democratic gain from Bloc Québécois Swing +22.0

See also

References

  1. ^ Sarazin-Côté, Josée-Anne (July 28, 2013). "Le député Pierre-Luc Dusseault se marie". La Tribune. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e Sidhartha Banerjee (May 3, 2011). "19-year-old sets record as youngest MP; NDPer planned summer job at golf course". The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on May 6, 2011.
  3. ^ "About Pierre-Luc". New Democratic Party. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  4. ^ "NDP BIOS: Students and a political giant-killer". The Gazette. Montreal, Quebec. May 7, 2011. p. A6. Retrieved February 20, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Scott, Marian (May 4, 2011). "Five McGill students elected as NDP MPs". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on May 7, 2011.
  6. ^ Cohen, Tobi (December 23, 2013). "22-year-old MP scores $11K salary bump after getting married". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on January 31, 2014.
  7. ^ Tasker, John Paul (October 22, 2015). "Meet the Class of 2015". CBC News. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  8. ^ a b Montpetit, Jonathan (May 5, 2011). "NDP's separatism conundrum: developing policy for new MPs who say, 'Oui'". The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on May 9, 2011.
  9. ^ "New wave could shift national dialogue". Telegraph-Journal. May 7, 2011. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012.
  10. ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  11. ^ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  12. ^ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Sherbrooke, 30 September 2015
  13. ^ "Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates". Archived from the original on August 15, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2018.

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