Guy Caron

Guy Caron (born May 13, 1968)[3] is a Canadian politician, who was elected the mayor of Rimouski, Quebec in the 2021 Quebec municipal elections. He was previously a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 2011 to 2019, and served as the federal House leader of the New Democratic Party from 2017 to 2019, substituting for party leader Jagmeet Singh who during this time did not hold a seat.

Guy Caron
Caron in 2017
Mayor of Rimouski
Assumed office
November 15, 2021[1]
Preceded byMarc Parent
Parliamentary Leader of the New Democratic Party
In office
October 4, 2017 – February 25, 2019
LeaderJagmeet Singh
Preceded byTom Mulcair (as leader)
Succeeded byJagmeet Singh (as leader)
Shadow Minister for Natural Resources
In office
January 23, 2015 – November 19, 2015
LeaderThomas Mulcair
Preceded byChris Charlton
Succeeded byCandice Bergen
Shadow Minister for Industry
In office
November 1, 2011 – April 18, 2012
LeaderNycole Turmel
Preceded byPeter Julian
Succeeded byHélène LeBlanc
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques
In office
May 2, 2011 – September 11, 2019
Preceded byClaude Guimond
Succeeded byMaxime Blanchette-Joncas
Personal details
Born (1968-05-13) May 13, 1968
Rimouski, Quebec
Political partyNew Democratic Party
Spouse
Valerie Stansfield
​
(m. 2006)​
[2]
Children2
Residence(s)Gatineau, Quebec
Rimouski, Quebec
Alma materUniversity of Ottawa
Université du Québec à Montréal
ProfessionEconomist, journalist, public relations officer, researcher

Caron was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2011 election.[4] He represented the electoral district of Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques as a member of the New Democratic Party (NDP). He was the NDP's critic for Finance and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, but resigned from the NDP's shadow cabinet in February 2017 to pursue leadership of the New Democratic Party of Canada.[5]

On October 4, 2017, Jagmeet Singh, the newly elected NDP leader, appointed Caron to serve as the NDP's parliamentary leader.[6] He relinquished this position on February 25, 2019, upon Singh's election to parliament from the riding of Burnaby South. Caron lost his seat in the 2019 Canadian federal election.

Early life and career

Caron was born in Rimouski, Quebec. He has a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Ottawa in 1992, and served two terms as president of their student federation in 1992–94. He was vice-president of the board of directors of Voyages Campus/Travel Cuts, 1994. He was national president of the Canadian Federation of Students for two terms in 1994–6.[7] He also has a master's degree in economics from Université du Québec à Montréal in 2001.[7]

Prior to being elected, Caron was a researcher and economist with the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, most recently as Director of Special Projects.[8] He previously worked for the Council of Canadians where he was a media relations officer, then the Campaigner on Canada-U.S. Relations, and then the Healthcare Campaigner. He has also worked for the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. He is also a former journalist: he worked with radio stations CKLE and CKMN-FM, and with the newspapers Progrès-Écho and Rimouskois while studying science at the Cégep de Rimouski.[9]

He is the author of Crossing the Line: A Citizens’ Inquiry on Canada-U.S. Relations.[10]

Political career

Caron ran in Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques as the NDP candidate in 2004, 2006 and 2008, each time finishing a distant fourth. In 2011, however, he defeated Bloc Québecois incumbent Claude Guimond as part of the large NDP wave that swept through Quebec. He was appointed chairperson of the NDP's Quebec caucus following the election.[11]

After the 2015 election, Caron was appointed the NDP critic for Finance, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, as well as deputy critic for Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard in the 42nd Canadian Parliament.[12]

Caron resigned from the NDP shadow cabinet in February 2017 to stand for the leadership of the New Democratic Party to succeed Tom Mulcair.[13] Caron stated that the two major challenges confronting Canadians are income inequality and climate change. His leadership platform included a guaranteed basic income.[14] In the October 1, 2017, election, Caron placed fourth with 9.4% of the vote, with Jagmeet Singh winning on the first ballot.[15] The other two contestants in the leadership election, MPs Charlie Angus and Niki Ashton, came second and third respectively. Caron lost his seat in the 2019 Canadian federal election.

In November 2020, Caron announced his campaign for Mayor of Rimouski in the following year's municipal election, hoping to succeed retiring Mayor Marc Parent.[16] He won the election on November 7, 2021.[17]

Policies

Tax policy

Guy Caron released a tax plan called Making Taxes Work for Canadians as part of his ongoing NDP leadership bid. The plan proposes the creation of a Tax Crimes Division within the Department of Justice Canada, in order to provide a more robust method of preventing tax evasion. In addition, the tax plan proposes a Financial Activities Tax to tax the profits of financial institutions and the remuneration packages of banking executives. Caron's plan also proposes the elimination of the "CEO stock option loophole," a promise made by the Liberal Party of Canada in the 2015 federal election.[18]

Basic income

Guy Caron's bid for the NDP leadership also included a plan for basic income for individuals or families who spend at least 20% more of their income than the average on necessities such as food, shelter, and clothing (designated as the low-income cut-off line). The basic income program would be joined with the Canada Childcare Benefit and the Guaranteed Income Supplement, without affecting other programs.[19]

Trade

Guy Caron's NDP leadership website states that Caron will work for "trade deals that work for Canadians". The website also states that "trade is good, when the deals are done right".[20]

Electoral record
2021 Rimouski Mayoral Election
Candidate Vote  %
Guy Caron13,97680.71
Virginie Proulx3,34019.29
Pierre Lapointe Withdrew
2019 Canadian federal election: Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
Bloc QuébécoisMaxime Blanchette-Joncas17,31437.8+18.50$13,984.50
New DemocraticGuy Caron13,05028.5-14.61none listed
LiberalChantal Pilon10,09522.1-5.92$42,899.50
ConservativeNancy Brassard-Fortin4,0738.9+1.42$13,507.19
GreenJocelyn Rioux8241.8+0.31none listed
People'sPierre Lacombe2320.50Newnone listed
RhinocerosLysane Picker-Paquin1790.4-0.21none listed
Total valid votes/expense limit 45,767100.0
Total rejected ballots 758
Turnout 46,52566.5
Eligible voters 69,939
Bloc Québécois gain from New Democratic Swing +16.56
Source: Elections Canada[21][22]
2015 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
New DemocraticGuy Caron19,37443.11+0.13–
LiberalPierre Cadieux12,59428.02+18.42–
Bloc QuébécoisJohanne Carignan8,67319.3-11.53–
ConservativeFrancis Fortin3,3617.48-7.08–
GreenLouise Boutin6691.49-0.54–
RhinocerosSébastien CôRhino Côrriveau2740.61––
Total valid votes/Expense limit 44,837100.0 $210,378.44
Total rejected ballots –––
Turnout –––
Eligible voters 69,631
New Democratic hold Swing +9.28
Source: Elections Canada[23][24]
2011 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
New DemocraticGuy Caron18,36042.98+32.65$1,454.82
Bloc QuébécoisClaude Guimond13,17030.83-13.85$37,084.15
ConservativeBertin Denis6,21814.56-3.70$48,523.44
LiberalPierre Cadieux4,1019.60-10.49$12,947.19
GreenClément Pelletier8672.03+0.40none listed
Total valid votes/Expense limit 42,716100.0   $86,716.92
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 449 1.04-0.13
Turnout 43,165 62.90+4.17
Eligible voters 68,625
New Democratic gain from Bloc Québécois Swing +23.25
Sources:[25][26]
2008 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
Bloc QuébécoisClaude Guimond17,65244.68-1.70$26,530.06
LiberalPierre Béland7,93720.09+0.76$16,213.11
ConservativeGaston Noël7,21618.26-3.94$50,736.77
New DemocraticGuy Caron4,08510.33+0.53$8,921.06
IndependentLouise Thibault1,9664.97–$10,441.59
GreenJames D. Morrison6451.63-0.65none listed
Total valid votes/Expense limit 39,501100.0    $83,533
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 4681.17-0.05
Turnout 39,96958.73-5.03
Eligible voters 68,055
Bloc Québécois hold Swing -1.23
Independent candidate Louise Thibault was previously elected as a member of the Bloc Québécois, and lost 41.41 percentage points from her results in the 2006 election.
2006 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
Bloc QuébécoisLouise Thibault19,80446.38-11.25$37,738.52
ConservativeRoger Picard9,48122.20+13.26$15,575.69
LiberalMichel Tremblay8,25419.33-4.44$54,457.05
New DemocraticGuy Caron4,1869.80+2.75$15,288.40
GreenFrançois Bédard9732.28-0.34$30.76
Total valid votes/Expense limit 42,698100.0    $77,697
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 5291.22-0.68
Turnout 43,22763.76+5.71
Eligible voters 67,793
Bloc Québécois hold Swing -12.26
2004 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
Bloc QuébécoisLouise Thibault22,21557.63-2.77$37,917.81
LiberalCôme Roy9,16123.77-5.96$52,950.93
ConservativeDenis Quimper3,4458.94+2.10$14,150.40
New DemocraticGuy Caron2,7177.05+5.10$6,486.64
GreenMarjolaine Delaunière1,0082.62–none listed
Total valid votes/Expense limit 38,546100.0    $75,927
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 7471.90
Turnout 39,29358.05-0.46
Eligible voters 67,686
Bloc Québécois notional hold Swing +1.60
Changes from 2000 are based on redistributed results. Change for the Conservatives is based on the combined total of the Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance.

Personal life

Caron has been married to Valerie Stansfield since 2006.[2] They have two children.[2] At the time of his 2011 election they lived in Gatineau, Quebec; following the election they purchased a property in Rimouski, within Caron's riding, though stayed in Aylmer while Parliament was in session.[2]

References
  1. "Le nouveau conseil municipal de Rimouski assermenté | Élections municipales au Québec 2021 | Radio-Canada.ca".
  2. Raj, Althia (September 5, 2017). "Guy Caron's Unlikely Journey From 'Paper Candidate' To NDP Leadership Contender". The Huffington Post Canada. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  3. Guy Caron – Parliament of Canada biography
  4. "Election 2011: Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques". The Globe and Mail. May 2, 2011. Archived from the original on September 5, 2011.
  5. Politics, Canadian (2017-02-12). "NDP's Guy Caron gives up shadow cabinet role to consider leadership bid". National Post. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  6. "Singh names leadership rival Guy Caron to lead NDP in the Commons". 4 October 2017.
  7. "About Guy Caron". Archived from the original on 2013-06-28.
  8. "Huge support for CEP issues at NDP convention | CEP". Archived from the original on 2011-09-12. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
  9. "About Guy". ndp.ca. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  10. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-08-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. "Statement by Guy Caron, NDP Quebec caucus chair, on the decision of the Charest government to hold a public inquiry on the construction industry". ndp.ca. 19 October 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  12. Kirkup, Kristy (12 November 2015). "Tom Mulcair taps Nathan Cullen, Charlie Angus, Guy Caron for top critic roles". CBC News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  13. Smith, Marie-Danielle (27 February 2017). "Three's a crowd? Guy Caron joins federal NDP leadership race, citing economic prowess". National Post. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  14. "Three's a crowd? Guy Caron joins federal NDP leadership race, citing economic prowess". Archived from the original on 2017-02-27.
  15. Ballingball, Alex (1 October 2017). "Jagmeet Singh wins the NDP leadership race". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  16. "Guy Caron annonce sa candidature à la mairie de Rimouski". Radio-Canada (in French). November 17, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  17. "Guy Caron élu à la mairie de Rimouski". Ici Radio-Canada Bas-Saint-Laurent, November 7, 2021.
  18. "Making Taxes Work for Canadians". Guy Caron for NDP Leader. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  19. "Guy Caron for NDP Leader". Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  20. "About Guy Caron". Guy Caron for NDP Leader. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  21. "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  22. "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  23. Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, 30 September 2015
  24. Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates
  25. Elections Canada – Official voting results, Forty-first general election, 2011
  26. Elections Canada – Candidate's electoral campaign return, 41st general election
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