Jean-Guy Dagenais

Jean-Guy Dagenais (born February 2, 1950) is a Canadian politician from Quebec. He was appointed to the Senate of Canada on January 17, 2012, by Stephen Harper after losing in the 2011 Canadian federal election running as a Conservative candidate in Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot. He represents the Senate division of Victoria (Quebec). In 2019, he left the Conservative Senate caucus to sit with the Canadian Senators Group, and left the Conservative party in 2022 shortly after Pierre Poilievre was elected as leader.

The Honourable
Jean-Guy Dagenais
Senator for Victoria, Quebec
Assumed office
January 17, 2012
Nominated byStephen Harper
Appointed byDavid Johnston
Preceded byFrancis Fox
Personal details
Born (1950-02-02) February 2, 1950
Political partyCanadian Senators Group (2019-present)
Other political
affiliations		Conservative

Political career

Dagenais ran for a seat to the House of Commons of Canada under the Conservative banner in the 2011 Canadian federal election in Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot. He was defeated finishing third place out of five candidates behind winner Marie-Claude Morin and defeated incumbent Ève-Mary Thaï Thi Lac.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper advised Governor General David Johnston to appoint Dagenais to the Senate of Canada on January 6, 2012,[1] and he was subsequently appointed on January 17.

In response to ongoing criticism of the Senate stemming from the Mike Duffy scandal, Dagenais railed against NDP MP Charmaine Borg, in a letter to the House of Commons accusing her of being a whiny, useless puppet who would not have won election if not for sympathy for Jack Layton, and of ignorance of the constitution for her support of the NDP position on abolishing the Senate. Dagenais was unapologetic for his insults and for his incorrect claim that Borg was wrong to note that the NDP supports abolition, both despite the fact that he himself was appointed to Senate after losing an election, and was the one who was wrong about NDP policy.[2] In response, Borg launched an official complaint against the Senator.[3]

On November 18, 2019, Dagenais announced that he was quitting the Conservative's Senate caucus to join the Canadian Senators Group due to disagreements with the leadership of Andrew Scheer, concerns over the former's social views and the "low importance" attached to Quebec voters by party leadership as the reasons for his defection.[4][5][6] However, he is keeping his individual membership to the Conservative Party itself.[5]

Jean-Guy Dagenais and Andrew Scheer in 2019.

In January 2021, Dagenais was in Florida overseeing "urgent work" on a property he owned, despite public health advice to avoid non-essential international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.[7]

In Senate, during debate on use of the Emergencies Act in response to the convoy protests, Dagenais suggested use of the Act was unjustified, claiming police didn't need its additional powers.[8] The blockade lasted from January 29 to February 20.[9]

Dagenais endorsed former Quebec premier Jean Charest in the 2022 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election. In September 2022, Dagenais left the Conservative party shortly after Pierre Poilievre was elected as leader, winning by huge margins, including in Quebec. Dagenais cited Poilievre's plan to fire Tiff Macklem, the Governor of the Bank of Canada as well as his support for the Canada convoy protest.[10]

Electoral record
2011 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
New DemocraticMarie-Claude Morin26,96352.4+38.4
Bloc QuébécoisÈve-Mary Thaï Thi Lac12,65124.6-22.7
ConservativeJean-Guy Dagenais8,10815.7-5.5
LiberalDenis Vallée2,7845.4-8.4
GreenJohany Beaudoin-Bussières9941.9-1.8
Total valid votes/Expense limit 51,500 100.0
Total rejected ballots 863 1.6–
Turnout 52,363 66.2–
Eligible voters 79,085 ––
New Democratic gain from Bloc Québécois Swing +30.55

References
  1. "Harper appoints 7 new senators". CBC News. January 6, 2012.
  2. "Tory senators blast NDP for advocating Senate abolition". CBC News. The Canadian Press. December 7, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  3. "NDP MP Charmaine Borg formally complains about 'misogynistic' attack from Tory senator". Macleans.ca. December 9, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  4. Tasker, John Paul (18 November 2019). "Two more senators defect to upstart group, one citing Scheer's leadership". CBC News. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  5. Gilmore, Rachel (November 18, 2019). "Senator leaves Conservative caucus citing Scheer's socially conservative views | CTV News". CTV News. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  6. "Tory Senator Ditches Caucus Over Scheer's Views On Abortion, Gay Marriage". HuffPost. November 18, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  7. Dickson, Janice (January 13, 2021). "Senators Tannas, Verner and Dagenais go to U.S. despite COVID-19 travel warnings". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  8. Tasker, John Paul (23 February 2022). "Conservative senator says 'friendly ... patriotic' Ottawa protesters have been demonized". CBC News. Toronto ON: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  9. Raymond, Ted (22 February 2022). "Ottawa police further reduce 'secure area' of downtown". CTV News Ottawa. Toronto ON: BellMedia. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  10. "Quebec senator already out of Tory caucus now quits party after Poilievre victory". The Globe and Mail. September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.


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