Diane Marleau

The Honourable Diane Marleau PC
Member of the Canadian House of Commons for Sudbury
In office December 12, 1988 – September 7, 2008
Preceded by	Doug Frith
Succeeded by	Glenn Thibeault
Minister for International Cooperation in the Government of Canada
In office June 11, 1997 – August 2, 1999
Preceded by	Don Boudria
Succeeded by	Maria Minna
Minister responsible for La Francophonie in the Government of Canada
In office June 11, 1997 – August 2, 1999
Preceded by	Don Boudria
Succeeded by	Ron Duhamel
Minister of Public Works and Government Services in the Government of Canada
In office July 12, 1996 – June 10, 1997
Preceded by	legislation enacted
Succeeded by	Alfonso Gagliano
Minister of Public Works in the Government of Canada
In office January 25, 1996 – July 11, 1996
Preceded by	David Dingwall
Succeeded by	legislation enacted
Minister of Supply and Services in the Government of Canada
In office January 25, 1996 – July 11, 1996
Preceded by	David Dingwall
Succeeded by	legislation enacted
Minister of National Health and Welfare in the Government of Canada
In office November 4, 1993 – January 24, 1996
Preceded by	Mary Collins
Succeeded by	David Dingwall
Minister of Amateur Sport in the Government of Canada
In office November 4, 1993 – January 24, 1996
Preceded by	Mary Collins
Succeeded by	David Dingwall
Parliamentary secretary to the President of the Treasury Board in the Government of Canada
In office July 20, 2004 – February 5, 2006
Preceded by	Joe Jordan
Succeeded by	Pierre Poilievre
Parliamentary secretary to the Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board in the Government of Canada
In office July 20, 2004 – February 5, 2006
Preceded by	position created
Succeeded by	David L. Anderson
Member of the Sudbury City Council and the Regional Municipality of Sudbury Council
In office 1980–1985
Personal details
Born	Diane Paulette Lebel (1943-06-21)June 21, 1943 Kirkland Lake, Ontario
Died	January 30, 2013(2013-01-30) (aged 69) Sudbury, Ontario
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Paul Marleau
Residence	Sudbury, Ontario
Profession	accountant

Diane Marleau, PC, MP (June 21, 1943 – January 30, 2013) was a Canadian politician. She represented the riding of Sudbury in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 2008, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Jean Chrétien. Marleau was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.

She was married to Paul Marleau, a prominent businessman in Sudbury who ran for mayor of the city in the 2003 municipal election.

Marleau was born Diane Paulette Lebel in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, one of three children raised by a single mother in a low-income household. She was a childhood friend of Marie-Paule Charette, who later became a Senator and president of the Liberal Party.

She studied Commerce at the University of Ottawa, but left after three years when she married fellow student Paul Marleau, with whom she had three children: Brigitte, Donald and Stéphane, and moved to Sudbury. She worked as the secretary to a medical doctor for five years, prior to the introduction of Medicare. She later said that this experience made her realize the importance of a publicly funded health system, saying "I was the one who had to collect the bills. It gave me an understanding of what it means when people are obliged to pay to see a doctor."

Marleau returned to Laurentian University as a mature student, and completed a Bachelor's Degree in Economics (1976). She worked as an accountant, managed an office for a firm of chartered accountants (Thorne and Riddell and then with Collins, Barrow-Maheux Noiseux), and operated a restaurant she co-owned with her husband. She also served on the boards of Laurentian University and Laurentian Hospital. Marleau worked on Judy Erola's campaign in the 1980 federal election, and later credited Erola as a role model for her own career in public life.

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