Monique Vézina

Monique Vézina, PC OQ (born July 13, 1935) is a former Canadian politician. She now works with a Non-governmental organization in the field of international development.

Vézina was born in Rimouski, Quebec. Prior to entering politics, she worked for numerous community agencies in the fields of education, family services and women's rights in the Lower Saint Lawrence River valley region of Quebec. In 1976, she became chair of the Federation of the Caisses Populaires Desjardins (a credit union organization) in her region, and joined the executive of the Quebec-wide Mouvement Desjardins. From 1978 to 1982, she served as a member of the Conseil supérieur de l’éducation and as Vice-President of the Régie de l’assurance automobile du Québec.

Vézina entered politics in the 1984 general election being elected as the Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament for Rimouski—Témiscouata. She was one of a number of Quebec nationalists recruited to the PC Party as part of the creation of a coalition that could win power. She was appointed to the first Cabinet of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney as Minister of External Relations (a junior portfolio to the Secretary of State for External Affairs), and as Minister responsible for La Francophonie. Her focus in Cabinet was in the field of international development.

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