Francine Lalonde

Francine Lalonde (August 24, 1940 – January 17, 2014) was a politician on the federal (Canada) and provincial (Quebec) levels. Prior to being elected she was a lecturer, teacher and unionist.

Francine Lalonde
Member of Parliament for La Pointe-de-l'Île
In office 2004–2011
Preceded by	Riding created
Succeeded by	Ève Péclet
Member of Parliament for Mercier
In office 1993–2004
Preceded by	Carole Jacques
Succeeded by	Riding Dissolved
Personal details
Born	(1940-08-24)August 24, 1940 Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
Died	January 17, 2014(2014-01-17) (aged 73) Quebec, Canada
Political party	Bloc Québécois
Residence	Montreal
Profession	Lecturer, Teacher, Unionist

She was minister responsible for the status of women in the Lévesque government from January 16, 1985 until June 5, 1985. She resigned following her defeat to Robert Bourassa in the by-election of June 3, 1985 in the electoral district of Bertrand, failing to win a seat in the National Assembly of Quebec.

She was a Bloc Québécois member of the House of Commons of Canada, representing the districts of La Pointe-de-l'Île from 2004 election to 2011, and Mercier from the 1993 election to 2004. She has in the past been the Bloc's critic of Human Resources Development and of Industry, and of Foreign Affairs.

In June 2005, Lalonde introduced in Parliament a private Bill C-407 that would have legalized assisted suicide in Canada. Re-elected in January 2006, she promised to reintroduce her bill to legalize assisted suicide.

On September 13, 2010, Lalonde announced she would not be a candidate for re-election following the expiration of her current mandate "because of the re-emergence of my cancer and the need to pursue new treatments".[1] She died of cancer on January 17, 2014.[2][3]