The Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn

Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec

Jonquière–Alma (Québec)

Jean-Pierre Blackburn was first elected to the House of Commons in 1984 and re-elected in 1988 as the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Jonquière.

During his two mandates, he worked on the reform of unemployment insurance and served on a number of parliamentary committees, including the Communications, Labour and Employment and Immigration committees and on the Beaudoin–Dobbie and Beaudoin–Edwards constitutional committees. He was also Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

He was sworn in on February 6, 2006 as a minister in Stephen Harper’s government.
Mr Blackburn has been successively a teacher, administrator and businessman. He taught computer science and introduction to business at the Montfort school in 1973.

From 1974 to 1984, he held the position of CEO of the Société d'initiatives et de développement des artères commerciales (SIDAC) in Chicoutimi. Prior to his return to politics, Mr Blackburn was president of a business development and public relations firm, established in Jonquière since 1996.

Mr Blackburn was born in Jonquière on July 6, 1948. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in regional studies and intervention from the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi.

He and his wife, Ginette Laforest, have two children, Marie-Christine and Charles.

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