Glenn Thibeault MP
Incumbent
Assumed office 2008
Preceded by	Diane Marleau
Constituency	Sudbury
Personal details
Born	(1969-10-23) October 23, 1969 (age 42) Sudbury, Ontario
Political party	New Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Yolanda Thibeault
Profession	journalist, executive director

Glenn Thibeault (born October 23, 1969) is a Canadian politician. Since 2008, he has represented the Ontario electoral district of Sudbury in the Canadian House of Commons. He is a member of the New Democratic Party, and was the first non-Liberal candidate to win a federal election in Sudbury since Bud Germa in 1967.

Early life and career[link]

Thibeault was born in Sudbury, and was a newscaster and reporter at local stations CIGM and CJRQ during the 1990s. He later graduated from the developmental services worker program at Cambrian College, and was hired as a behavioural consultant for the West Vancouver School Board in British Columbia. He worked for five years as coordinator at the Mainstream Association for Pro-Active Community Living in Vancouver, and returned to Sudbury in 2003 to become campaign director of the United Way of Sudbury and District.^[1] In June 2005, he was promoted to executive director.^[2] The United Way held several successful campaigns in this period, increasing its total from $1.3 million in 2003 to $2.3 million in 2007.^[3]

Member of Parliament[link]

Thibeault won the New Democratic Party's Sudbury nomination in September 2008, after the resignation of previously nominated candidate Gerry McIntaggart and the withdrawal of Dave Battaino from the contest.^[4] He received endorsements from the Sudbury Star newspaper, the Sudbury and District Labour Council and United Steelworkers of America Local 2020, and won an upset victory over six-term Liberal Party incumbent Diane Marleau.^[5]

The Conservative Party won a minority government in this election, and Thibeault entered parliament as a member of the opposition. He was appointed as his party's critic for consumer protection and amateur sport in late November 2008.^[6] Along with other New Democratic Party MPs, he later called for an investigation into the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's handling of tainted milk that was sold in Sudbury and other parts of Ontario.^[7] Thibeault supported a planned coalition government of Liberals and New Democrats in late 2008, and wrote an editorial describing Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper as a "coward" for proroguing parliament when it appeared his government would be defeated by the coalition in a motion of non-confidence.^[8] The coalition was abandoned when Michael Ignatieff became Liberal Party leader, and decided to support the Conservative government's January 2009 budget.

Thibeault called on the federal government to regulate interest rates and fees on credit cards and debit cards in March 2009, describing existing rates as "out of control" and a hindrance to consumers and businesses during an economic downturn.^[9] Finance Minister Jim Flaherty later announced that his government would launch an education campaign and provide for increased disclosure on credit-card statements, but would not regulate rates. Thibeault described this as "disappointing".^[10] On June 18, 2010, Thibeault introduced a private member's bill to cap annual interest rates on credit cards to no more than five per cent above the current Bank of Canada target for overnight rates.^[11]

Thibeault also introduced a private member's bill in April 2009 to ensure the cost of Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) and Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) for autistic persons is provided by health insurance programs in every province.^[12] He later introduced another private bill to have the third Saturday in June recognized as Emergency Services Appreciation Day in Canada.^[13]

Thibeault stood with striking workers from Vale Inco in the summer of 2009, and criticized Industry Minister Tony Clement's announcement that the federal government would not intervene to stop job and production cuts in Sudbury.^[14] He called for Clement's resignation after the minister stated that Vale had "saved Sudbury" from becoming a "Valley of Death" by purchasing Inco in 2006.^[15] He also protested cuts to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Northern Ontario radio services in this period.^[16]

Thibeault, as the New Democrat critic for Sport, has been instrumental in raising national awareness about the very serious increase of violence in amateur sport and the ongoing concussion epidemic plaguing amateur hockey. He called for a Royal Commission to study violence in sports in February 2010;^[17] his call has been echoed by others, including Jaime Watt, a conservative strategist.^[18] In February 2011, Thibeault introduced Bill C-616, calling for a national strategy to reduce the incidence of serious injury in amateur sport.^[19]

He was successfully re-elected in the 2011 election.

Provincial politics[link]

Thibeault supported Gilles Bisson's bid to lead the Ontario New Democratic Party at its 2009 leadership convention.^[20]

Electoral record[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Glenn Thibeault personal website
• New Democratic Party biography
• Glenn Thibeault - Parliament of Canada biography

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