Denis Ducharme

Denis Archie Ducharme ECA (born March 14, 1955, in Bonnyville, Alberta, Canada) is a former Albertan MLA. From April 6 until December 15, 2006, he also served as Minister of Community Development. He did not seek re-election in the 2008 election.

Political career

In 1986, Ducharme was elected to the Lakeland Catholic School Board. During his two terms with the board he served as a trustee, vice-chairman, and chairman.

He was first elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly on March 11, 1997, defeating Liberal incumbent Leo Vasseur in the new riding of Bonnyville-Cold Lake. He was re-elected to his second term on March 12, 2001, and to his third term on November 22, 2004. In addition to his duties as MLA, Ducharme has served as Government Caucus Whip, Chair of the Francophone Secretariat, co-chair of the Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI), Deputy Chairman of the Special Standing committee on Members’ Services, and Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee on Legislative Offices.

During his time in the Alberta Legislature, Ducharme sponsored four bills: Fair Trading Act; Maintenance Enforcement Amendment Act; Metis Settlements Statutes Amendment Act; and Fair Trading Amendment Act, 2000.

Personal life

Prior to being elected, he was involved with his family-owned Ford automotive dealership, Ducharme Motors Ltd., which has been operating in Bonnyville since 1959. He was involved in all aspects of dealership management and held a business interest in the operation from 1981 to 1994.

Ducharme and his wife, Rose, currently live in Bonnyville and have two adult children.

Ducharme is also one of the notable Franco-Albertans, in part due to the Bonnyville-Cold Lake area having a very large Francophone population in comparison to the rest of the province.

Election results

v t e 1997 Alberta general election: Bonnyville-Cold Lake
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%^[1]
	Progressive Conservative	Denis Ducharme	4,593	58.41%	+12.81%
	Liberal	Leo Vasseur	2,323	29.54%	-17.66%
	Social Credit	Robert Kratchmer	948	12.05%
Total			7,864
Rejected, spoiled and declined			11
Eligible electors / Turnout			16,185	48.66%	-6.54%
	Progressive Conservative notional gain from Liberal		Swing		+15.24%

v t e 2001 Alberta general election: Bonnyville-Cold Lake
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%^[2]
	Progressive Conservative	Denis Ducharme	5,641	70.65%	+12.24%
	Liberal	Ronald Young	1,755	21.98%	-7.56%
	New Democratic	Ellen Ulfsten	313	3.92%
	Independent	James Skretteberg	275	3.45%
Total			7,984
Rejected, spoiled and declined			44
Eligible electors / Turnout			16,688	48.11%	-0.55%
	Progressive Conservative hold		Swing		+9.90%

v t e 2004 Alberta general election: Bonnyville-Cold Lake
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%^[3]
	Progressive Conservative	Denis Ducharme	3,621	63.68%	-6.97%
	Alberta Alliance	Shane Gervais	973	17.11%
	Liberal	Lloyd Mildon	781	13.74%	-8.24%
	New Democratic	Denise Ogonoski	311	5.47%	1.55%
Total			5,686
Rejected, spoiled, and declined			42
Eligible electors / Turnout			17,704	32.35%	-15.76%
	Progressive Conservative hold		Swing		-12.04%

References

^ "1997 General Election". Elections Alberta. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
^ "2001 Statement of Official results Bonnyville-Cold Lake" (PDF). Elections Alberta. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
^ "Bonnyville-Cold Lake Statement of Official Results 2004 Alberta general election" (PDF). Elections Alberta. Retrieved March 7, 2010.

External links

Denis Ducharme is made Minister of Community Development

Cabinet post (1)
Alberta provincial government of Ralph Klein
Predecessor	Office	Successor
Gary Mar	Minister of Community Development 2006	'None (Post Abolished)'
Other offices
Preceded by New District	MLA Bonnyville-Cold Lake 1997–2008	Succeeded by Genia Leskiw

[1997_official-1] "1997 General Election". Elections Alberta. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2012.

[2001_results-2] "2001 Statement of Official results Bonnyville-Cold Lake" (PDF). Elections Alberta. Retrieved March 3, 2010.

[2004_official-3] "Bonnyville-Cold Lake Statement of Official Results 2004 Alberta general election" (PDF). Elections Alberta. Retrieved March 7, 2010.

[1]

[2]

[3]