Denis Lebel

Denis Lebel PC (born May 26, 1954) is a Canadian federal politician and former mayor of Roberval, Quebec and former Deputy Leader of the Federal Opposition. Lebel was born in Roberval, Quebec.

Lebel was elected to the House of Commons of Canada on September 17, 2007, in the Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean by-election, as a member of the Conservative Party. Four years later, it emerged that he had been an active member of the Bloc Quebecois from 1993 to 2001. Lebel stated that he joined the Conservatives because Prime Minister Stephen Harper recognized the Québécois nation, and maintains that he has always been a Quebec nationalist.

On October 30, 2008, he was appointed to Harper's cabinet as Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. After the 2011 election, Lebel was promoted to Minister of Transport. He was shuffled out of the post in July 2013, shortly after the Lac-Megantic train disaster.

He was also the Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and served as the Harper Government's Quebec lieutenant.

In the 2015 election, Lebel was re-elected in the new Lac-Saint-Jean riding.

After the election, he and fellow MP Michelle Rempel proposed to become joint interim leaders of the party but ultimately lost to Rona Ambrose.

On November 18, 2015 he was named Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party and thus Deputy Opposition Leader.

Lebel announced on June 19, 2017 that he will be stepping down as an MP in the following weeks, before the House of Commons resumes sitting in the fall.

The Montreal Gazette reported on June 20, 2017 that Lebel is to be appointed as the CEO of Québec Forest Industry Council. It has also been reported that Quebec Liberal Premier Philippe Couillard is interested in recruiting Lebel to run for the Liberals in the next Quebec general election, expected in 2018 but did not run.