Hélène David

Hélène David is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in the 2014 provincial election. She represents the electoral district of Outremont as a member of the Quebec Liberal Party, and appointed as the Minister of Culture and Communications and Minister Responsible for the Protection and Promotion of the French Language. David was born, raised and educated in Outremont. She holds a PhD in clinical psychology from the Université de Montréal, and since 1984 she has been an instructor in psychopathology and women's and maternal issues, member of various university committees, overseer of psychology graduate programs, deputy director of the Department of Psychology, and vice-rector of academic affairs, international relations, and the Francophonie at the university. From 2008 to 2010 she was assistant deputy minister for higher education in the Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sports under then-Premier Jean Charest. She received the Simone Chouinard Award from the Montreal Heart Institute Research Centre, and the International Cesare Sacerdoti Award from the International Psychoanalytical Association. She has been a member of the Quebec College of Psychologists since 1977, and served for many years on the board of the Montreal Heart Institute. She is the younger sister of Françoise David, a member of the National Assembly for the Québec solidaire party. When asked about her sister, she said that the two have "known for a long time that we’re not necessarily from the same political family." Hélène David is a federalist, while her sister is a sovereigntist. However, Hélène shares her sister's staunch feminism; she considers herself "allergic to all domination of women by men." Her other siblings include Pierre David, a film producer, and Charles-Philippe David, a political science professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Her father is Paul David, a former cardiologist and PC Senator under former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Since February 22, 2016 she has been Minister of Higher Education.