Buckley Belanger
Canadian politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harold "Buckley" Belanger (bell-ON-jay;[1] born March 21, 1960) is a Canadian politician who has been Secretary of State (Rural Development) since 2025. Belanger was elected to the House of Commons in the 2025 federal election and serves as the member of Parliament (MP) for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River in Saskatchewan. Belanger is of Métis descent and is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Buckley Belanger | |
|---|---|
Belanger in 2022 | |
| Secretary of State (Rural Development) | |
| Assumed office May 13, 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Mark Carney |
| Preceded by | Kody Blois |
| Member of Parliament for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River | |
| Assumed office April 28, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Gary Vidal |
| Member of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly for Athabasca | |
| In office June 21, 1995 – August 15, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Frederick John Thompson |
| Succeeded by | Jim Lemaigre |
| Mayor of Île-à-la-Crosse | |
| In office 1988–1994 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 21, 1960 Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Party | Liberal |
Other political affiliations | Saskatchewan New Democratic (1998–2021) Saskatchewan Liberal (until 1998) |
| Spouse | Rebecca Pederson |
| Occupation | Journalist |
Belanger previously served in provincial politics, as the member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Athabasca from 1995 to 2021. He was initially elected with the Saskatchewan Liberal Party before switching to the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1998.[2] In 2021, Belanger resigned as MLA to run federally as a Liberal in Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, but lost to Conservative Gary Vidal. He ran again and won in 2025, becoming the only Liberal MP from Saskatchewan (a predominantly Conservative province).[3]
Political career
Saskatchewan provincial politics
He was originally elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 1995 general election as a Liberal member. He left the party to join the NDP in 1998, recontesting his seat in a by-election in which he attained 93.64 per cent of the vote, the second highest margin of victory ever attained by an electoral candidate in the province.[citation needed] He was swiftly placed in the cabinet by then Premier Roy Romanow.[4] Belanger was re-elected in every provincial election to follow, most recently in the 2020 general election.
Belanger was a candidate in the 2001 Saskatchewan New Democratic Party leadership election, which was held after Roy Romanow announced his intention to resign as premier and party leader. He placed seventh, and Lorne Calvert was subsequently elected leader.
During his time as an MLA, Belanger served for almost a decade as a key member of the Roy Romanow and Lorne Calvert governments, including serving as minister for the Environment and Resource Management, associate minister for Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs, and minister of Northern Affairs.[5]
Prior to his election to the Saskatchewan legislature, Belanger served as mayor of Île-à-la-Crosse from 1988 to 1994 and worked as a journalist and administrator for MBC Radio. On August 15, 2021 he resigned from the legislature to run in the 2021 Canadian federal election, as a federal Liberal in Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River. He was defeated by Conservative candidate Gary Vidal.[6] He was subsequent elected to again serve as mayor of Île-à-la-Crosse in 2024.[7]
Federal politics
Belanger ran in the 2021 Canadian federal election, under the Liberal Party in Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River.
The federal Liberals again chose Belanger as their candidate in Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River ahead of the 2025 Canadian federal election.[8] On May 13, 2025, he was appointed Secretary of State (Rural Development).[9]
Personal life
Electoral history
Federal elections
| 2025 Canadian federal election: Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ** Preliminary results — Not yet official ** | ||||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Buckley Belanger | 5,876 | 65.09 | +18.74 | ||||
| Conservative | Jim Lemaigre | 2,301 | 25.49 | +1.92 | ||||
| New Democratic | Doug Racine | 850 | 9.42 | –14.60 | ||||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | ||||||||
| Total rejected ballots | ||||||||
| Turnout | 9,027 | 37.12 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 24,317 | |||||||
| Liberal notional hold | Swing | +8.41 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[12][13] | ||||||||
| 2021 Canadian federal election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Conservative | Gary Vidal | 10,036 | 48.8 | +6.5 | ||||
| Liberal | Buckley Belanger | 5,533 | 26.8 | +0.3 | ||||
| New Democratic | Harmonie King | 3,548 | 17.2 | -11.4 | ||||
| People's | Dezirae Reddekopp | 1,002 | 4.9 | +4.1 | ||||
| Independent | Stephen King | 240 | 1.2 | – | ||||
| Green | Nasser Dean Chalifoux | 215 | 1.0 | -1.0 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 20,574 | |||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 127 | 0.6 | -0.2 | |||||
| Turnout | 20,701 | 44.8 | -12.5 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 46,257 | |||||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +4.0 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[14][15] | ||||||||
Provincial elections
| 2020 Saskatchewan general election: Athabasca | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Buckley Belanger | 1,730 | 56.81 | -7.86 | ||||
| Saskatchewan | Kelly Kwan | 1,112 | 36.52 | +12.80 | ||||
| Green | Leroy Laliberte | 204 | 6.70 | +4.75 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 3,045 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 0.00 | – | ||||||
| Turnout | – | – | – | |||||
| Eligible voters | 9,053 | |||||||
| Source: Elections Saskatchewan, Global News | ||||||||
| 2016 Saskatchewan general election: Athabasca | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Buckley Belanger | 1,734 | 64.7% | – | ||||
| Saskatchewan | Philip Elliott | 625 | 23.3% | – | ||||
| Liberal | Michael Wolverine | 267 | 9.9% | – | ||||
| Green | Max C.D. Morin | 53 | 1.9% | – | ||||
| Total valid votes | – | 100.0 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | – | |||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | - | ||||||
| Source: Elections Saskatchewan,[16] Global News.[17] | ||||||||
| 2011 Saskatchewan general election: Athabasca | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Buckley Belanger | 1,867 | 63.79 | +4.38 | ||||
| Saskatchewan | Bobby Woods | 1,021 | 34.88 | +2.99 | ||||
| Green | George Durocher | 39 | 1.33 | –1.88 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 2,927 | 100.0 | ||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | +0.70 | ||||||
| 2007 Saskatchewan general election: Athabasca | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Buckley Belanger | 1,885 | 59.41 | –10.58 | ||||
| Saskatchewan | Phil Elliott | 1,012 | 31.89 | +8.54 | ||||
| Liberal | Malvina Iron | 174 | 5.48 | –0.54 | ||||
| Green | Sean Gilchrist | 102 | 3.21 | – | ||||
| Total valid votes | 3,173 | 100.0 | ||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | –9.56 | ||||||
| 2003 Saskatchewan general election: Athabasca | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Buckley Belanger | 2,407 | 69.99 | –14.39 | ||||
| Saskatchewan | Greg Ross | 803 | 23.35 | +20.80 | ||||
| Liberal | Philip Durocher | 207 | 6.02 | –7.05 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Sean Gilchrist | 22 | 0.64 | – | ||||
| Total valid votes | 3,439 | 100.0 | ||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | –17.60 | ||||||
| 1999 Saskatchewan general election: Athabasca | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Buckley Belanger | 2,512 | 84.38 | –9.26 | ||||
| Liberal | Allan Adam | 389 | 13.06 | +8.84 | ||||
| Saskatchewan | Bert Roach | 76 | 2.55 | +0.42 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 2,977 | 100.0 | ||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | –9.05 | ||||||
| Saskatchewan provincial by-election, 26 October 1998: Athabasca | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Buckley Belanger | 2,153 | 93.64 | +53.43 | ||||
| Liberal | Winston McKay | 97 | 4.21 | –41.37 | ||||
| Saskatchewan | Tyson Delorme | 49 | 2.13 | – | ||||
| Total valid votes | 2,299 | 100.0 | ||||||
| New Democratic gain from Liberal | Swing | +47.40 | ||||||
| 1995 Saskatchewan general election: Athabasca | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Buckley Belanger | 1,347 | 45.59 | +40.85 | ||||
| New Democratic | Frederick John Thompson | 1,188 | 40.21 | –43.58 | ||||
| Independent | Jimmy Montgrand | 390 | 13.20 | – | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Clay Poupart | 29 | 0.98 | –7.54 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 2,954 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Liberal gain from New Democratic | Swing | +42.22 | ||||||