Steven Blaney

Conservative MP and cabinet minister Steven Blaney was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec but grew up in Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce, a town of 10,000 just south of Quebec City. Blaney became a civil engineer, spending most of his time in the environmental and water purification sectors. In 1998 he ran as a candidate for the Action démocratique du Québec(ADQ) in the provincial elections. Blaney finished third but his resolve to enter political life was as strong as ever. In 2006, Blaney ran for the federal Conservatives and won, defeating the Bloc Québécois incumbent by nearly 10,000 votes. With the party's standings in Quebec diminished after the 2011 vote, Prime Minister Stephen Harper named Steven Blaney to his cabinet as the Minister of Veterans Affairs and most recently added the responsibilities of Minister for La Francophonie to his responsibilities. Steven Blaney is married to Marie Bouchard and together they have two children, Alexandra and William-Antoine. Catherine Clark spoke to Conservative MP and cabinet minister Steven Blaney about his life Beyond Politics.