TORONTO- Harper appointed the high-profile veteran New Brunswick MP Bernard Valcourt to run the difficult aboriginal affairs portfolio on Friday.
Valcourt previously served as a minister in the Conservative governments of Brian Mulroney and Kim Campbell from 1984 to 1993 before losing his seat in a landslide Liberal victory.
During his time in cabinet, Valcourt was in a serious motorcycle accident and was found to be impaired at the time. As a result of the accident, he lost both sight in his right eye and his cabinet seat.
Valcourt was welcomed back seven months later to finish his term as Minister of Employment and Immigration.
He won a seat in the legislative assembly of New Brunswick and was elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party. The party lagged under his leadership with six seats, while Liberal Frank McKenna reigned with 48.
Valcourt’s return to federal politics after an 18-year absence marked a coup for Harper’s Tories when he scooped up the Madawaska-Restigouche riding, a seat that had been held by the Liberals for over ten years.
Before being handed the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development post, Valcourt served a short stint as Minister of Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, replacing Keith Ashfield, who went on to fisheries.
He has held several other portfolios including Minister of Science and Technology, Minister of Small Businesses and Tourism, Minister Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs and Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.
Valcourt was a practicing lawyer in Edmundston, NB, before he was first elected to Parliament.
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