Elected to the House of Commons for the first time in 2007, Denis Lebel was re-elected to his seat in the 2008 general election, at which time he was appointed Minister of State for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.

Re-elected to a third term in 2011, Mr. Lebel is now Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities as well as Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.

While proudly representing the citizens of the riding of Roberval–Lac-Saint-Jean, he has served on a number of parliamentary committees, as well as on the executive committees of the Canada-Europe and Canada-France parliamentary associations.

Minister Lebel has extensive experience in regional economic development. In addition to serving as Mayor of Roberval from 2000 to 2007, he was a member of the board of directors, executive board and forest committee of the Union des municipalités du Québec, chaired the Caucus des municipalités voisines des Premières Nations and sat on the board of directors of Infrastructure Québec.

Denis Lebel was also a member of the executive committee of the Conférence régionale des élus du Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean and chairman of Comité de transport de la région du Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, as well as serving as a member of the natural resources and transportation committees.

He has also held positions as president of the CLD du Domaine du Roy, vice-president of the Société d’aide au développement des collectivités Lac-Saint-Jean Ouest and chairman of the Association touristique régionale du Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean’s international marketing program. In addition, he served as vice-president of the Agence régionale de santé du Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean and a member of the air transport committee for the regions of Quebec.

Known as well for his many years of active involvement in the Traversée internationale du Lac-Saint-Jean, Minister Lebel intends to draw on his broad experience, attentive nature, open-mindedness and passion for regional economic development to ensure the regions of Quebec are able to carry out their entrepreneurial initiatives and to rise to their own unique challenges.

Denis Lebel and his wife, Danielle, have two children.