Buckley Belanger

Canadian politician

Buckley Belanger

Member of Parliament
for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River

Incumbent

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|  (1960-03-21) March 21, 1960 (age 65)
Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan, Canada
Political party| Liberal Party of Canada
Other political
affiliations| Saskatchewan NDP (1998–2021)
Liberal Party of Saskatchewan (until 1998)
Spouse| Rebecca Pederson
Residence(s)| Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan
Occupation| Journalist

Harold "Buckley" Belanger MP (born March 21, 1960) is a Canadian politician of Métis descent who has represented Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River in the House of Commons of Canada since 2025. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Saskatchewan’s Athabasca constituency from 1995 to 2021, initially elected as a Liberal before switching to the New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1998.[1] 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 in 2025 and won, becoming the only Liberal MP from Saskatchewan in a predominantly Conservative province, projected to secure over 65% of the vote.[2] He is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.

## Career

[edit]

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] Belanger has been re-elected in every election since then, most recently in the 2020 general election, in which he was re-elected with a majority of 618.

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.

Prior to his election to the legislature, Belanger served as mayor of Île-à-la-Crosse, 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 the riding of Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River. He was defeated by Conservative candidate Gary Vidal.[3] The federal Liberals again chose Belanger as their candidate in Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River ahead of the 2025 Canadian federal election.[4]

## Personal life

[edit]

Belanger is Métis.[5]

## Electoral history

[edit]

* v
* t
* e

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[6][7]
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[8][9]

### 2020 Saskatchewan general election

[edit]

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

[edit]

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,[10] Global News.[11]

### 2011 Saskatchewan general election

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

### 1998 Athabasca by-election

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan | Details". esask.uregina.ca.
2. ^ "Buckley Belanger sole Sask. Liberal in sea of blue".
3. ^ "NDP MLA Buckley Belanger resigns from legislature to seek federal Liberal nomination". thestarphoenix. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
4. ^ "ACCLAMATION NOTICE – Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River | Liberal Party of Canada". liberal.ca. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
5. ^ Sanders, Leanne (April 23, 2025). "3 Indigenous candidates, 3 different parties and why they think voters should choose them". Retrieved April 29, 2025.
6. ^ "Voter information service". Elections Canada. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
7. ^ "Election Night Results - Electoral Districts". Elections Canada. 29 April 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
8. ^ "List of confirmed candidates – September 20, 2021 Federal Election". Elections Canada. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
9. ^ "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
10. ^ "Register of Official Candidates by Constituency - March 19 - FINAL" (PDF). Elections Saskatchewan. 19 March 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
11. ^ "Saskatchewan election results 2016: NDP wins Athabasca riding". Global News. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.

## External links

[edit]

* Buckley Belanger Archived 2016-04-26 at the Wayback Machine \- Saskatchewan New Democrat caucus website

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Roy Romanow

* Doug Anguish
* Pat Atkinson
* Chris Axworthy
* Buckley Belanger
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* Keith Goulet
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Lorne Calvert

* Graham Addley
* Pat Atkinson
* Chris Axworthy
* Joan Beatty
* Buckley Belanger
* Lon Borgerson
* Eric Cline
* Joanne Crofford
* David Forbes
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* Doreen Hamilton
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* Deb Higgins
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