Michelle Courchesne (born May 6, 1953, inTrois-Rivières, Quebec) is a formerDeputy Premier of Quebec. A member of theQuebec Liberal Party, she was theNational Assembly Member for the riding ofFabre inLaval, Quebec. She is also the former President of the Treasury Board, Minister responsible for the Laval region,Minister of Education and Deputy Premier of Quebec. She is a former Minister of Family, Immigration, Employment andSocial Solidarity.

Courchesne attendedCollège Jean-de-Brébeuf before going to theUniversité de Montréal and obtained abachelor's degree insociology and a master's degree inurban development. She would become anurbanist from 1976 to 1981 before being elected to theCity Council of Laval. She would also work at the Ministry of Culture and Communications as aDeputy Minister before being a member of the Board of Directors of theNational Bank of Canada,Radio-Canada, the National Theater School of Canada and the Quebec Mental Health Foundation. She was then the director of theMontreal Symphony Orchestra and a vice-president for Marketel and Cognicase.

Courchesne entered politics in2003, where she was elected as the MNA for Fabre while the Liberals regained power after nine years of governing by theParti Québécois. She was named byJean Charest in the Cabinet as the Minister responsible for the relations with the Citizens and Immigration and was then promoted to Employment and Social Solidarity following aCabinet shuffle in 2005 where she took the position occupied byClaude Béchard.

Following the2007 elections, she was re-elected in a Liberalminority government, and named the Minister of Education, Leisure and Sports as well Minister of Family.

Following the 2008 election, she kept most of the portfolios but gave up the Ministry of Family toLaFontaine MNATony Tomassi. Courchesne lost the Education portfolio to former Environment MinisterLine Beauchamp in a 2010 cabinet shuffle and became President of the Treasury Board. She regained the Education Minister position, as well as becoming Deputy Premier of Quebec, on May 14, 2012, following Beauchamp's resignation during the ongoingstudent protests over tuition hikes.

She retired at the 2012 election.

• "Biography".Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French).National Assembly of Quebec.

• 1951 births
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• Members of the Executive Council of Quebec
• Politicians from Laval, Quebec
• People from Trois-Rivières
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• Women MNAs in Quebec
• Deputy premiers of Quebec
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