Hon. Gilles LePage
- Minister of Environment and Climate Change
- Minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation
Gilles LePage was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick as the member for the new riding of Restigouche West in the September 22, 2014, provincial election. He was then re-elected in the September 24, 2018, September 14, 2020, and October 21, 2024, elections.
Before his appointment as a Cabinet minister in 2017, Mr. LePage held several important positions, including Chair of the Standing Committee on Economic Policy and Vice-Chair of the Legislative Instruments and Regulations Board, a Cabinet committee. He has also served as a member of several Legislative Assembly committees, including the Select Committee on Climate Change.
In 2017, he was appointed Minister of Labour, Employment and Population Growth. This new portfolio aimed to strengthen cooperation with the labour movement, workers, and employers and to retain youth, repatriate New Brunswick residents, and attract newcomers to the province. Following the 2018 election, Mr. LePage was appointed Acting Minister of Tourism, Heritage and Culture.
In 2024, Mr. LePage added the positions of Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation to his portfolio.
Born in Dalhousie in 1966, Mr. LePage graduated in 1984 from Aux quatre vents school in Dalhousie before furthering his education at the Université de Moncton. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing in 1989, followed by a certificate in municipal administration in 2008.
Involved in his community, Mr. LePage has had various roles such as trainer, executive director, and chef de mission for the Jeux de l’Acadie, an experience during which he met his wife, Johanne, with whom he has two daughters, Valérie and Myriam. Today, he is the proud grandfather of a wonderful granddaughter.
Before beginning his political career, Mr. LePage worked for 25 years in community and economic development, including heading up the Société des Jeux de l’Acadie before going to work for the Restigouche Regional Economic Development Commission as an economic development officer. He was the Executive Director of the Village of Balmoral, then director of sustainable development for the same municipality, as well as coordinator of the Restigouche East community action plan. He also had a career in the private sector as a dispatcher and personnel manager at Dynamic Transport.