Pascale St-Onge {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC}} ({{IPA|fr|paskal sɛ̃t‿ɔ̃ʒ}} ; born May 13, 1977) is a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Brome—Missisquoi in the House of Commons of Canada from 2021 Canadian federal election until 2025. She served as the Minister of Canadian Heritage from 2023 to 2025 and Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec from February to March 2025. She also held the latter position from 2021 to 2023, when she was also Minister of Sport from 2021 to 2023. Her appointment to cabinet in 2021 made her the first openly lesbian Canadian cabinet minister. In February 2025, St-Onge announced that she would not run in that year's federal election.

Before entering politics, she was president of the {{interlanguage link|Fédération nationale des communications et de la culture|fr}}, Quebec's largest media union as well as a bassist in an all-lesbian alternative rock band, Mad June.

Early life and career

St-Onge was born on May 13, 1977,{{Cite Instagram |postid=C662W9Jgjf9 |user=pascale.stonge |title=Les équipes de Patrimoine et de Brome—Missisquoi prennent le contrôle pour te souhaiter un joyeux anniversaire, Pascale ! 🎂💕Tu nous inspires toujours et tu nous encourages à faire les choses différemment pour mieux répondre aux besoins des gens. C'est un vrai plaisir de travailler avec toi. On te souhaite une merveilleuse journée, Ton équipe.—Teams Heritage and Brome—Missisquoi taking over to wish you a happy birthday, Pascale! 🎂💕You inspire us every day — always encouraging and pushing us to do things differently to better deliver for Canadians. It's a real pleasure to work with you. Wishing you a wonderful day, Your team.|first=Pascale |last=St-Onge |author=Pascale St-Onge |date=May 13, 2024}} and grew up in the Montreal suburb of Saint-Eustache, Quebec. She was a competitive swimmer in her youth and played volleyball in college and university. She graduated from the Université du Québec à Montréal in literary studies. St. Onge also obtained a certificate in journalism from the Université de Montréal, and worked for La Presse in sales after graduation.{{Cite news |last=Lévesque |first=Catherine |date=July 27, 2023 |title=From alt rocker to Cancon regulator: Pascale St-Onge steps up |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/pascale-st-onge-canada-digital-rights |access-date=January 14, 2025 |work=National Post}}

In the early 2010s, St. Onge was the bassist, backup vocalist,{{Cite news |last=Woolf |first=Marie |date=May 31, 2024 |title=Bryan Adams weighs into debate on what should count as a Canadian song |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-bryan-adams-weighs-into-debate-on-what-should-count-as-a-canadian-song |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240601021614/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-bryan-adams-weighs-into-debate-on-what-should-count-as-a-canadian-song/ |archive-date=June 1, 2024 |access-date=January 18, 2025 |work=The Globe and Mail}} and manager of an all-lesbian alternative rock quartet from Montreal called Mad June. She learned to play bass after deciding to form the group with her bandmates. She learned using a second-hand bass from her then-girlfriend, the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the band. In 2010, the band played at Montebello Rock; the Boston finale of the Lilith Fair, where they were hugged on-stage by fellow Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan; and were selected to appear at the Canadian Music Week.{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Deanne |date=October 3, 2010 |title='Baby steps' and growing success for Montreal rock quartet Mad June |url=https://xtramagazine.com/culture/baby-steps-and-growing-success-for-montreal-rock-quartet-mad-june-34565 |access-date=January 15, 2025 |work=Xtra Magazine}} The band produced three singles before dissolving in 2015.{{Cite AV media |url=https://ici.radio-canada.ca/ohdio/premiere/emissions/tout-peut-arriver/segments/rattrapage/1785049/pascale-st-onge-ministre-patrimoine-canadien-crise-medias |title=Pascale St-Onge, la ministre qui tente d'endiguer la crise des médias |date=June 15, 2024 |last=Arsenault |first=Marie-Louise |author-link=Marie-Louise Arsenault |type=Radio broadcast |language=fr |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |trans-title=Pascale St-Onge, the minister trying to stem the media crisis}}

By the end of 2015, St-Onge was elected president of the {{interlanguage link|Fédération nationale des communications et de la culture|fr}} (FNCC-CSN), Quebec's largest media and cultural industry association. In that role, she was critical of then-Minister of Canadian Heritage and future cabinet colleague Mélanie Joly for granting an exemption to Netflix from Canadian taxes and called for more government support of media. By the 2019 federal election, St. Onge collaborated with Joly to bring most political parties to support such tax changes, which led to the later Online News Act.

Political career

In the lead up to the September 20, 2021, federal election, Joly, the national campaign co-chair for the Liberal Party, recruited St. Onge, whose term at FNCC was ending. St. Onge won by less than 200 votes in Brome—Missisquoi, a riding in Quebec's Eastern Townships.{{Cite web |last=Pirro |first=Raphael |date=September 23, 2021 |title=La libérale Pascale St-Onge élue dans Brome-Missisquoi |url=http://www.journaldequebec.com/2021/09/23/la-liberale-pascale-st-onge-elue-dans-brome-missisquoi |access-date=September 23, 2021 |language=fr-CA |newspaper=Le Journal de Québec}} The count was subject to a judicial recount requested by the Bloc Québécois candidate after St. Onge won three days after election night on the strength of mail-in ballots. After approximately 60 irregularities were resolved without issue, the Bloc then conceded and ended the recount process on October 13, 2021.{{Cite news |date=October 13, 2021 |title=Liberal win confirmed in Brome-Missisquoi riding after Bloc Québécois concedes |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/brome-missisquoi-riding-liberal-riding-recount-1.6210182 |access-date=January 14, 2025 |work=CBC News}}

= Minister of Sport =

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed St. Onge Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec in November 2021, making her Canada's first openly lesbian cabinet minister.Rachel Aiello, [https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/pascale-st-onge-making-history-as-the-first-out-lesbian-federal-cabinet-minister-1.5652368 "Pascale St-Onge making history as the first out lesbian federal cabinet minister"]. CTV News, November 4, 2021.

On June 12, 2022, St. Onge launched the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) as an independent investigative and complaints body for national sports organizations, who were required to sign on by April 2023 or lose federal funding. OSIC received $16 million over three years to fund its launch and operations.{{Cite news |date=June 12, 2022 |title=Minister St-Onge announces creation of Sport Canada athletes commission |url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/olympics/article/minister-st-onge-announces-creation-of-sport-canada-athletes-commission/ |access-date=January 14, 2025 |work=Sportsnet |agency=The Canadian Press}}{{Cite news |last1=Ward |first1=Lori |last2=Strashin |first2=Jamie |date=February 17, 2023 |title=Federal, provincial sports ministers to discuss safe sport solutions at meetings in P.E.I. |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/shattered-trust-canada-safe-sport-meeting-pei-1.6751185 |access-date=January 14, 2025 |work=CBC Sports}} St. Onge also called for Canadian national sport organizations to stop using non-disclosure agreements.{{Cite news |last=Ewing |first=Lori |date=November 15, 2022 |title=Rules around NDAs found to complicate safe-sport reporting in Canada |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/nda-complicate-safe-sport-reporting-in-canada-1.6652732 |access-date=January 14, 2025 |work=CBC Sports |agency=The Canadian Press}}

The same month, in response to the Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal, St-Onge called for a forensic audit into whether taxpayer funding was used to pay out sexual assault settlements.{{Cite web |title=What to know ahead of this week's Hockey Canada hearings |url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/juniors/what-to-know-ahead-of-this-weeks-hockey-canada-hearings/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809032133/https://www.sportsnet.ca/juniors/what-to-know-ahead-of-this-weeks-hockey-canada-hearings/ |archive-date=August 9, 2022 |access-date=August 9, 2022 |website=Sportsnet.ca |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Mosleh |first=Omar |date=July 22, 2022 |title=The Hockey Canada scandal: What we know, and don't know, about the two sexual-assault incidents |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/07/22/the-hockey-canada-scandal-what-we-know-and-dont-know-about-the-two-sexual-assault-incidents.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815040841/https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/07/22/the-hockey-canada-scandal-what-we-know-and-dont-know-about-the-two-sexual-assault-incidents.html |archive-date=August 15, 2022 |access-date=August 15, 2022 |website=thestar.com |language=en}} The following month, St-Onge also paused federal funding to Hockey Canada until it explained its response to the 2018 allegations. After further revelations about sexual assault allegations, she called for Hockey Canada leadership to step down in August 2022.{{Cite news |last=Burke |first=Ashley |date=August 27, 2022 |title=Sport minister calls for 'change' at Hockey Canada as calls for resignations mount |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/hockey-canada-st-onge-sport-minister-denounces-1.6562648 |access-date=January 14, 2025 |work=CBC News}}

St. Onge refused to attend the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, citing the country's poor LGBTQ rights record as well as abuses of migrant workers.{{Cite news |last=Rana |first=Abbas |date=December 4, 2022 |title=Sport Minister St-Onge refused to go to Qatar for FIFA World Cup to show solidarity with LGBTQ community and migrant workers, say Liberal sources |url=https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2022/12/04/sport-minister-st-onge-refused-to-go-to-qatar-for-fifa-world-cup-to-show-solidarity-with-the-lgbtq-community-and-migrant-workers-say-liberal-sources/357797/#:~:text=Sport%20Minister%20Pascale%20St%2DOnge%2C%20who%20made%20Canadian%20history%20as,against%20migrant%20workers%20in%20the |access-date=January 14, 2025 |work=The Hill Times}} On December 12, 2022, St. Onge announced $2.4 million in mental health funding for Canadian athletes.{{Cite news |last=Spencer |first=Donna |date=December 12, 2022 |title=Federal government commits $2.4 million in crisis money to athletes' mental health |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/federal-government-canada-commits-funding-athletes-mental-health-1.6683473 |access-date=January 14, 2025 |work=CBC Sports}}

In February 2023, St. Onge organized a ministerial conference with provincial counterparts on the safe sport crisis in Charlottetown, P.E.I. during the Canada Games and urged provinces to either join OSIC or set up their own analogous organizations. In May 2023 she announced reforms to address the safe sport crisis in Canada, which included the Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal.{{Cite web|url=https://nationalpost.com/pmn/sports-pmn/canadas-sport-minister-pascale-st-onge-unveils-slate-of-safe-sport-reforms|title=Demands continue for inquiry as Canada's sport minister unveils safe sport reforms|website=nationalpost}}

= Minister of Canadian Heritage =

St. Onge was appointed Minister of Canadian Heritage in July 2023. In this role, she was in charge of implementing the rollout of the Online News Act, which required large internet corporations to pay Canadian news outlets for posts using their coverage. Corporations such as Meta Platforms and Google had threatened to block access to news on their platforms to avoid regulation.{{Cite news |last=Woolf |first=Marie |date=July 27, 2023 |title=New Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge says she will stand ground against Facebook, Google on Bill C-18 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-new-heritage-minister-says-she-will-stand-ground-against-facebook/ |access-date=January 14, 2025 |work=The Globe and Mail}} Google would subsequently sign a deal with the government paying news outlets $100 million per year to avoid regulation under the Online News Act.{{Cite news |date=February 8, 2024 |title=Local news cuts at Bell come after it was granted $40M in regulatory relief: St-Onge |url=https://www.timescolonist.com/national-business/local-news-cuts-at-bell-come-after-it-was-granted-40m-in-regulatory-relief-st-onge-8277989 |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=Times Colonist}}

In February 2024, St. Onge criticized Bell Media for a round of layoffs in local journalism positions and selling 45 of its 113 regional radio stations despite the end of certain licensing fees meant that it would gain $40 million in regulatory relief per year.

In March 2024, St. Onge announced that the Local Journalism Initiative would be expended until 2027 with a cost of $58.8 million.{{Cite news |date=March 1, 2024 |title=Federal government pledges $58.8M to continue local journalism program to 2027 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/local-journalism-initiative-funding-1.7131672 |access-date=January 14, 2025 |work=CBC News |agency=The Canadian Press}} At the Juno Awards later that month, St. Onge announced a $32 million increase over two years to the Canada Music Fund, which awards grants via FACTOR and Musicaction for English and French artists respectively. The amount was short of the $60 million that various industry associations had requested.{{Cite news |last=Decter |first=Rosie Long |date=March 25, 2024 |title='A Good Start': Canadian Government Announces $32 Million Boost to Canada Music Fund |url=https://ca.billboard.com/business/business-news/canada-music-fund-increase |access-date=January 14, 2025 |work=Billboard Canada}}

In May 2024, St. Onge set up an expert commission to provide recommendations on how to modernize the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). In October 2024, St. Onge named Marie-Philippe Bouchard as the new CEO of the CBC, succeeding Catherine Tait.{{Cite news |date=October 22, 2024 |title=Veteran Quebec TV exec Marie-Philippe Bouchard named new CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cbc-new-ceo-bouchard-1.7359375 |access-date=January 14, 2025 |work=CBC News |agency=The Canadian Press}} On February 20, 2025, St. Onge released a revised mandate roadmap for the CBC, including banning advertisements during news programs and subscription fees for digital services; bringing funding levels up from being only being ahead of the United States to be more comparable to average G7 public broadcaster levels, which is about double the current funding levels at $33 per year per capita; and enshrining impartiality in the CBC's mandate.{{Cite news |last=Karadeglija |first=Anja |date=February 20, 2025 |title=Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge proposes banning ads from CBC news programming |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-heritage-minister-pascale-st-onge-proposes-banning-ads-from-cbc-news/ |access-date=February 20, 2025 |work=The Globe and Mail |agency=The Canadian Press}}

Also in February 2025, upon the resignation of Soraya Martinez Ferrada to run for municipal office, St. Onge took on her roles as Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.{{Cite news |last=Baxter |first=David |date=February 6, 2025 |title=Tourism minister steps down, announces run for Montreal municipal party leadership |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/martinez-ferrada-montreal-municipal-politics-1.7452052 |access-date=February 6, 2025 |work=CBC News |agency=The Canadian Press}} She also announced that she would not run in the 2025 federal election to spend time with her newborn child.

Personal life

St. Onge is a lesbian and married her wife in summer 2005 after Prime Minister Paul Martin's government legalized same-sex marriage in Canada via the Civil Marriage Act. In November 2024, St. Onge took parental leave as her wife gave birth and continued to work and vote remotely.{{Cite news |last=Saba |first=Michael |date=September 28, 2024 |title=Openly lesbian cabinet minister to make history with parental leave |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/10784236/minister-pascale-st-onge-parental-leave/ |access-date=January 14, 2025 |work=Global News}} She has lived in Orford, Quebec since 2018.{{cite news |last=Morin-Martel |first=Florence |date=July 17, 2021 |title=La leader syndicale Pascale St-Onge se joint aux libéraux fédéraux |url=http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/politique/2021-07-17/la-leader-syndicale-pascale-st-onge-se-joint-aux-liberaux-federaux.php |access-date=October 21, 2021 |newspaper=La Presse |language=fr-ca}}