Dominic LeBlanc

Dominic A. LeBlanc PC KC MP (born December 14, 1967) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who serves as Minister of International Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs. He has been the minister of international trade since March 2025 and minister of intergovernmental affairs since August 2020. A member of the Liberal Party, LeBlanc is the member of Parliament (MP) for Beauséjour since 2000. He has held a number of Cabinet portfolios throughout his tenure in government.

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc PC KC MP
LeBlanc in 2023
Minister of International Trade[a]
Incumbent
Assumed office March 14, 2025
Prime Minister	Mark Carney
Preceded by	Mary Ng
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs[b]
Incumbent
Assumed office August 18, 2020
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau Mark Carney
Preceded by	Chrystia Freeland
In office July 18, 2018 – November 20, 2019
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Justin Trudeau
Succeeded by	Chrystia Freeland
President of the King's Privy Council for Canada[c]
Incumbent
Assumed office March 14, 2025
Prime Minister	Mark Carney
Preceded by	Harjit Sajjan
In office July 18, 2018 – October 26, 2021
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Karina Gould
Succeeded by	Bill Blair
Other offices held Minister of Finance[d] In office December 16, 2024 – March 14, 2025 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Preceded by Chrystia Freeland Succeeded by François-Philippe Champagne Minister of Public Safety[e] In office July 26, 2023 – December 20, 2024 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Preceded by Marco Mendicino Succeeded by David McGuinty Minister of Democratic Institutions[f] In office July 26, 2023 – December 20, 2024 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Preceded by Karina Gould (2019) Succeeded by Ruby Sahota Minister of Infrastructure and Communities[g] In office October 26, 2021 – July 26, 2023 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Preceded by Catherine McKenna Succeeded by Sean Fraser Minister of Northern Affairs[h] In office July 18, 2018 – November 20, 2019 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Preceded by Carolyn Bennett Succeeded by Dan Vandal Minister for Internal Trade[i] In office July 18, 2018 – November 20, 2019 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Preceded by Mauril Bélanger (2006) Succeeded by Anita Anand (2024) Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard In office May 31, 2016 – July 18, 2018 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Preceded by Hunter Tootoo Succeeded by Jonathan Wilkinson Leader of the Government in the House of Commons In office November 4, 2015 – August 19, 2016 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Preceded by Peter Van Loan Succeeded by Bardish Chagger
Member of Parliament for Beauséjour
Incumbent
Assumed office November 27, 2000
Preceded by	Angela Vautour
Personal details
Born	Dominic A. LeBlanc (1967-12-14) December 14, 1967 (age 57) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Jolène Richard
Parent	Roméo LeBlanc[1]
Residence(s)	Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
Education	Lisgar Collegiate Institute
Alma mater	University of Toronto (BA) University of New Brunswick (LLB) Harvard University (LLM)
Profession	Lawyer
Website	dominicleblanc.libparl.ca

The son of former governor general Roméo LeBlanc, he ran for the leadership of the Liberal Party in 2008 but dropped out of the race to endorse Michael Ignatieff, who was later acclaimed leader.

In the cabinet of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, LeBlanc served as the leader of the Government in the House of Commons from 2015 to 2016.^[2] He served as Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard from 2016 to 2018 and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Northern Affairs and Internal Trade from 2018 to 2019. He also served as President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada from 2018 to 2021 and began a second stint as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs in 2020. After the 2021 federal election, LeBlanc remained as minister of intergovernmental affairs but additionally became minister of infrastructure and communities. In 2023, LeBlanc became Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, gaining responsibility for public safety and democratic institutions while remaining minister of intergovernmental affairs. In December 2024, following the resignation of Chrystia Freeland, LeBlanc became minister of finance and he gave up the responsibility for public safety and democratic institutions while keeping intergovernmental affairs and the border security portfolio.

Early life and education

LeBlanc was born in 1967, of Acadian descent, at the Ottawa Civic Hospital^[3] in Ottawa, Ontario, to Joslyn "Lyn" (née Carter) and Roméo LeBlanc, a former MP, senator and 25th governor general of Canada. At the time, his father was press secretary to Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson.^[3]

As a child, he baby-sat the children of then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau, including Justin Trudeau. He remained friends with Justin Trudeau and endorsed Trudeau's candidacy for Liberal leader in 2012.

LeBlanc attended Lisgar Collegiate Institute in Ottawa for high school.^[4] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Toronto (Trinity College), a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of New Brunswick, and then attended Harvard Law School, where he obtained his Master of Laws degree. LeBlanc worked as a barrister and solicitor with Clark Drummie in Shediac and Moncton. From 1993 to 1996, LeBlanc was a Special Advisor to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.

Political career (1997–present)

LeBlanc is member of the Liberal Party of Canada in the House of Commons of Canada, representing the riding of Beauséjour in New Brunswick.

LeBlanc first ran for election in that riding in 1997,^[5] losing to New Democratic Party candidate Angela Vautour.^[6] During that race there were accusations of political patronage as LeBlanc's father was the sitting viceroy, and there was criticism that the governor general had a series of events planned in New Brunswick during the week that the election writs dropped.^{[7][8][9][10]}

In 2000 LeBlanc once again ran against Vautour, who had crossed the floor to join the Progressive Conservative party, and was elected.^[11] LeBlanc was re-elected in 2004 (where he faced Vautour for a third time), 2006, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2021.

Chrétien and Martin governments

During the Liberal Party's time in power LeBlanc served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, from January 13, 2003, to December 11, 2003, and was the chair of the Atlantic Caucus.

On July 10, 2004, he was sworn in as a member of the Privy Council for Canada and appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the leader of the Government in the House of Commons and deputy chief government whip. He has served on the Special Committee on Non-Medical Use of Drugs, and the Standing Committees on Fisheries and Oceans, Transport and Government Operations, National Defence and Veterans Affairs, and Public Accounts, Procedures and House Affairs, and International Trade.

In opposition

In January 2006, he was named Official Opposition critic for international trade and later that year he was co-chair of the 2006 Liberal Party leadership convention in Montreal. In January 2007, he was named by the Honourable Stéphane Dion, Vice Chair – Liberal Party of Canada Policy and Platform Committee and In October of that year, he was named Official Opposition critic for intergovernmental affairs. In January 2009, he was named by Michael Ignatieff as the critic for justice and attorney general. Before the return of Parliament in September 2010, Ignatieff shuffled his Shadow Cabinet and appointed LeBlanc as the Liberal critic for national defence.^[12] Following LeBlanc's re-election in the 2011 federal election, interim Liberal leader Bob Rae appointed LeBlanc as the Liberal Party's foreign affairs critic.

2008 leadership bid

Main article: 2009 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

On October 27, 2008, LeBlanc was the first candidate to officially announce his intention to seek the leadership of the Liberal party to replace Stéphane Dion. Former leadership candidates Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae came forward shortly after LeBlanc's announcement.^[13] His supporters included top staffers in the prime minister's office under Jean Chrétien, such as his former chief of staff Percy Downe, and Tim Murphy, chief of staff under Paul Martin. Some senior organizers in Gerard Kennedy's 2006 leadership bid were also with LeBlanc.^[14]

LeBlanc with Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff (centre-left) during the 2011 federal election campaign launch, in Ottawa.

On December 8, 2008, LeBlanc announced he was dropping out of the leadership race because he felt a new leader needed to be in place as soon as possible and that he was throwing his support behind Ignatieff. The next day Rae dropped out of the race and Ignatieff was acclaimed leader when Dion stepped down.^[15][16]

41st Canadian Parliament

LeBlanc retained his seat in the 2011 election, while the Liberals dropped down to third place in the House of Commons.

Following Ignatieff's resignation as leader, LeBlanc was seen as a potential leadership candidate.^[17] LeBlanc did not say whether he was considering a bid but hoped to be part of the "rebuilding and renewal" of the party.^[18] Later, LeBlanc said that the next leader needs to commit 10 to 15 years of his or her life "occupied exclusively" with rebuilding the Liberal party and winning elections.^[19] On October 5, 2012, he announced he would not stand for the leadership and instead endorsed Justin Trudeau.^[20]

From 2012 to 2015, LeBlanc served as the Liberal opposition house leader.

Trudeau government

42nd Canadian Parliament

Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

On November 4, 2015, he was appointed the leader of the Government in the House of Commons in the present Cabinet, headed by Justin Trudeau.^[21]

As Government House Leader, LeBlanc was an ex officio member of the Board of Internal Economy, a committee of Members of Parliament chaired by the Speaker of the House of Commons who oversees the internal affairs of the House of Commons. He had previously been a member of committee as the Liberal Party’s House Leader while in opposition from 2012 to 2015, and continued to serve on the Board until October 26, 2023.^[22]

During his tenure as House Leader, LeBlanc introduced Bill C-22, which created the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, a committee composed of Members of Parliament and Senators equipped with top-secret security clearances and with a mandate to conduct oversight of the work of Canada’s national security and intelligence community. The committee is the first body of its kind in Canada, offering parliamentarians an unprecedented view into highly classified intelligence and activities conducted by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Global Affairs Canada. It produces classified and unclassified reports which are shared with the Prime Minister. The classified version of the report is subsequently tabled in Parliament and released publicly.^[23]

Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

On May 31, 2016, upon the resignation of Hunter Tootoo from the Ministry, LeBlanc also became the minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard. His father had previously held the equivalent position under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.^[24]

As a Minister from an Atlantic province, LeBlanc was also one of the instigators behind the Atlantic Growth Strategy, an intergovernmental forum comprising all four Atlantic premiers and all Atlantic federal ministers launched on July 4, 2016. The Strategy’s goal is to attract newcomers and investment to Atlantic Canada by enabling collaboration between the federal government and Atlantic provinces on immigration, innovation, clean technology, trade and investment, and infrastructure.^[25]

On August 19, 2016, LeBlanc was replaced as leader of the Government in the House of Commons by Bardish Chagger. He retained the post of Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.^[2] During his tenure as Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, LeBlanc modernized the Fisheries Act, strengthening the provisions contained in the legislation regarding the protection of fish stocks and fish habitat.^[26] He also introduced legislation amending the Oceans Act^[27] and the Canada Petroleum Resources Act to establish a national network of Marine Protected Areas, a novel type of conservation measure in Canada. Since then, 14 Oceans Act Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been established across Canada, comprising over 350,000 km² or roughly 6% of Canada’s marine and coastal areas, contributing to Canada’s goal of protecting 30% of its marine areas by 2030, in accordance with its international commitments.

LeBlanc’s tenure was also marked by heightened concerns regarding the entanglement of North Atlantic Right Whales, an endangered species, in fishing gear, leading to the death of several cetaceans. In response, LeBlanc engaged with industry groups, Indigenous communities and United States fishing authorities to develop new fishing gear and implement seasonal restrictions to maritime traffic to reduce the risk of entanglement and collisions.^[28]

On September 12, 2018, the ethics commissioner, Mario Dion, found LeBlanc broke conflict of interest rules when he awarded a lucrative Arctic surf clam licence to a company linked to his wife's cousin in February 2018.^[29]

Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Northern Affairs and Internal Trade

On July 18, 2018, LeBlanc was shuffled from Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard to Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Northern Affairs and Internal Trade, a combination of two positions, Intergovernmental Affairs and Youth, and Northern Affairs.^[30] He also became vice-chair of the Cabinet Committee on Agenda, Results and Communications, which is manages the government’s overall strategic agenda and priority setting, and tracks implementation, which is chaired by the Prime Minister.

As Minister of Northern Affairs, LeBlanc shepherded legislation amending the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act to give Indigenous communities in the Northwest Territories and the surrounding region a greater say in the management of resource development projects.^[31]

On the internal trade front, LeBlanc advanced several initiatives to make it easier to trade within Canada. He pushed provinces and territories to standardize provincial regulations in several key industries, including construction, food and drink, and manufacturing, reducing administrative burdens and making it easier for businesses to do business in other provinces.^[32] In December 2018, at a First Ministers’ Meeting in Montréal, LeBlanc led a discussion with Premiers on ways to strengthen internal trade in Canada.^[33]

On April 26, 2019, LeBlanc announced he would be stepping back from cabinet as he sought treatment for cancer.^[34]

43rd Canadian Parliament

President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada

On November 20, 2019, LeBlanc returned to Cabinet as President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, a position with reduced responsibilities. His former role as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Northern Affairs and Internal Trade, was split between the minister of northern affairs, and the minister of intergovernmental affairs.^[35]

After the resignation of Bill Morneau as Minister of Finance, LeBlanc again became Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs after his successor, Chrystia Freeland, took the role of Minister of Finance in a cabinet shuffle on August 18, 2020. He retained his position as President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada.^[36]

44th Canadian Parliament

Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities

On October 26, 2021, LeBlanc was appointed Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities,^[37] as well as chair of the Sub-Committee on Intergovernmental Coordination, which takes an intergovernmental lens to the key issues before the government. He continued to chair the Cabinet Committee on Operations and the Sub-Committee on the Federal Response to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).^[38]

During his tenure, he oversaw the allocation of billions of dollars of investment through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) and reached deals with provinces and territories to accelerate the allocation of their respective ICIP funding envelopes ahead of the planned deadline. This was meant to boost public investment in job-creating projects during a time of economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.^[39]

Throughout this time, LeBlanc also retained responsibilities for several files he was previously assigned, including Democratic Institutions and Internal Trade.

In his role as Minister responsible for Democratic Institutions, he oversaw the adoption of the Preserving Provincial Representation in the House of Commons Act in 2022, which amended the Constitution Act, 1867 to provide that a province may not have fewer Members of Parliament than it had during the 43rd Parliament. This was in response to riding boundary adjustments made following the 2021 decennial census, which would otherwise have seen Quebec lose a seat in the House of Commons.^[40]

In his role as Minister responsible for Internal Trade, in December 2022, he launched the Federal Action Plan to Strengthen Internal Trade, which led to the removal and narrowing of one third of all federal exceptions in the 2017 Canadian Free Trade Agreement.^[41] In November 2024, LeBlanc accompanied Prime Minister Trudeau for his meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

Minister of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs

On December 16, 2024, he was sworn in as the minister of finance following the surprise resignation of former finance minister and deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland.^[42] LeBlanc was considered as a possible candidate in the 2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, upon the resignation of Trudeau.^[43][44] He declined to run in the election, citing the need to focus on potential tariffs from the incoming second Trump administration.^[45]

Cabinet positions

29th Ministry – Cabinet of Justin Trudeau

Electoral record

v t e 2021 Canadian federal election: Beauséjour
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Dominic LeBlanc	27,313	55.6	+9.1	$66,501.84
	Conservative	Shelly Mitchell	9,526	19.4	+1.8	$14,489.19
	New Democratic	Evelyne Godfrey	5,394	11.0	+3.7	$516.68
	People's	Jack Minor	3,723	7.6	+5.6	$11,448.76
	Green	Stella Anna Girouard	2,798	5.7	−21.0	$864.18
	Free	Isabelle Sauriol Chiasson	391	0.8	N/A	$0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit			49,145	99.4	–	$107,726.91
Total rejected ballots			294	0.6
Turnout			49,439	68.0	−10.0
Registered voters			72,726
	Liberal hold		Swing		+5.5
Source: Elections Canada[46]

v t e 2019 Canadian federal election: Beauséjour
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Dominic LeBlanc	24,948	46.47	−22.54	$83,393.36
	Green	Laura Reinsborough	14,305	26.65	+22.16	$74,321.26
	Conservative	Vincent Cormier	9,438	17.58	+6.21	$39,043.98
	New Democratic	Jean-Marc Bélanger	3,940	7.34	−7.79	none listed
	People's	Nancy Mercier	1,054	1.96	New	$6,338.64
Total valid votes/expense limit			53,685	100.0		$101,392.80
Total rejected ballots			475	0.88	+0.28
Turnout			54,160	77.99	−2.49
Eligible voters			69,444
	Liberal hold		Swing		−22.35
Source: Elections Canada[47][48]

2015 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Dominic LeBlanc	36,534	69.02	+28.33	$77,614.48
	New Democratic	Hélène Boudreau	8,009	15.13	–8.30	$24,161.02
	Conservative	Ann Bastarache	6,017	11.37	–20.35	–
	Green	Kevin King	2,376	4.49	+0.32	$1,009.07
Total valid votes/Expense limit			52,936	100.00		$200,494.19
Total rejected ballots			320	0.60
Turnout			53,256	80.48
Eligible voters			66,170
	Liberal notional hold		Swing		+18.31
Source: Elections Canada[49][50]

2011 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Dominic LeBlanc	17,399	39.08	−7.68
	Conservative	Evelyn Chapman	14,814	33.27	+4.12
	New Democratic	Susan Levi-Peters	10,397	23.35	+6.47
	Green	Natalie Arsenault	1,913	4.3	−2.89
Total valid votes/Expense limit			–	100.00
	Liberal hold		Swing		+5.90

2008 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Dominic LeBlanc	19,972	46.6	-0.95
	Conservative	Omer Léger	12,512	29.2	−3.03
	New Democratic	Chris Durrant	7,219	16.8	+0.13
	Green	Mike Milligan	3,187	7.4	+4.61
Total valid votes			42,890
	Liberal hold		Swing		−2.08

2006 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Dominic LeBlanc	22,012	47.55	−5.73
	Conservative	Omer Léger	14,919	32.23	+4.04
	New Democratic	Neil Gardner	7,717	16.67	+1.96
	Green	Anna Girouard	1,290	2.79	−1.03
	Independent	Frank Comeau	357	0.77	Ø
Total valid votes			46,295
	Liberal hold		Swing		+4.89

2004 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Dominic LeBlanc	21,934	53.28	+6.18
	Conservative	Angela Vautour	11,604	28.19	−17.65
	New Democratic	Omer Bourque	6,056	14.71	+7.65
	Green	Anna Girouard	1,574	3.82	Ø
Total valid votes			41,168
	Liberal hold		Swing		+11.92

2000 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Dominic LeBlanc	21,465	47.10	+12.27
	Progressive Conservative	Angela Vautour	14,631	32.11	+16.11
	Alliance	Tom Taylor	6256	13.73	+3.55
	New Democratic	Inka Milewski	3217	7.06	−31.93
Total valid votes			45,569
	Liberal gain from New Democratic		Swing		+22.10

1997 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	New Democratic	Angela Vautour	18,504	38.99	+33.25
	Liberal	Dominic LeBlanc	16,529	34.83	−41.20
	Progressive Conservative	Ian Hamilton	7592	16.00	+0.78
	Reform	Raymond Braun	4833	10.18	Ø
Total valid votes			47,458
	New Democratic gain from Liberal		Swing		+37.23

Notes

1. Stylized as Minister of International Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs
2. Stylized as Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade from 2018 to 2019, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities from 2021 to 2023, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs from 2023 to 2024, Minister of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs from 2024 to 2025, and Minister of International Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs since 2025
3. Stylized as President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada from 2018 to 2021
4. Stylized as Minister of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs
5. Stylized as Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
6. Stylized as Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
7. Stylized as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities
8. Stylized as Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade
9. Stylized as Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade

Personal life

In 2003, he married Jolène Richard, a former Moncton lawyer who became a judge on the Provincial Court of New Brunswick in 2008, and eventually became a chief judge.^[51] She is the daughter of Guy A. Richard, who served as Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick.^[52][53] He has an adult stepson.^[53]

Cancer treatment

In December 2017, he announced that he had been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and would begin chemotherapy immediately while continuing to serve in his parliamentary roles.^[53] However, following a period of remission, his cancer took a turn for the worse. On April 26, 2019, LeBlanc announced he would be stepping back from cabinet as he sought treatment.^[54]

In September 2019, LeBlanc underwent a stem cell transplant at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montréal, Québec to cure his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, an extremely rare form of cancer. Following initial chemotherapy treatments at the CHU Dr. Georges L. Dumont Hospital in Moncton, New Brunswick, his doctors referred him to specialists at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital due to the severity and aggressiveness of his cancer. He spent 56 nights, spanning most of the 2019 federal election campaign, in an isolation room at Maisonneuve-Rosemont.^[55]

He was sworn in as President of the Queen’s Privy Council in November 2019, two weeks after being discharged from the hospital, and returned to the House of Commons in late January 2020.

LeBlanc has talked publicly about his experience with cancer and his stem cell transplant. After the regular two-years non-contact time between donor and patient, in September 2022, he met with his stem cell donor, German national Jonathan Kehl.^[56] The meeting between the two was the subject of significant attention in Canadian media. LeBlanc also travelled to Germany to visit Kehl’s family in May 2023.

Arms

Coat of arms of Dominic LeBlanc

Notes inherited his arms from his father Adopted January 1, 1995 (granted to his father), June 24, 2009 (inherited) Crest Four eagle feathers within a circlet of Micmac quill decration Gules Torse Argent and Gules Escutcheon Argent on a pile Gules the Star of Acadia ensigned by a representation of the Royal Crown Or; Supporters Two dolphins Argent each gorged with a collar of maple leaves Gules and fleurs de lys Or, pendand therefrom a plate Azure, dexter surmounted by a steam locomotive wheel Or, sinister surmounted by a book Or Compartment Issuant from a mound set with maple leaves all Gules flanked by waves proper Motto SEMPER AMISSOS MEMINISSE DECET (It is right to remember the forgotten) Symbolism The use of white recalls the LeBlanc family name, while the pile refers to the Memramcook Valley, where Roméo LeBlanc was born, and the dolphins evoke the Rivière Dauphin (now Annapolis River), where LeBlanc's ancestors settled in the mid 17th century, as well as Roméo LeBlanc's maritime heritage and his service as the minister of fisheries. The star is a symbol long used by the Acadians, as are the fleurs de lys representative of LeBlanc's roots in that community, and the royal crown represents Roméo LeBlanc's appointment as the representative of the Canadian sovereign. The eagle feathers, a symbols of peace, honour the Canadian First Nations, and the number represents Roméo LeBlanc's four children. More family links are depicted in the steam locomotive wheel – representing LeBlanc's father's service on the Canadian railways – and the book evoking Roméo LeBlanc's training and work as a teacher. The compartment symbolises a multi-ethnic Canada between two seas, and recalls the Micmac origin of the word Memramcook, meaning multi-coloured landscape.[57]