Joe Fontana elected National Liberal Caucus Chair:

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien announced today that Joe Fontana, MP (London East) has been elected Chair of the National Liberal Caucus.

"I am delighted that Joe Fontana has been elected by his colleagues to chair our caucus," the Prime Minister said. "Joe is an articulate, experienced and effective MP with a deep understanding of the concerns of MPs and their constituents. I look forward to working closely with him on our government's agenda."

Joe Fontana was first elected to the House of Commons in 1988. He served in Opposition as Chair of the Ontario Caucus, and in Government as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport.

The following MPs were elected to other caucus positions today:

Chair, Atlantic Caucus: Bonnie Hickey, MP (St. John's East)
Chair, Quebec Caucus: Raymond Lavigne, MP (Verdun--St-Paul)
Chair, Ontario Caucus: Peter Adams, MP (Peterborough)
Chair, Eastern Ontario Caucus: Mauril Bélanger, MP (Ottawa--Vanier)
Chair, Northern Ontario Caucus: Brent St. Denis, MP (Algoma)
Chair, Metro Toronto Caucus: Ivan Grose, MP (Oshawa)
Chair, Rural Caucus : Bob Speller, MP (Haldimand--Norfolk)
Chair, Hamilton-Niagara Caucus: Beth Phinney, MP (Hamilton Mountain)
Chair, Southwestern Ontario Caucus: Murray Calder, MP (Wellington--Grey-- Dufferin--Simcoe)
Chair, Women's Caucus: Jean Augustine, MP (Etobicoke--Lakeshore)
Chair, Northern and Western Caucus: Judy Bethel, MP (Edmonton East)
Chair, Saskatchewan Caucus: Bernie Collins, MP (Souris--Moose Mountain)

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