Francine Lalonde (born August 24, 1940 in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec) is a Canadian politician. She is a Bloc Quebecois member of the Canadian House of Commons representing the district of La Pointe-de-l'Île, since the 2004 election and Mercier from the 1993 election to 2004. Prior to being elected she was a lecturer, teacher and unionist. She is the the Bloc's current critic of Foreign Affiars. She has also in the past been the critic of Human Resources Development and of Industry. August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Saint-Hyacinthe (Ville de) town in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. ... Canada is a sovereign state in northern North America, the northern-most country in the world, and the second largest in total area. ... A politician is an individual involved in politics. ... The Bloc Qu cois is a federal political party in Canada that is primarily devoted to promoting sovereignty for the province of Quebec. ... The interior of the House of Commons chamber, also called the Green Chamber The House of Commons (in French, la Chambre des communes) is the directly elected lower house of the Parliament of Canada which sits in the nations capital of Ottawa, Ontario. ... An electoral district (or riding) is a geographically-based constituency upon which Canadas representative democracy is based. ... A Canadian federal election (more formally, the 38th general election) was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... La Pointe-de-lÎle, known as Mercier from 1987 to 1997, is the name of a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada. ... The 1993 Canadian federal election, which took place on October 25th, 1993, was one of the most eventful in Canadian history. ... A minister for foreign affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister that helps to form foreign policy for sovereign nations. ...