# Matt DeCourcey

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{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix =
| name             = Matt DeCourcey
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|BA|size=100%}}
| image            = Matt DeCourcey2019.jpg
| caption          = DeCourcey in 2019
| office           = [Parliamentary Secretary](/source/Parliamentary_Secretary) to the [Minister of Foreign Affairs](/source/Minister_of_Foreign_Affairs_(Canada))
| minister         = [Chrystia Freeland](/source/Chrystia_Freeland)
| term_start       = January 30, 2017
| term_end         = May 3, 2019
| predecessor      = [Pamela Goldsmith-Jones](/source/Pamela_Goldsmith-Jones)
| successor        = [Rob Oliphant](/source/Rob_Oliphant)
| riding1          = [Fredericton](/source/Fredericton_(federal_electoral_district))
| parliament1      = Canadian
| term_start1      = October 19, 2015
| term_end1        = September 11, 2019
| predecessor1     = [Keith Ashfield](/source/Keith_Ashfield)
| successor1       = [Jenica Atwin](/source/Jenica_Atwin)
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1983|4|4}}
| birth_place      = [Fredericton](/source/Fredericton), [New Brunswick](/source/New_Brunswick), Canada
| death_date       = 
| death_place      = 
| profession       = community outreach specialist
| alma_mater       = [St. Thomas University](/source/St._Thomas_University_(New_Brunswick))<br />[Mount Saint Vincent University](/source/Mount_Saint_Vincent_University)
| party            = [Liberal](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Canada)
| footnotes        = 
| spouse           = 
| partner          = 
| children         = 1 
}}
'''Matthew DeCourcey''' (born April 4, 1983) is a [Canadian](/source/Canadians) [Liberal](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Canada) politician, who represented the [riding](/source/electoral_district_(Canada)) of [Fredericton](/source/Fredericton_(federal_electoral_district)) in the [House of Commons of Canada](/source/House_of_Commons_of_Canada) from 2015 until 2019.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/fredericton-matt-decourcey-wins-1.3278814 Matt DeCourcey wins Fredericton], CBC News, October 19, 2015.</ref>

==Family and education==
Matthew Carey DeCourcey is the son of Harold DeCourcey, a retired probation officer for the Province of New Brunswick, and Dawn DeCourcey, a retired teacher in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

DeCourcey graduated from [Fredericton High School](/source/Fredericton_High_School) in 2001. DeCourcey graduated from St. Thomas University in 2005. DeCourcey graduated from [Mount Saint Vincent University](/source/Mount_Saint_Vincent_University) in 2007 with a Master's degree in public relations (MPR).

In 2019, he announced his engagement to Liberal member of Parliament [Maryam Monsef](/source/Maryam_Monsef).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/maryam-monsef-matt-decourcey-engaged_ca_5d7bd9c7e4b03b5fc882f3c3|title=Liberal Minister Announces Engagement To Defeated MP|date=2019-11-07|website=HuffPost Canada|language=en|access-date=2019-11-08}}</ref>

==Career==

DeCourcey first became involved in politics during his studies at [St. Thomas University](/source/St._Thomas_University_(New_Brunswick)), volunteering for [Paul Martin](/source/Paul_Martin)'s successful [federal Liberal leadership bid in 2003](/source/2003_Liberal_Party_of_Canada_leadership_election).<ref name=bc>Alex Corbett, {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20151015081713/http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/49351/matt-decourcey-picture-liberal-ambition/ Matt DeCourcey, the picture of Liberal ambition]}}, ''The New Brunswick Beacon'', October 14, 2015.</ref> He worked for Fredericton MP [Andy Scott](/source/Andy_Scott_(politician)) from 2005 to 2006, and subsequently worked for [Labrador](/source/Labrador_(electoral_district)) MP [Todd Russell](/source/Todd_Russell).<ref name="Meet Matt DeCourcey">[http://mattdecourcey.liberal.ca/biography/ Meet Matt DeCourcey], Liberal.ca.</ref><ref name=bc/> He was a director on the board of the Fredericton [YMCA](/source/YMCA) and taught Child and Youth Rights at [Saint Thomas University](/source/St._Thomas_University_(Canada)).<ref name=bc/>

He spent five months in [The Gambia](/source/The_Gambia) on an international development initiative, and on his return to Canada he became the director of communications for [New Brunswick](/source/New_Brunswick)'s Child and Youth Advocate.<ref name="Meet Matt DeCourcey"/>

==Politics==
DeCourcey became the Liberal Party's candidate in Fredericton during the 2015 federal election, and won, ousting [Conservative](/source/Conservative_Party_of_Canada) incumbent and former cabinet minister [Keith Ashfield](/source/Keith_Ashfield).

DeCourcey was appointed to the House of Commons [Special Committee on Electoral Reform](/source/Canadian_House_of_Commons_Special_Committee_on_Electoral_Reform), which was established due to the campaign promise made by the Liberal Party that 2015 would be the last federal election decided under the first-past-the-post system. That committee travelled across Canada in 2016 to consult with Canadians as to their preference for electoral reform, and in doing so, heard widespread support for a switch from the first-past-the-post electoral system to proportional representation.<ref>Howe, P. (2018). [https://www.fairvote.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/26128-42336-1-PB-1.pdf A New Electoral System for New Brunswick.] Journal of New Brunswick Studies, Issue 9, p. 5.</ref> The Liberal government ultimately refused to table any legislation to enact electoral reform.

In spring 2018 DeCourcey was criticized for violating House of Commons rules by using his taxpayer-funded newsletter to recruit volunteers for the Liberal Party.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-conservative-mp-fredericton-liberal-newsletter-1.4664387|title=Conservative questions Fredericton Liberal MP's recruitment tactics. Newsletter featured pictures of door to door visits with volunteers |first=Jacques |last=Poitras|work= CBC News |date=May 16, 2018 }}</ref>

He was defeated in the 2019 federal election by [Jenica Atwin](/source/Jenica_Atwin) of the [Green Party](/source/Green_Party_of_Canada).

==Career after electoral politics==
In December 2024, [Trans Canada Trail](/source/Trans_Canada_Trail) announced that DeCourcey had been appointed as its director of government affairs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tctrail.ca/news/matt-decourcey-joins-trans-canada-trail-as-director-of-government-affairs/ |title= Matt DeCourcey joins Trans Canada Trail as Director of Government Affairs | date= 2024-12-11 |publisher=Trans Canada Trail}}</ref>

==Electoral record==
{{2019 Canadian federal election/Fredericton}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|2015|percent=yes|change=yes|expenditures=yes|}}
{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Matt DeCourcey|23,016|49.26|+25.24|&ndash;}}
{{CANelec|CA|Conservative|[Keith Ashfield](/source/Keith_Ashfield)|13,280|28.42|-18.55|&ndash;}}
{{CANelec|CA|Green|Mary Lou Babineau|5,804|12.42|+8.27|&ndash;}}
{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Sharon Scott-Levesque|4,622|9.89|-14.41|&ndash;}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes/Expense limit|46,722|100.0|&nbsp;|$194,784.13<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=can&dir=cand/canlim&document=index&lang=e|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045200/http://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=can&dir=cand%2Fcanlim&document=index&lang=e|url-status=dead|title=Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates|first=Elections|last=Canada|archivedate=4 March 2016|website=www.elections.ca|accessdate=8 April 2025|quote=Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates}}</ref>}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total rejected ballots|188|&ndash;|&ndash;}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Turnout|46,910|&ndash;|&ndash;}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Eligible voters|60,587}}
{{CANelec/source|Source: [Elections Canada](/source/Elections_Canada)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.elections.ca/Scripts/vis/Candidates?L=e&ED=13003&EV=99&EV_TYPE=6&PROV=NB&PROVID=13&QID=-1&PAGEID=17|title=Voter Information Service - Find your electoral district|accessdate=8 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://enr.elections.ca/ElectoralDistricts.aspx?lang=f|title=Résultats du soir d'élection - Circonscriptions|accessdate=8 April 2025}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=July 2017}}}}
{{end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Canadian Parliament links|ID=18459}}
* [http://mattdecourcey.liberal.ca/ Official Website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:DeCourcey, Matt}}
Category:1983 births
Category:Liberal Party of Canada MPs
Category:Living people
Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from New Brunswick
Category:Mount Saint Vincent University alumni
Category:Politicians from Fredericton
Category:St. Thomas University (Canada) alumni
Category:21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Matt DeCourcey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_DeCourcey) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_DeCourcey?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.