Beaulne earned two master's degree from the University of Ottawa, in political science and in business administration, finance and commerce.
Later, in Montreal, while teaching, he ran for the NDP in the riding of Laurier-Sainte-Marie in the 1988 federal election, finishing in a strong third place.
He was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of State for International Relations in the Bernard Landry government until becoming the Second Vice President of the National Assembly of Quebec.
Beaulne ran for re-election in 2003 but lost narrowly to Pierre Moreau as the Landry Government was turfed from office.
[1] After losing his seat, Beaulne went to work at the United Nations and was a political adviser in five countries: Cambodia, Mozambique, Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire and Tunisia.