SOREL – Parti Québecois (PQ) MNA Elaine Zakaib announced Monday afternoon that she is leaving politics.
Zakaib made the announcement in Sorel and says she plans to relaunch Jacob, a Quebec-based clothing company that announced it was closing 92 stores in May after filing for bankruptcy protection.
A lawyer by training, she will be the chief of restructuring and vice-president of strategy and finance of Jacob as of September 30.
Zakaib was first elected as Minister of Industrial Policy in Pauline Marois’ 2012 PQ government.
She was re-elected in her riding of Richelieu in the 2014 elections, and was named Treasury Board critic after the PQ’s defeat.
Before entering politics, Zakaib was the CEO of the Fonds régionaux de solidarité of the FTQ from 2004-2012.
Zakaib’s name came up during the Charbonneau Commission hearings.
Wiretap conversations played out during the hearings suggested that she was aware of irregularities in the funding of firms controlled by Tony Accurso.
The conversations also showed Zakaib agreeing with union president Michel Arsenault not to discuss the matter.
READ MORE: Former FTQ-Construction boss found guilty of fraud
Recordings also have her saying she wanted nothing to do with the growing expense scandal involving Jocelyn Dupuis, who was then head of FTQ-Construction.
Dupuis was convicted of fraud last week.
There are 29 Parti Québecois MNAs left in office.
Comments