MONTREAL – Members of the Quebec Liberal Party are gathering at the Verdun Auditorium in Montreal on Saturday and Sunday to vote for a new Quebec Liberal Party leader to replace interim-leader Jean-Marc Fournier.
There are three candidates in the running. Find out more about them.
Raymond Bachand
Raymond Bachand (born October 22, 1947 in Montreal, Quebec) is the Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Outremont. He was the Minister of Finance and Revenue during the majority government of Jean Charest.
Bachand received a law degree from the Université de Montreal in 1969 and was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1970. He also completed a Master’s degree and doctorate at Harvard Business School.
A former unionist, Bachand was a supporter of sovereignty during Quebec’s 1980 referendum and an organizer for the “Yes” campaign. However, he now believes Quebec should remain a part of the Canadian federation.
After the last election the Minister of Finance portfolio was taken on by Nicolas Marceau of the Parti Quebecois.
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Random Fact: Last year, Bachand was in the news when his son’s wedding was crashed by protesters.
Philippe Couillard
Philippe Couillard (born June 26, 1957 in Montreal, Quebec) is the former Quebec Minister of Health and Social Services.
Couillard has a medical degree with a specialization in neurosurgery from the Université de Montréal. He was the former head of the Department of Neurosurgery at St-Luc Hospital and the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke.
In 2003, he left the medical profession to run for a seat in the National Assembly and was elected MNA for Town of Mount Royal in 2003 and for Jean-Talon in 2007.
His accomplishments during his tenure include a $4.2 billion dollar increase in the Quebec health budget.
On June 25, 2008, Couillard officially announced his resignation as a Liberal Minister and MNA. He was succeeded by Liberal MNA and doctor Yves Bolduc.
Random Fact: Couillard introduced the prohibition of smoking in public places
Pierre Moreau
Pierre Moreau (born December 12, 1957 in Vercheres, Quebec) is the former Quebec Minister of Transportation.
Moreau received his law degree from Laval University and was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1981. He practised law for 22 years until the provincial election in 2003, when he was elected MNA in Marguerite-D’Youville.
He remained Minster of Transport from September 7, 2011 to September 19, 2012, when the Liberal government was defeated. He was succeeded by Parti Quebecois MNA Sylvain Gaudreault.
Random Fact: Before becoming Transport Minister, reporters were able to easily spot Moreau in a crowd because he wore a different bow tie every day.
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