François Legault
François Legault | |
---|---|
Legault in 2011 | |
32nd Premier of Quebec | |
Assumed office October 18, 2018 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Lieutenant Governor | J. Michel Doyon |
Deputy | Geneviève Guilbault |
Preceded by | Philippe Couillard |
Leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec | |
Assumed office November 4, 2011 | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for L'Assomption | |
Assumed office September 4, 2012 | |
Preceded by | Scott McKay |
Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Rousseau | |
In office December 15, 1998 – June 25, 2009 | |
Preceded by | Lévis Brien |
Succeeded by | Nicolas Marceau |
Personal details | |
Born | Montreal, Quebec | May 26, 1957
Political party | Parti Québécois (1998–2009) Coalition Avenir Québec (2011–present) |
Spouse(s) | Isabelle Brais |
Children | 2 |
Residence | Edifice Price |
Alma mater | HEC Montréal |
Net worth | $10,000,000 |
Portfolio | Finances, Economic Development |
François Legault (pronounced [fʁɑ̃swa ləɡo]; born May 26, 1957) is a Canadian politician and businessman serving as the 32nd and current premier of Quebec since 2018. He has been Leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec party since its foundation in 2011 and cabinet ministers during the premier of Lucien Bouchard and Benard Landry. Prior to becoming a politician, he was the co-founder of the Canadian airline Air Transat.[1]
Legault was a member of the National Assembly of Quebec from 1998 to 2009, serving in the government of Quebec as Minister of Education from 1998 to 2002 and as Minister of Health from 2002 to 2003. As a member of the Parti Québécois (PQ), he was first elected in the 1998 Quebec election in the riding of Rousseau in the Lanaudière region. He was re-elected in 2003, 2007 and 2008 but resigned his seat on June 25, 2009.
He returned to the legislature at the 2012 Quebec provincial election as the MNA for L'Assomption, a suburb of Montreal. He was reelected in the 2014 election and won 2018 election. Legault is the first Premier since 1970, when Jean-Jacques Bertrand of the now-defunct Union Nationale party was in office, to not hail from either the Quebec Liberal Party or the Parti Québécois.
Contents
Early life and education[edit]
François Legault was born May 26, 1957 at the Lachine Hospital and grew up in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec. His father, Lucien Legault, was a postmaster. His mother, Pauline Schetagne, a housewife who also worked as a cashier at the local A&P grocery store to help with the monthly bills.[2]
He has a bachelor's and master's degree in business administration from the HEC Montréal. He also became a Chartered Accountant.[3]
Business career[edit]
Legault worked as an administrator for Provigo, and an auditor for Ernst & Young until 1984.[4] In 1985, Legault became the director of finance and administration at Nationair Canada and then marketing director at Québécair. He co-founded Air Transat in 1986 after being the director of marketing at Quebecair.[5] He was the Chief Executive Officer of that company until 1997. Air Transat quickly became one of the largest airline companies in Canada offering charter flights. From 1995 to 1998, Legault sat on the boards of various companies, including Provigo Inc., Culinar, Sico, Technilab Inc., Bestar Inc., and the Marc-Aurèle Fortin private museum.[6]
Political career[edit]
Parti Québécois[edit]
After his 1998 election, Legault was appointed by Lucien Bouchard as Minister for Industry and Commerce. He was later named the Minister of Education.
When Bouchard resigned, it was said that Legault would support Pauline Marois against Bernard Landry. He later clarified his position as being in favour of Landry's candidacy.
Landry appointed Legault as Minister of Education and later as Minister of Health and Social Services. He was re-elected in 2003 while the PQ lost to the Quebec Liberal Party. He remained on the PQ front bench as the critic for economics, economic development, and finances.
Legault endorsed Richard Legendre in the 2005 PQ leadership election, which was won by André Boisclair. After his re-election in 2007, he was renamed the PQ critic for economic development and finances.
Legault was re-elected in the 2008 elections but announced on June 25, 2009 that would retire from politics.[7][8] He was seen by some political analysts at the time as a potential contender in a future leadership election.[9] However, some members of the Liberals thought that he could replace Jean Charest, then premier.[10]
Coalition Avenir Québec[edit]
In February 2011, Legault co-founded with Charles Sirois a new political movement called the "Coalition pour l'avenir du Québec" ("Coalition for the Future of Quebec").[11][12] In November 2011 it became an official party under the name Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ).[13] The CAQ aims to bring together like-minded voters in a single party regardless of their views on Quebec nationalism, Quebec federalism and Quebec autonomism. Legault had spent his entire political career prior to 2011 as a sovereigntist, but has promised that a CAQ government will never hold a referendum on sovereignty.[14] He now believes Quebec belongs within Canada, but has vowed that a CAQ government would "explore all options" to defend Quebec's interests and demand greater power.[15]
The party finished third in the 2012 general election, winning 19 seats and 27.05% of the vote.[16] In the 2014 general election, the CAQ finished third again, but increased their seat count to 22.[17][18]
In the 2018 general election on October 1, Legault led the CAQ to a gain of 53 seats for a total of 74, vaulting the CAQ from third place to a majority of 11 and becoming the Premier of Quebec.[19] He is the first premier in 52 years who is not either a Liberal or Péquiste.
Premier of Quebec (2018–present)[edit]
On October 18, 2018, Legault was sworn in as Premier of Quebec, marking the end of nearly 50 years of Liberal and Parti Quebecois rule in the province.[20] He also announced new members to the province's 26-member cabinet.[20]
Religious symbols[edit]
Having run on the platform during the 2018 election, on March 28, 2019, the Quebec government tabled its long-awaited secularism bill. Bill 21, entitled "An Act respecting the laicity of the State", if made law, would ban public workers in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols. This would include any public employee who carries a weapon, including police officers, courthouse constables, bodyguards, prison guards and wildlife officers, as well as Crown prosecutors, government lawyers and judges, school principals, vice-principals and teachers.[21]
The government has said that it would use the Notwithstanding clause so as to prevent it from being overturned by the courts.[22]
The bill passed on 17 June by a 73-35 vote, with backing of the Parti Québécois while the Liberals and Quebec solidaire were opposed. The Coalition Avenir Quebec government also introduced a last-minute amendment toughening the law, making provisions for a minister to verify that it is being obeyed and to demand corrective measures if necessary.[23][24]
Immigration[edit]
Under Legault CAQ government, he has decreased immigration numbers to 40,000 in 2019, and he has also in 2019 introduced a values test for immigrants.
Apology to Indigenous people, 2019[edit]
Legault apologized to First Nations and Inuit people in October 2019 for discrimination they suffered in dealing with the state, noting the Province of Quebec had failed in its duty to them. He acknowledged, that apologies are but a first step, and more work needs to be done to break down barriers and rectify long-standing problems.[25]
Environment[edit]
Legault advocated for a pragmatic approach to the environment.[26]
Personal life[edit]
Legault is married to Isabelle Brais and has two children.[27] He was raised in the Montreal suburb of Ste. Anne de Bellevue.
Awards and honours[edit]
Legault has been a Fellow of the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec (Order of Chartered Accountants of Québec) since 2000.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ "Coalition avenir Québec". Directeur général des élections du Québec. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
- ^ "Quebec election: François Legault is a pragmatist at heart | Montreal Gazette". September 22, 2018.
- ^ Macpherson, Don (October 14, 2010). "Legault's movement would fill a vacuum in Quebec". The Gazette (Montreal). Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved 2012-01-23.
- ^ "Legault says he's not going to give up". Metro. April 5, 2014. Retrieved 2016-03-20.
- ^ "CAQ leader François Legault wins riding". Global News. April 7, 2014. Retrieved 2016-03-20.
- ^ a b "François Legault". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- ^ "Legault resignation latest blow for PQ". National Post. June 25, 2009.[dead link]
- ^ "PQ critic Legault leaving politics". CBC News. June 25, 2009. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
- ^ Legault, Josée (June 25, 2009). "It is likely we haven't seen the end of François Legault". The Gazette. Montreal. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
- ^ "Behind the scenes of the CAQ - Macleans.ca". Macleans.ca. 2012-04-16. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
- ^ "Ex-PQ minister launches coalition". CBC News. February 21, 2011. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
- ^ "Francois Legault unveils Coalition for the Future". CTV News. February 21, 2011. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
- ^ "Quebec gets new political party". CBC News. November 14, 2011. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
- ^ "Francois Legault says CAQ would 'never' hold a referendum". CTV News. April 10, 2014. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
- ^ Les Perraux (October 1, 2018). "Coalition Avenir Québec wins historic majority as voters soundly reject old-line Liberals, PQ". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ "Pauline Marois to become Quebec's 1st female premier". CBC News. September 4, 2012. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
- ^ "Quebec election: Liberals win majority". CBC News. April 7, 2014. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
- ^ "Many of the CAQ's gains in ridings come at the PQ's expense". The Globe and Mail. April 7, 2014. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
- ^ "Premier-designate François Legault wants 'to make Quebec stronger within Canada' - iPolitics". iPolitics. 2018-10-02. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
- ^ a b "Change coming, Francois Legault vows as he becomes Quebec premier". lfpress.com. October 18, 2018.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ "Quebec passes bill banning public servants from wearing religious symbols" – via The Globe and Mail.
- ^ "Quebec bans religious symbols for state workers in new law". Global News.
- ^ Quebec's First Nations and Inuit people receive apology from Premier Legault. A report found that Indigenous communities suffered systemic racism in the province., Huffington Post, October 2, 2019
- ^ "Legault veut une CAQ «verte», mais «pragmatique»". TVA Nouvelles. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
- ^ "François Legault biography | The Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to François Legault. |
- "Biography". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). National Assembly of Quebec.
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Pauline Marois |
Minister of Education (Quebec) 1998–2002 |
Succeeded by Sylvain Simard |
Preceded by Rémy Trudel |
Minister of Health and Social Services (Quebec) 2002–2003 |
Succeeded by Philippe Couillard |
Preceded by Roger Bertrand |
Minister of Industry and Commerce 1998 |
Succeeded by Bernard Landry |
Preceded by Rita Dionne-Marsolais |
Minister of Science and Technology 1998 |
Succeeded by Jean Rochon |
Preceded by Gilles Taillon (ADQ) |
Official Opposition's Shadow Minister of Finance 2008–2009 |
Succeeded by Nicolas Marceau |
Preceded by First leader |
Leader of Coalition Avenir Québec 2011–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
- 1957 births
- Living people
- Canadian businesspeople
- Parti Québécois MNAs
- Coalition Avenir Québec MNAs
- People from Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec
- Canadian accountants
- HEC Montréal alumni
- Canadian company founders
- Canadian airline chief executives
- Canadian political party founders
- 21st-century Canadian politicians
- Members of the Executive Council of Quebec
- Businesspeople from Montreal