Pierre Paradis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Incumbent | |
|---|---|
| Riding | Brome-Missisquoi (1980-present) |
| In office since | November 17, 1980 |
| Preceded by | Armand Russell |
| Born | July 16, 1950 Bedford, Quebec |
| Political party |
Quebec Liberal Party |
| Profession(s) | Actor, Screenwriter, Unionist |
Pierre Paradis (born on July 16, 1950 in Bedford, Quebec) is a politician in Quebec, Canada. He is the current Member of the National Assembly of Quebec (MNA) for the riding of Brome-Missisquoi in the Estrie region. He is a member of the Quebec Liberal Party since 1980.
Paradis went to the University of Ottawa and obtained a law degree. He was later admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1975 following additional studies in business law in Ottawa. He was a lawyer from 1975 to 1980 before he entered politics.
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[edit] Member of the Legislature
Paradis became the Liberal Member of the National Assembly for the district of Brome—Missisquoi, after he won a by-election in the aftermath of the Referendum of 1980. He has been re-elected at every general election since then.
[edit] Candidate for leadership of the Liberal Party
The Liberals lost the 1981 provincial election and Claude Ryan stepped down as leader. Paradis tried to succeed him, but finished a distant second, with 12% of the delegates, at the Leadership Convention of 1983, behind former Premier Robert Bourassa (75%). [1]
[edit] Member of the Cabinet
The Liberals were put back in office in the 1985 election and Bourassa became Premier of Quebec for the second time.
Paradis was appointed to the Cabinet. He served as Minister of Labour, Manpower and Income Security from the 1985 election to 1988, Minister of Municipal Affairs and responsible for Housing from 1988 to the 1989 election and Minister of Environment from the 1989 election to the 1994 election (while briefly having the portfolio of Wildlife). He also served as the Government House Leader from 1992 to the 1994 election.
[edit] House Leader of the Official Opposition
Before the 1994 election, Bourassa retired from politics. Daniel Johnson, Jr. had a very strong organization, which may have prevented Paradis from running to become party leader.
The Liberals lost the election and Paradis became the Official Opposition House Leader, and a Member of the Shadow Cabinet.
In that capacity, Paradis was one of the most prominent Liberal MNAs and was expected to become Member of the Cabinet as soon as his party would sweep to power.
[edit] Liberal backbencher
In 2003, the Liberals won the provincial election and former Progressive Conservative Leader Jean Charest became Premier of Quebec.
Surprisingly, Paradis was excluded from the new cabinet (even though many newcomers were appointed) and has been stripped from any significant parliamentary assignment since then. From that moment, Paradis opposed several policies of the Liberal government, including the sale of a parcel of land in Mont Orford Provincial Park to private interests, a transaction that was eventually cancelled by the same administration. [2]
After the Liberals were reduced to a minority government in the 2007 election, the role that would be played by Paradis in the legislature became the object of speculation. [3] However, the Cabinet was formed on April 17, 2007, and Paradis was confirmed as a backbencher. [4]
Paradis's brother Denis served as Member of Parliament for the district of Brome—Missisquoi from 1995 to the 2006 federal election and as Member of the federal Cabinet from 2002 to the 2004 election.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Élection de Robert Bourassa au poste de chef du Parti libéral du Québec, Bilan du Siècle, October 15, 1983
- ^ «Quand le peuple parle, ça laisse des traces» Pierre Paradis, Fédérick Duchesneau, La Voix de l'Est, May 8, 2007
- ^ Pierre Paradis sera de retour au Conseil des ministres, La Presse, April 17, 2007
- ^ Pierre Paradis, Pierre Arcand et quatre anciens ministres exclus du cabinet, Presse Canadienne, April 18, 2007
[edit] External links
- Biography of Pierre Paradis (French)
| National Assembly of Quebec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Armand Russell (Union Nationale) |
MNA, District of Brome—Missisquoi 1980–Current |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Raynald Fréchette (PQ) |
Minister of Labor 1985–1988 |
Succeeded by Yves Séguin (Liberal) |
| Preceded by André Bourbeau (Liberal) |
Minister of Municipal Affairs 1988–1989 |
Succeeded by Yvon Picotte (Liberal) |
| Preceded by Lise Bacon (Liberal) |
Minister of Environment 1989–1994 |
Succeeded by Jacques Brassard (PQ) |
| Preceded by Michel Pagé (Liberal) |
Government House Leader 1992–1994 |
Succeeded by Guy Chevrette (PQ) |
| Preceded by Guy Chevrette (PQ) |
Official Opposition House Leader 1994–2003 |
Succeeded by André Boisclair (PQ) |
