Gilles Taillon
Encyclopedia
Gilles Taillon is the former leader of the Action démocratique du Québec
(ADQ). A politician
, teacher
and businessman in Quebec
, Canada
; he was the ADQ Member of the National Assembly of Quebec
(MNA) for the district of Chauveau in the Quebec City
area from the 2007
to the 2008 elections.
Though not currently sitting as an MNA, he was selected as the party's new leader in the Action démocratique du Québec leadership election
on October 18, 2009. However, he announced his resignation from that position less than a month later following a caucus revolt.
. He studied at the Université de Montréal
from 1967 to 1974 and received a bachelor's degree
in arts and literature and a diploma in industrial relations.
Taillon was a teacher in secondary school
for 5 years before being an adviser in working relations. He was a director for the Ministry of Education. He was also the operations vice-president for the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité au travail. Taillon also worked as a lecturer at the Université de Sherbrooke
.
from 1998 to 2006. The Conseil du Patronat is the main association for businesspeople across the province. Taillon was also heavily involved in the education sector, serving as general manager for the Sherbrooke school board, the human resources director for the defunct Gamelin school board in Gatineau
and vice-president of the Federation des commissions scolaires du Quebec.
as one the ADQ's star candidates. He was easily elected in the Quebec City area riding of Chaveau with 56% of the vote. Liberal incumbent Sarah Perreault
finished second with 22% of the vote.
While Taillon focussed on issues sensitive to the education system, he was among several candidates in favor of abolishing school boards across the province and giving the responsibility to municipalities.
On March 29, 2007, Taillon was appointed deputy leader of the Official Opposition. On April 19, 2007, he was selected to be the Official Opposition's Shadow Minister of Finance.
On April 25, 2008, Parti Québécois
leader Pauline Marois
tabled a $900,000 lawsuit against Taillon after comments he made in which he linked Marois to the Norbourg financial scandal
.
, in the Outaouais region. According to La Presse, Taillon indicated that he was disappointed about politics and wanted to move to the Outaouais for personal reasons. Initially, it was rumoured he would run in the riding of Papineau
against Liberal Chief Whip Norman MacMillan
, before he decided to run in Chapleau, where former provincial Liberal cabinet minister Benoît Pelletier
had announced that he did not intend to seek reelection. Taillon lost his bid for election in Chapleau, finishing in third place behind the victorious Liberal, Marc Carrière
, and Parti Québécois candidate Yves Morin
.
after the 2008 general election, Taillon announced his candidacy for the leadership. His campaign manager was MNA François Bonnardel
.
Taillon was ultimately elected leader by two votes cast, over second-place rival Eric Caire
. The election result has been highly controversial, as it was later reported that a television personality, in an on-air stunt, voted in the election under the name of recently deceased Gabonese strongman Omar Bongo. Later reports also revealed that the party president, who was supposed to be neutral in the race, helped raise money and organize for Taillon. Following the narrow victory, Taillon named a new shadow cabinet that did not include a critic's role for his leadership rival, Caire. Caire later resigned from the party to sit as an independent MNA, joined by caucus colleague and supporter Marc Picard
.
On November 10, 2009, just 23 days after his election as party leader, Taillon announced a new leadership race, citing the party infighting and alleging irregularities in the party's financial affairs, dating back to 2003, which he had called in the Sûreté du Québec
to investigate.
Action démocratique du Québec
The Action démocratique du Québec, commonly referred to as the ADQ is a centre-right political party in Quebec, Canada. On the sovereignty question, it defines itself as autonomist, and has support from both soft nationalists and federalists....
(ADQ). A politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and businessman in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; he was the ADQ Member of the National Assembly of Quebec
National Assembly of Quebec
The National Assembly of Quebec is the legislative body of the Province of Quebec. The Lieutenant Governor and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other British-style parliamentary systems.The National Assembly was formerly the...
(MNA) for the district of Chauveau in the Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
area from the 2007
Quebec general election, 2007
The Quebec general election of 2007 was held in the Canadian province of Quebec on March 26, 2007 to elect members of the 38th National Assembly of Quebec. The Quebec Liberal Party led by Jean Charest managed to win a plurality of seats, but were reduced to a minority government, Quebec's first in...
to the 2008 elections.
Though not currently sitting as an MNA, he was selected as the party's new leader in the Action démocratique du Québec leadership election
Action démocratique du Québec leadership election, 2009
The Action démocratique du Québec leadership election, 2009 took place on October 18, 2009 electing Gilles Taillon on the second ballot by a margin of two votes over Éric Caire.-Background:...
on October 18, 2009. However, he announced his resignation from that position less than a month later following a caucus revolt.
Background
Taillon was born in Saint-Jérôme, QuebecSaint-Jérôme, Quebec
Saint-Jérôme is a town in Quebec, Canada, near Mirabel, about northwest of Montreal along Autoroute des Laurentides. The town is a gateway to the Laurentian Mountains and its resorts....
. He studied at the Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
from 1967 to 1974 and received a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in arts and literature and a diploma in industrial relations.
Taillon was a teacher in secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
for 5 years before being an adviser in working relations. He was a director for the Ministry of Education. He was also the operations vice-president for the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité au travail. Taillon also worked as a lecturer at the Université de Sherbrooke
Université de Sherbrooke
The Université de Sherbrooke is a large university with campuses located in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada and Longueuil, a suburb of Montreal approximately west of Sherbrooke. It is one of two universities, and the only French language university, in the Estrie region of Quebec.In 2007, the...
.
Conseil du patronat du Québec
Taillon was the president of the Conseil du patronat du QuébecConseil du patronat du Québec
The Conseil du patronat du Québec or CPQ is an institution that promotes business interests in Quebec, Canada.It was established on January 20, 1969 and plays a significant role in Quebec politics, issuing opinions on the impact of the governments’ decisions on the economy of Quebec...
from 1998 to 2006. The Conseil du Patronat is the main association for businesspeople across the province. Taillon was also heavily involved in the education sector, serving as general manager for the Sherbrooke school board, the human resources director for the defunct Gamelin school board in Gatineau
Gatineau
Gatineau is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is the fourth largest city in the province. It is located on the northern banks of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario, and together they form Canada's National Capital Region. Ottawa and Gatineau comprise a single Census...
and vice-president of the Federation des commissions scolaires du Quebec.
Provincial politics
In 2005 Taillon, who had previously been a Liberal supporter, joined the ADQ and served as president of the party from 2006 to 2007.2007 election
In September 2006, Taillon decided to run for provincial politics in the 2007 electionQuebec general election, 2007
The Quebec general election of 2007 was held in the Canadian province of Quebec on March 26, 2007 to elect members of the 38th National Assembly of Quebec. The Quebec Liberal Party led by Jean Charest managed to win a plurality of seats, but were reduced to a minority government, Quebec's first in...
as one the ADQ's star candidates. He was easily elected in the Quebec City area riding of Chaveau with 56% of the vote. Liberal incumbent Sarah Perreault
Sarah Perreault
Sarah Perreault is a former political figure in Quebec. She represented Chauveau in the Quebec National Assembly as a Liberal from 2003 to 2007....
finished second with 22% of the vote.
While Taillon focussed on issues sensitive to the education system, he was among several candidates in favor of abolishing school boards across the province and giving the responsibility to municipalities.
On March 29, 2007, Taillon was appointed deputy leader of the Official Opposition. On April 19, 2007, he was selected to be the Official Opposition's Shadow Minister of Finance.
On April 25, 2008, Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
leader Pauline Marois
Pauline Marois
Pauline Marois is the current leader of the Parti Québécois in the province of Quebec, since June 27, 2007 and current Leader of the Official Opposition of the National Assembly of Quebec, representing the riding of Charlevoix...
tabled a $900,000 lawsuit against Taillon after comments he made in which he linked Marois to the Norbourg financial scandal
Norbourg scandal
The Norbourg scandal is a major financial scandal that took place in 2005. The scandal involved the Montreal, Quebec based Norbourg Financial Group, a trust-fund company founded by Vincent Lacroix. He diverted money from a Norbourg trust fund for personal interests. Nearly 9,200 investors in Quebec...
.
2008 election
On October 31, 2008, Taillon announced that he would vacate his Chaveau seat and run for the riding of ChapleauChapleau (provincial electoral district)
Chapleau is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The district is located in Gatineau and includes portions east of and south of Autoroute 50, north of the Gatineau and Ottawa Rivers and west of the Rivière Blanche in the Templeton...
, in the Outaouais region. According to La Presse, Taillon indicated that he was disappointed about politics and wanted to move to the Outaouais for personal reasons. Initially, it was rumoured he would run in the riding of Papineau
Papineau (provincial electoral district)
Papineau is a provincial electoral district located in the province of Quebec. Situated in the Outaouais region, Papineau includes the Buckingham and Masson-Angers sectors of the City of Gatineau as well as the eastern end of the Gatineau sector and the entire MRC Papineau including the...
against Liberal Chief Whip Norman MacMillan
Norman MacMillan (politician)
Normand MacMillan is a Quebec politician, businessman and insurance agent. He is the current MNA for the riding of Papineau in the Outaouais region...
, before he decided to run in Chapleau, where former provincial Liberal cabinet minister Benoît Pelletier
Benoît Pelletier
Benoît Pelletier is lawyer, academic, and politician in the Canadian province of Quebec. He was a Liberal member of the National Assembly of Quebec from 1998 to 2008 and was a prominent cabinet minister in the government of Jean Charest...
had announced that he did not intend to seek reelection. Taillon lost his bid for election in Chapleau, finishing in third place behind the victorious Liberal, Marc Carrière
Marc Carrière
Marc Carrière is a politician in the Canadian province of Quebec, who was elected to represent the riding of Chapleau in the National Assembly of Quebec in the 2008 provincial election. He is a member of the Quebec Liberal Party.Carrière obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Ottawa...
, and Parti Québécois candidate Yves Morin
Yves Morin
Yves Morin, is a Canadian cardiologist, physician, scientist, and former Senator.Born in Quebec City, Quebec, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1948 and a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1953 from the Université Laval....
.
Leadership campaign
Following the resignation of ADQ leader Mario DumontMario Dumont
Mario Dumont is a television personality and former politician in the province of Quebec. He was a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec , and the leader of the Action démocratique du Québec , from 1994 to 2009...
after the 2008 general election, Taillon announced his candidacy for the leadership. His campaign manager was MNA François Bonnardel
François Bonnardel
François Bonnardel is the Action démocratique du Québec Member of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada, for the electoral district of Shefford....
.
Taillon was ultimately elected leader by two votes cast, over second-place rival Eric Caire
Éric Caire
Éric Caire is a politician from Quebec, Canada, and the independent Member of the National Assembly for the electoral district of La Peltrie....
. The election result has been highly controversial, as it was later reported that a television personality, in an on-air stunt, voted in the election under the name of recently deceased Gabonese strongman Omar Bongo. Later reports also revealed that the party president, who was supposed to be neutral in the race, helped raise money and organize for Taillon. Following the narrow victory, Taillon named a new shadow cabinet that did not include a critic's role for his leadership rival, Caire. Caire later resigned from the party to sit as an independent MNA, joined by caucus colleague and supporter Marc Picard
Marc Picard
Marc Picard is a politician in the province of Quebec, Canada. He currently represents the Chutes-de-la-Chaudière district at the National Assembly of Quebec as an independent....
.
On November 10, 2009, just 23 days after his election as party leader, Taillon announced a new leadership race, citing the party infighting and alleging irregularities in the party's financial affairs, dating back to 2003, which he had called in the Sûreté du Québec
Sûreté du Québec
Sûreté du Québec or SQ is the provincial police force for the Canadian province of Québec...
to investigate.