Huguette Lachapelle is a former politician in the Canadian

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...

 province of 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....

. She served in 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...

 from 1981 to 1985, representing the Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

 division of Dorion

Dorion (provincial electoral district)

Dorion was a provincial electoral district in the province of Quebec, Canada. Located in the Montreal region, the riding was formed in 1966 from parts of Montreal-Jeanne-Mance. In 1994, it became part of the new Laurier-Dorion...

 as a member of the 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...

 (PQ).

Early life and career

Lachapelle was born in Saint-Basile, Quebec. She is a graduate of the Elie Business College à Montréal and was a parliamentary aide for PQ cabinet minister Lise Payette

Lise Payette

Lise Payette, is a Quebec politician, feminist, writer and columnist. She was a Parti Québécois minister under the leadership of Premier René Lévesque and National Assembly of Quebec member for the riding of Dorion....

 from 1976 to 1981.

Legislator

Lachapelle was elected to the Quebec legislature in the 1981 provincial election

Quebec general election, 1981

The Quebec general election of 1981 was held on April 13, 1981, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Claude Ryan.The PQ won re-election despite...

. She was subsequently elected to the PQ party executive in December 1981, appointed as one of three deputy government whips

Whip (politics)

A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...

 in René Lévesque

René Lévesque

René Lévesque was a reporter, a minister of the government of Quebec, , the founder of the Parti Québécois political party and the 23rd Premier of Quebec...

's government on September 22, 1982, and promoted to chief government whip on December 4, 1984. She served in the latter position until October 23, 1985.

Lévesque resigned as PQ leader and premier

Premier of Quebec

The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....

 in 1985, and Lachapelle supported Pierre-Marc Johnson

Pierre-Marc Johnson

Pierre-Marc Johnson, , is a Quebec lawyer, physician and politician. He was the 24th Premier of Quebec from October 3 to December 12, 1985.- Early background :...

's successful bid to succeed him. When asked about rival candidate 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...

's prospects of winning, Lachapelle responded that she did not believe Quebecers were ready for a woman to be premier. Johnson distanced himself from this statement, and some political observers believed that it helped to increase Marois's public profile.

Lachapelle was defeated in the 1985 provincial election

Quebec general election, 1985

The Quebec general election of 1985 was held on December 2, 1985, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Quebec Liberal Party, led by former premier Robert Bourassa, defeated the incumbent Parti Québécois, led by premier Pierre-Marc Johnson.This election...

, losing by a narrow margin to Liberal candidate Violette Trépanier

Violette Trépanier

Violette Trépanier is a politician in the Canadian province of Quebec. She was a Liberal member of the National Assembly of Quebec from 1985 to 1994 and was a minister in the governments of Robert Bourassa and Daniel Johnson....

.

After politics

Lachapelle worked in Quebec's justice department from 1986 until her retirement in 2002.

Electoral record

External links

• Biographie: Huguette Lachapelle, National Assembly of Quebec (in French)