Louise Harel - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Louise Harel is a Québec

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....

politician. In 2005 she served as interim leader

Interim leader

An interim leader, in Canadian politics, is a party leader appointed by the party's legislative caucus or the party's executive to temporarily act as leader when a gap occurs between the resignation or death of a party leader and the election of a formal successor...

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...

following the resignation of Bernard Landry

Bernard Landry

Bernard Landry, is a Quebec lawyer, teacher, politician, who served as the 28th Premier of Quebec , leader of the Opposition and leader of the Parti Québécois .-Personal:...

. She was also interim leader of the opposition

Leader of the Official Opposition (Quebec)

This is a list of the leaders of the opposition party of Quebec, Canada since Confederation .Note that the leader of the Opposition is not always the leader of the political party with the second-largest number of seats, in cases where the leader of that party does not have a seat.There was no...

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...

. She represented the riding of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve

Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (provincial electoral district)

Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The district is located in Montreal. It is bordered to the West by the Canadian National Railway yard, to the South by the Saint Lawrence River to the North by Rachel...

in 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...

region prior to her resignation from the legislature in 2008. She ran for Mayor of Montreal as the representative of the Vision Montreal

Vision Montreal

Vision Montreal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has been in existence since 1994 and presently forms the Official opposition on Montreal City Council under leader Louise Harel.-Origins:...

municipal political party in the 2009 election

Quebec municipal elections, 2009

Municipal elections took place throughout Quebec, Canada, on November 1, 2009, to replace mayors and councillors.-Acton Vale:-Alma:-Amos:-Amqui:-Asbestos:-Aumond:-Baie-Comeau:-Baie-Saint-Paul:-Beaconsfield:-Beauceville:...

, but was defeated by incumbent Gérald Tremblay

Gérald Tremblay

Gérald Tremblay is a Canadian politician and businessman currently serving his third term as mayor of Montreal and as president of the Montreal Metropolitan Community...

Life and career

Harel was born in Sainte-Thérèse-de-Blainville

Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec

Sainte-Thérèse is an off-island suburb northwest of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Regional County Municipality of Thérèse-de-Blainville....

, Quebec

Quebec

. She graduated in 1977 from 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...

with a law degree and was admitted to the bar

Barreau du Quebec

The Bar of Quebec is the provincial law society for lawyers in Quebec, Canada...

in 1978. She worked at the national secretariat, the Centre des services sociaux de Montréal and the Social Development Council of Metropolitan Montreal as a staff member. She has been a member of the Parti Québécois (PQ) since 1970 and was the president of the party in Montreal-Centre in the 1970s and the vice-president of the party province wide from 1979 to 1981.

She was first elected to the National Assembly in the 1981 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...

as the Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for Maisonneuve

Maisonneuve (provincial electoral district)

Maisonneuve was a provincial electoral district located in the province of Quebec, Canada. Situated in the Montreal region, it was formed in 1912 from parts of Hochelaga...

. In 1984, she was appointed Minister of Cultural Communities and Immigration by Quebec 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....

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...

, and served until the government's electoral defeat in the 1985 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...

. She retained her seat that year and in 1989

Quebec general election, 1989

The Quebec general election of 1989 was held on September 25, 1989, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada...

, however, and served in opposition for the next five years.

When the PQ returned to power in the 1994 election

Quebec general election, 1994

The Quebec general election of 1994 was held on September 12, 1994, to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The Parti Québécois, led by Jacques Parizeau, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Daniel Johnson, Jr.....

under the leadership of Jacques Parizeau

Jacques Parizeau

Jacques Parizeau, is an economist and noted Quebec sovereignist who was the 26th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from September 26, 1994 to January 29, 1996.-Early life and career:...

, she returned to cabinet as Minister

Minister (government)

A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....

of Employment and minister responsible for immigration.

After being re-elected in 1998

Quebec general election, 1998

The Quebec general election of 1998 was held on November 30, 1998, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Parti Québécois, led by Lucien Bouchard, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Charest.After the narrow defeat of...

, she later served as Minister of Municipal Affairs. During her tenure as minister, she tabled a bill

Bill (proposed law)

A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....

which forced the merger of several small municipalities into one entity and affected all key cities such as 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...

, 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...

, 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...

, Trois-Rivières

Trois-Rivières

Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...

, Saguenay

Saguenay, Quebec

Saguenay is a city in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, on the Saguenay River, about north of Quebec City....

, Longueuil

Longueuil

Longueuil is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly across from Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census totaled 229,330, making it the third largest city in...

and Sherbrooke. The project, which was implemented in 2002 was met with mixed reviews and later become a key issue during the 2003 provincial elections.

In 2002, she became the first woman to serve as Speaker

Speaker (politics)

The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...

of the National Assembly, and remained in that capacity until the 2003 election

Quebec general election, 2003

The Quebec general election of 2003 was held on April 14, 2003, to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec . The Parti libéral du Québec , led by Jean Charest, defeated the incumbent Parti Québécois, led by Bernard Landry.-Unfolding:...

, after which she joined the PQ on the opposition benches.

Harel served as interim PQ leader and leader of the opposition until a leadership election chose André Boisclair

André Boisclair

André Boisclair is a politician in Quebec, Canada. He was the leader of the Parti Québécois, a social democratic and separatist party in Quebec....

as leader on November 15, 2005. She was not a candidate in the leadership election

Parti Québécois leadership election, 2005

The Parti Québécois leadership election of 2005 was held from November 13 to November 15, 2005 to elect the new leader of the Parti Québécois, the main sovereigntist and social democratic political party in Quebec, Canada....

. She continued to serve as leader of the opposition until PQ leader André Boisclair

André Boisclair

André Boisclair is a politician in Quebec, Canada. He was the leader of the Parti Québécois, a social democratic and separatist party in Quebec....

won his seat in the National Assembly on August 14, 2006.

She was re-elected in the 2007 elections

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...

and named the PQ critic in social services and later she was also giving the portfolio of Status of Women. In October 2008, she announced that she will not seek another mandate.

Montreal mayoralty campaign

Harel ran for mayor of 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...

for the November 1, 2009 Montreal municipal election on behalf of the municipal Vision Montréal

Vision Montreal

party. To that end, she has been studying to improve her poor English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, a liability in a city where almost 20% the population is Anglophone. She has stated that the rise of "ethnic neighbourhoods" in the city is an undesirable situation, because she believes that Montrealers should feel part of the whole city, not just of their own borough. A central aspect of her campaign has been to centralize municipal government.

She came in second in the mayoralty race, and became city councillor for the district of Maisonneuve–Longue-Pointe. She announced she would remain leader of Vision Montréal and opposition leader at City Hall.

Electoral record

Montreal municipal election, 2009
Montreal municipal election, 2009
The city of Montreal, Quebec, held a municipal election at the same time as numerous other municipalities in Quebec, on November 1, 2009. Voters elected the Mayor of Montreal, Montreal City Council, and the mayors and councils of each of the city's boroughs....
Candidate	Party	Vote	%
Gérald Tremblay Gérald Tremblay Gérald Tremblay is a Canadian politician and businessman currently serving his third term as mayor of Montreal and as president of the Montreal Metropolitan Community... (incumbent)	Union Montréal Union Montreal Union Montreal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It currently governs Montreal's city government.-Origins:It was established as the Montreal Island Citizens Union in the aftermath of the province-wide municipal merger of 2001 and not long before the municipal election...	159,020	37.90%
Louise Harel	Vision Montréal Vision Montreal Vision Montreal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has been in existence since 1994 and presently forms the Official opposition on Montreal City Council under leader Louise Harel.-Origins:...	137,301	32.73%
Richard Bergeron Richard Bergeron Richard Bergeron is a Canadian politician from Montreal and a previous Mayoral candidate. Bergeron is the leader of Projet Montréal, a municipal political party. He was its mayoralty candidate during the 2009 Montreal municipal election...	Projet Montréal Projet Montréal Projet Montréal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Origins:Projet Montréal is possibly the first party since the Montreal Citizens' Movement that was not specifically established to promote a mayoral candidacy. It was created by environmental activists in May...	106,768	25.45%
Louise O'Sullivan Louise O'Sullivan Louise O'Sullivan is a former Montreal city councillor and member of the city's executive committee. She is the founder and leader of Parti Montréal Ville-Marie...	Parti Montréal - Ville-Marie Parti Montréal Ville-Marie Parti Montréal Ville-Marie is a municipal political party in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Led by its founder, Louise O'Sullivan, Parti Montréal Ville-Marie was founded on May 31, 2005....	8,490	2.02%
Michel Bédard	Parti Fierté Montréal Parti Fierté Montréal Parti Fierté Montréal is a small municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It fronted its own candidate, Michel Bédard for the mayorship of Montreal in the municipal elections in 2009.During his electoral campaign, Mr...	5,297	1.26%
Michel Prairie	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	2,648	0.63%

|-

|Parti québécois

Parti Québécois

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....

Québec Solidaire

Québec solidaire is a democratic socialist and sovereigntist political party in Quebec, Canada, that was created on 4 February 2006 in Montreal. It was formed by the merger of the left-wing party Union des forces progressistes and the alter-globalization political movement Option Citoyenne, led...

Bloc pot

The Bloc Pot is a provincial political party in Quebec, Canada that is dedicated to ending cannabis prohibition. It has contested three provincial elections but it has failed to win any seats in the National Assembly of Quebec. The party was launched in 1997 by Marc-Boris St-Maurice as a way to...

Parti marxiste-léniniste du Québec

The Parti marxiste-léniniste du Québec or PMLQ is a Quebec communist political party. Its orientation is Marxism-Leninism. The PMLQ is the Quebec branch of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada...

|Christine Dandeneault
|align="right"|63
|align="right"|0.26
|align="right"|
|}
|-

|Parti québécois

Parti Québécois

Action démocratique du Québec

|Louise Blackburn
|align="right"|2,449
|align="right"|10.40
|align="right"|
|-

|UFP
|Lise Alarie
|align="right"|788
|align="right"|3.34
|align="right"|
|-

|Bloc Pot

Bloc pot

Parti marxiste-léniniste du Québec

The Parti marxiste-léniniste du Québec or PMLQ is a Quebec communist political party. Its orientation is Marxism-Leninism. The PMLQ is the Quebec branch of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada...

Parti démocratie chrétienne du Québec

The Parti démocratie chrétienne du Québec is a social conservative political party in Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 2000 by Roman Catholics associated with the Centre d’Information nationale Robert Rumilly. The founding leader of the party was Gilles Noël.Its program is a combination of...

|Mario Richard
|align="right"|52
|align="right"|0.22
|align="right"|
|}
|-

|Parti québécois

Parti Québécois

Action démocratique du Québec

|Jean-Louis Lalonde
|align="right"|2,454
|align="right"|11.51
|align="right"|
|-

|PDS

Parti de la démocratie socialiste

The Parti de la Democratie Socialiste was a political party in Quebec, Canada.The early origins of the PDS can be traced back to the Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif , later renamed Parti social démocratique du Québec...

Parti marxiste-léniniste du Québec

The Parti marxiste-léniniste du Québec or PMLQ is a Quebec communist political party. Its orientation is Marxism-Leninism. The PMLQ is the Quebec branch of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada...

|Christine Dandeneault
|align="right"|133
|align="right"|0.62
|align="right"|
|-

|Communist
|Robert Aubin
|align="right"|75
|align="right"|0.35
|align="right"|
|}
|-

|Parti québécois

Parti Québécois

Action démocratique du Québec

|Michèle Piché
|align="right"|2,454
|align="right"|11.51
|align="right"|
|-

|NDP

Nouveau Parti démocratique du Québec

The New Democratic Party of Quebec was a political party in Quebec, Canada, with social-democratic and democratic socialist ideological tendencies...

Parti de la loi naturelle du Québec

The Parti de la loi naturelle du Québec was the Quebec branch of the international Natural Law Party, the political arm of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation movement. It never won a seat in the National Assembly...

Parti marxiste-léniniste du Québec

The Parti marxiste-léniniste du Québec or PMLQ is a Quebec communist political party. Its orientation is Marxism-Leninism. The PMLQ is the Quebec branch of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada...

|Christine Dandeneault
|align="right"|133
|align="right"|0.62
|align="right"|
|}
|-

|Parti québécois

Parti Québécois

|Louise Harel
|align="right"|14,639
|align="right"|63.50
|align="right"|
|-

|Liberal
|Yvon Lewis
|align="right"|6,479
|align="right"|29.28
|align="right"|
|-

|Green
|Jean-Pierre Bonefant
|align="right"|685
|align="right"|2.97
|align="right"|
|-

|NDP

Nouveau Parti démocratique du Québec

The New Democratic Party of Quebec was a political party in Quebec, Canada, with social-democratic and democratic socialist ideological tendencies...

Parti des travailleurs du Québec

The Parti des travailleurs du Québec was a political party in the Canadian province of Quebec. It issued its first manifesto in 1976 and fielded candidates until the 1990s, never rising above fringe status...

Parti marxiste-léniniste du Québec

The Parti marxiste-léniniste du Québec or PMLQ is a Quebec communist political party. Its orientation is Marxism-Leninism. The PMLQ is the Quebec branch of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada...

Parti pour la république du Canada (Québec)

The Parti pour la république du Canada was the Quebec branch of the Party for the Commonwealth of Canada, a Canadian political party formed by supporters of U.S. politician Lyndon LaRouche...

|Daniel Ricard
|align="right"|56
|align="right"|0.24
|align="right"|
|}

External links

Louise HAREL at Assemblée nationale du Québec

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.