Nicolas Girard (born June 5, 1972 in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
) is a politician in
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, and former member of the
National Assembly of Quebec
The National Assembly of Quebec (officially in french: link=no, Assemblée nationale du Québec) is the legislative body of the province of Quebec in Canada. Legislators are called MNAs (Members of the National Assembly; french: link=no, déput ...
. He was elected to the National Assembly in a
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
as a
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois (; ; PQ) is a sovereignist and social democratic provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. The PQ advocates national sovereignty for Quebec involving independence of the province of Quebec from Canada and establishin ...
member on September 20, 2004 in riding of
Gouin in the Montreal region.
Student activism
Girard was involved in politics in his teens, notably on the Parti Québécois (PQ) Youth Association in the riding of
La Prairie.
As a student of
Collège Édouard-Montpetit
In France, secondary education is in two stages:
* ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15.
* ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between ...
, Girard was involved in the Parti Québécois local cell. He was then elected president of the student college association. He fought against budget cuts made by the Canadian federal government.
During the
1995 Quebec referendum, he founded a student organization supporting the yes side. He gave several speeches along with PQ leader,
Jacques Parizeau
Jacques Parizeau (; August 9, 1930June 1, 2015) was a Canadian politician and Québécois economist who was a noted Quebec sovereigntist and the 26th premier of Quebec from September 26, 1994, to January 29, 1996.
Early life and career
Parize ...
.
Girard has a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in
political sciences
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
at the
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-de ...
and did studies for the
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in
industrial relations
Industrial relations or employment relations is the multidisciplinary academic field that studies the employment relationship; that is, the complex interrelations between employers and employees, labor/trade
unions, employer organizations, ...
.
During his stay at the Université de Montréal, he was elected leader of student association -
(FAÉCUM).
He is a former student activist, notably organizing student rallies against former minister
Lloyd Axworthy
Lloyd Norman Axworthy (born December 21, 1939) is a Canadian politician, elder statesman and academic. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Following his retirement from parliament ...
's cuts in education. He then became the president-elect of the Federation des associations étudiantes du campus de l'Université de Montréal (FAECUM). FAECUM supported the yes side during the 1995 Quebec referendum.
Early political career
Upon graduation, Girard was hired by the Parti Québécois as a communication advisor. He later worked for several ministers, including
François Legault
François Legault (; born May 26, 1957) is a Canadian politician serving as the 32nd premier of Quebec since 2018. A member of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), he has led the party since its founding in 2011. Legault sits as a member of the ...
,
André Boisclair
André Boisclair (; born April 14, 1966) is a former Canadian politician and convicted sex offender in Quebec, Canada. He was the leader of the Parti Québécois, a social democratic and sovereigntist party in Quebec.
Between January 1996 and M ...
and
Sylvain Simard
Sylvain Simard (born April 26, 1945) is a politician and academic based in the Canadian province of Quebec. He represented Richelieu in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1994 to 2012, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Lucien ...
as a press secretary.
At the
2003 provincial election, he was appointed as the deputy communication director for the campaign. Following the PQ's defeat, he was hired by the
Confédération des syndicats nationaux
The Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN; Confederation of National Trade Unions) is the second largest trade union federation in Quebec by membership.
History
It was founded in Hull in 1921 as the ''Confédération des travailleurs c ...
(CSN), as a communication specialist. He also joined
Pauline Marois
Pauline Marois (; born March 29, 1949) is a retired Canadian politician, who served as the 30th premier of Quebec from 2012 to 2014. Marois had been a member of the National Assembly in various ridings since 1981 as a member of the Parti Québà ...
's organization as an advisor, in her attempt to quickly replace
Bernard Landry
Bernard Landry (; March 9, 1937 – November 6, 2018) was a Canadian politician who served as the 28th premier of Quebec from 2001 to 2003. A member of the Parti Québécois (PQ), he led the party from 2001 to 2005, also serving as the leader o ...
.
2004 by-election
In 2004, following
André Boisclair
André Boisclair (; born April 14, 1966) is a former Canadian politician and convicted sex offender in Quebec, Canada. He was the leader of the Parti Québécois, a social democratic and sovereigntist party in Quebec.
Between January 1996 and M ...
's resignation, he ran for the PQ in the Gouin riding. In the candidate selection process, he was backed by Pauline Marois and defeated high-profile
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois (BQ; , "Québécois people, Quebecer Voting bloc, Bloc") is a list of federal political parties in Canada, federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebec nationalism and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty movement, Que ...
vice-president,
Dominique Ollivier, who was supported by
Bernard Bigras,
Gilles Duceppe and
Louise Harel
Louise Harel (born April 22, 1946) is a Quebec politician. In 2005 she served as interim leader of the Parti Québécois following the resignation of Bernard Landry. She was also interim leader of the opposition in the National Assembly of Qu ...
.
He won his selection at the third round by a one-vote margin.
Political career 2004 - 2007
Early after his election, he left Marois' organization to back Bernard Landry who was gaining support in order to get a decent confidence score at a mandatory PQ internal vote.
In 2005,
Bernard Landry
Bernard Landry (; March 9, 1937 – November 6, 2018) was a Canadian politician who served as the 28th premier of Quebec from 2001 to 2003. A member of the Parti Québécois (PQ), he led the party from 2001 to 2005, also serving as the leader o ...
resigned after gaining only 75% of his party support, Girard then convinced André Boisclair to make a bid for the PQ leadership, which he won.
Since, Girard's political career has been on the fast-track. Boisclair appointed him the PQ critics in social services and as the chief strategist for the upcoming provincial election. Girard then appointed long-time friend, Pierre-Luc Paquette, as PQ's general manager.
It is said that Girard would play a leading role in an eventual Boisclair government.
General election 2007
Girard was re-appointed the PQ's candidate in the Gouin riding in
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
. He faced
Françoise David
Françoise David (born January 13, 1948) is a former spokesperson of Québec solidaire – a left-wing, feminist, and sovereigntist political party in the province of Quebec, Canada. She was elected to serve as the Member of the National Assemb ...
, the leader of
Quebec Solidaire
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen p ...
, a left wing political party.
His electoral office was occupied by FRAPRU, a social lobby supporting more public funded housing, police were forced to evacuate the illegal protesters.
He was re-elected with almost 40% of the vote, however the PQ finished in third position.
Defeat and AMT appointment
Girard was defeated in the
September 4, 2012 Quebec general election. On September 25, 2012, he was appointed president and CEO of the
Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT), which coordinates regional transportation in the Montreal area.
He was removed from the position by Premier
Philippe Couillard
Philippe Couillard (; born June 26, 1957) is a Canadian business advisor and former neurosurgeon, university professor and politician who served as 31st premier of Quebec from 2014 to 2018. Between 2003 and 2008, he was Quebec's Minister of He ...
in August 2015, resulting in PQ claims that it was because he was a sovereignist. His large
severance pay
Severance may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Severance'' (film), a 2006 British horror film
* ''Severance'' (novel), a 2018 novel by Ling Ma
*''Severance'', a 2006 short-story collection by Robert Olen Butler
* ''Severance'' (TV series), a ...
also created controversy.
Electoral record (partial)
* Result compared to Action démocratique
* Result compared to UFP
, -
,
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
, Edith Keays
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, -
, -
, -
, -
,
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
, Régent Millette
, align="right", 33
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, -
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Girard, Nicolas
1972 births
French Quebecers
Living people
Parti Québécois MNAs
Politicians from Montreal
Université de Montréal alumni
21st-century Canadian politicians