2007 Provincial Elections and Jean-Marie Le Pen Controversy
In 2007, Arcand decided to try in provincial politics when he announced his candidacy in the provincial elections for the riding of Mont-Royal which was left vacant by Health minister Philippe Couillard who announced his candidacy in the riding of Jean-Talon in Quebec City replacing Margaret Delisle. He decided to run in order to improve the province's competitiveness in the economic domain.
Prior to the start of the campaign, Arcand compared Action democratique du Quebec (ADQ) leader Mario Dumont to French far-right politician and leader of France's Front National, Jean-Marie Le Pen.
In an interview on Radio-Canada's radio show Christiane Charette he said about Mario Dumont:
| “ | Dans le cas de Mario Dumont, ce que je n'aime pas, c'est qu'en 1995, il était indépendantiste, puis en l'an 2000, il était comme Mike Harris. Là, il devient le Jean-Marie Le Pen du Québec. Il a fait une attaque directe contre les communautés culturelles.
English translation: In the case of Mario Dumont, what I don't like is that in 1995 he was a separatist, then in 2000 he became like Mike Harris and then, he became the Jean-Marie Le Pen of Quebec. He made a direct attack against the cultural communities. |
” |
The controversy arose during a period when the issue of reasonable accommodations was a dominant topic prior to the start of the campaign. Shortly after the interview, Dumont had requested Arcand to retract his statements in which he later corrected it in a press conference. Despite the controversy, he was easily elected in Mont-Royal. He was named the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development, Innovation, Export Trade and Tourism, portfolios currently held by Raymond Bachand until April 16, 2008 when he was named the Assistant to the President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Finances Monique Jérôme-Forget after Hull MNA Roch Cholette ended his political career and resigned.
Read more about this topic: Pierre Arcand
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