The CAQ MP for Lévis, François Paradis, will soon leave the chair of the President of the National Assembly. He will not stand for re-election.
He made the announcement on Friday, a few hours after radio host Bernard Drainville announced that he was running as a candidate for the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) in October. “It’s a bit of a game of time too. At some point, the weight of age makes […] that a four-year-old takes us to the dawn of 70 years, ”he said when approached at the entrance to the Blue Room, his playground for four years.
In February, however, he confided in an interview with The sun his desire to return. ” I will be there ! he had launched. “It’s the analysis, huh, it’s important, he said on Friday. My family, my wife…”
An eventful mandate
Former television host, François Paradis entered the National Assembly in 2014, first in opposition. CAQ spokesperson for health and social services at the time, he notably promoted the idea of offering at least two baths per week to seniors admitted to residential and long-term care centers duration. He was re-elected in 2018.
“He was an excellent health spokesperson and he was an excellent president,” said Prime Minister François Legault, who recruited him eight years ago, on Friday morning.
The term of François Paradis as President of the National Assembly, from 2018 to 2022, was notably marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his presidency, the Blue Room was decorated with plexiglass, and elected officials sat part-time for almost two years, while the pandemic subsided.
The beginning of his mandate was also marked by acrimonious exchanges within the walls of the National Assembly. So much so that his authority was called into question in 2019. Around the same time, he was forced to decide on the clothing of elected officials, after the solidarity deputy Catherine Dorion showed up at the Salon bleu dressed in a hoodie. The clothing policy of parliamentarians has not changed since.
He is the last president to have sat under the crucifix. This was removed in July 2019 and sits in a display case at the entrance to the Blue Room.
“Excellent communicator”
In a statement released Friday, Prime Minister François Legault paid tribute to his MP. “I am very proud that François has chosen to put his experience and determination at the service of the citizens of Lévis and Quebecers for eight years,” he said.
“An excellent communicator, he made the difference at a pivotal moment for our political formation. I also want to thank him for his great rigor as President of the National Assembly,” he added.