Nine months after being re-elected, the Caquiste deputy for Jean-Talon, Joëlle Boutin, left her post for family and professional reasons. She accepted an offer she couldn’t refuse in a major firm linked to digital transformation in Quebec.
• Read also: François Legault reacts to the departure of Joëlle Boutin
“I am announcing the fruit of a deep reflection, probably one of the most difficult decisions of my life. Last night, I met the Premier of Quebec to tell him that I am leaving my duties as Member of Parliament for Jean-Talon as of July 31,” she said Wednesday afternoon at her county office, indicating that she wants to spend more time with her loved ones.
“I have my children every other week. And often, when I have my children, I hardly see them. I want to spend some time with them.”
On Twitter, Prime Minister François Legault thanked the member for Jean-Talon for her work. “Joëlle was a very appreciated colleague of the caucus! I wish him good luck in his future endeavours,” he wrote.
However, the rumor had been circulating for several days that Joëlle Boutin had accepted an enticing offer from the private sector. It’s now official.
According to our information, she will be named partner in August for Levio, a Quebec firm of business and technology consulting services.
“Politics is an extraordinary opportunity which also requires sacrifices at the professional level. It was after careful consideration and taking into account various personal and professional factors that I made the difficult decision to retire from political life to accept an opportunity in the private sector,” she said. “There are certain opportunities you can’t turn down.”
An offer she accepted, despite the 30% salary increase for deputies.
Before being elected, Ms.me Boutin was also chief of staff to the Minister Delegate for Digital Transformation. This is an area she knows well.
Levio conseil is one of the companies with numerous contracts with the government and with more than 300 companies in Quebec.
- Listen to the Déry-Montpetit meeting with Patrick Déry, political analyst at the microphone of Marie Montpetit via QUB-radio :
Holder of a master’s degree in public administration and public policy from Concordia University, a bachelor’s degree in economics and politics from Laval University, and a commercial pilot’s license, the 43-year-old politician has become known as an ambassador of female leadership, in particular by co-founding Femmes Alpha.
Disappointed?
Mme Boutin was among the caucus members disappointed not to have been appointed to the Council of Ministers. A situation that “not at all” played a role in her decision to leave politics, she said.
François Legault had instead offered her the position of parliamentary assistant, for science and innovation, to the superminister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon. Post in which she claims to have had “a lot of fun”.
Would she have stayed if she had been a minister? “It’s a hypothetical question,” she said.
- See Marie Montpetit and Marc-André Leclerc’s analysis:
The CAQ government now has six months to call a by-election in Jean-Talon. On average, a partial cost taxpayers $585,000.
Since she has not completed her term, Ms.me Boutin will not be entitled to his severance pay.
Short trip
Elected for the first time in a by-election on December 2, 2019, Joëlle Boutin had delighted what had long been a liberal castle. She was easily re-elected nine months ago in the last general election.
She will thus never have sat in the National Assembly during the entirety of a mandate.
In a press briefing, Mme Boutin admitted that his reflection began “a few months ago” due to family considerations.
However, Levio’s offer would be recent, she says.
To explain this early departure, Mr.me Boutin explains that she wanted to complete certain files that were close to her heart in Jean-Talon before turning the page, for the moment, on politics. “I still had things to do in the county,” she pleads. However, the absence of the MNA for Jean-Talon was noticed a few days ago during the inauguration of phase three of Promenade Samuel-De Champlain, which is nevertheless located in her riding.
His departure comes as the Parti Québécois leads in voting intentions in the Quebec City region, according to the latest Léger-The newspaper.
WHAT THEY SAID:
“It pains me that she is leaving, because she is a very competent person”
-Martine Biron, Minister of International Relations
“A friend is leaving. She is a colleague with whom it was pleasant to work. But hey, these are the vagaries of life.
-Éric Caire, Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital,
“She is one of the best, if not the best member of the CAQ in the greater Quebec City region. I never understood why François Legault ignored her. Incomprehensible that Mr. Legault prefers Éric Caire as minister in our region”
– Éric Duhaime, leader of the Conservative Party, without specifying whether he will run in the by-election
“Being a Member of Parliament is a demanding job, so I would like to salute Joëlle Boutin and wish her good luck in her new role. I also have a thought for the citizens of Jean-Talon who, once again, find themselves without a full-time MP.”
-Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, spokesperson for Québec solidaire
“I would like to salute the public service of Joëlle Boutin. I note that François Legault will have been unable to keep a brilliant and dedicated MP”
-Marc Tanguay, interim leader of the PLQ
“Obviously, she would have liked to be a minister, but the government has chosen to keep the members of her current team in office”
-Joël Arseneau, PQ MNA for Îles-de-la-Madeleine
“If for her it’s the right decision, well it’s the right decision”
-Jonatan Julien, Minister of Infrastructure
“It’s his decision and we live with the decision that has been made”
-Lionel Carmant, Minister Delegate for Health
“It’s a choice. I think she will continue to contribute to society […] She was a pleasant colleague to work with.”
-Suzanne Roy, Minister of Families
“Losing a colleague is always sad”
-Bernard Drainville, Minister of Education