(Côte-Saint-Luc) CÔTE-D’Arcy-McGee Member of the National Assembly since 2014, David Birnbaum, announced on Monday that he will not be a candidate in the general elections next October in Quebec.
Posted at 9:02
Updated at 9:35 a.m.
In a letter sent to his colleagues in the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) caucus, Mr. Birnbaum said he informed leader Dominique Anglade of his decision.
Mr. Birnbaum, who turned 66 last Friday, currently serves as official opposition critic for the Canadian Francophonie, for relations with English-speaking Quebecers, for Canadian intergovernmental relations and in mental health.
Rarely for an opposition MP, he managed to get his Bill 498 passed last week, An Act to proclaim National Positive Mental Health Promotion Day. This day will take place every March 13.
On March 13, 2020, Quebec declared a health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This date constitutes a “pivotal moment in Quebec’s collective thinking and a turning point in raising awareness of the importance of positive mental health”, can we read in the law.
The concept of positive mental health is generally defined as acting upstream and implementing strategies to prevent the emergence of mental health problems.
Before entering politics, Mr. Birnbaum was notably director for Quebec of the Canadian Jewish Congress and director general of the Association of English-Speaking School Boards of Quebec, from 2004 to 2014.
The riding he represents includes part of the Côte-des-Neiges and Snowdon neighborhoods in Montreal, as well as the municipalities of Côte-Saint-Luc and Hampstead.
The name of David Birnbaum thus joins a list of several PLQ deputies who have announced in recent weeks that they will not be candidates in the elections next fall: Hélène David, Nicole Ménard, Jean Rousselle, Gaétan Barrette, Christine St-Pierre, Lise Thériault, Francine Charbonneau and Monique Sauvé have all declared that they will not seek new mandates.