Pauline Marois

Biography

Girl of Gregoire Marois and Marie-Paule Gingras, Pauline Marois is the elder one of five children. She grew in a modest milieu - his/her father was mechanic in a garage of Quebec - with Saint-Etienne-with-Lauzon (now incorporated in Lévis), on southern bank of the the St. Lawrence, opposite Quebec. All the children of the family made academic works, which counted much for their parents. She is holder of a baccalaureat in social service of the Université Laval (1971) and of a control in administration of the businesses (MBA) of the École of the high commercial studies (HEC) of the Université of Montreal (1976).

She is married since 1969 with Claude Blanchet, with which she will have four children. Mr Blanchet was president of the General society of financing between 1997 and 2003.

Militant as of the first days of the Left Québécois, Pauline Marois was briefly the press attaché of Jacques Parizeau, which was one of its professors to the HEC. She becomes then principal private secretary of the minister to the Female condition, Lise Payette, in November 1979. The biographer of Rene Lévesque, Pierre Godin, affirms that Pauline Marois hesitated before accepting the station, because it did not feel particularly feminist. With me, you will become it , Payette had then retorted to him.

First political career

Seven month old enclosure, Pauline Marois hesitates to launch out in policy. She is finally convinced by her spouse and Rene Lévesque, and stands as candidate in the district of Peltrie, in the area of Quebec. She is elected with a comfortable majority of 5337 votes on her liberal adversary, the April 13rd, 1981. She gives rise to its second child 11 days later, on April 24th.

She enters immediately to the the Council of Ministers, initially like person in charge of the Female condition of April 30th, 1981 to November 29th, 1983, and for four months in 1985. She is then promoted with the vice-presidency of the Council of the treasure, on September 9th, 1982, then becomes Minister for the Labor and the Safety of the income, at the time of the rehandling of November 1983.

She signs, on November 9th, 1984, letter of the twelve , in which half of the Ministers for the government Lévesque are opposed to the strategy Beau risks Prime Minister and claim that sovereignty is in the middle of the electoral campaign of the following year. However, it joint not with seven of his/her colleagues signatories who will resign at the end of the month.

At the beginning of Rene Lévesque, it presents to the race with the direction of the Québécois Party, in spite of an unfavourable survey. After a campaign where it makes the promotion of full employment and sovereignty, it finishes in second place with 19.7% of the votes, but known as satisfied and ready to continue its engagement.

Demolished in Peltrie, at the time of the Québécois general election of December 2nd, 1985, it continues its implication within the national executive of the Québécois Party, very as a militant within feminist organizations. It is trésorière of the Fédération of the women of Quebec and acts as consulting at the company Elizabeth Fry, an organization which comes to assistance of the held and ex-held women, it temporarily withdraws direction of the party at the end of the congress of June 1987, to go to teach with the Université of Quebec with Hull. It is presented to the by-election in the district of Anjou, on June 20th, 1988, but undergoes the defeat by: 1147 votes.

1994-2003 - the minister general-purpose

It returns to the National Assembly as a deputy of Taillon in 1989 and is made re-elect in 1994, 1998 and 2003.

It is at this period that Pauline Marois becomes, with the passing of years, one of the most tested political women history of Quebec. Of return to the capacity after the general election of 1994, the Prime Minister Jacques Parizeau entrusts at the same time social files to him - the ministry for the Family - and economic - the Council of the treasure, and the shortly after the referendum of 1995, the ministry for Finances.

It occupied not less than 14 ministerial loads, among which: finances, the Education and the Health. It also occupied during two years the station of vice-first Minister for Quebec (2001 - 2003).

It, inter alia, gave rise to sometimes discussed the centers of early childhood, controlled the file of the transformation of the network of the catholic denominational schools and Protestant women of English language and Frenchwoman - a provision going back from the Acte of British North America to 1867 -, in two networks of school commissions organized on a linguistics basis and founded the full-time nursery school.

In 2001, after the departure of Lucien Bouchard, then Prime Minister for Quebec, Bernard Landry does not waste time and collects all the supports. It is made crown chief of the party, then Prime Minister. Pauline Marois misses her chance one second time. Bernard Landry will make of it his Minister for Finance and Vice-first minister, station which it occupied until the demolished of the Québécois Party in 2003.

Until its interlude of full-time political woman, it occupied the station of spokesperson of the Official opposition as regards international relations following the rehandling of the shadow cabinet of the Québécois Party.

2005: Second countryside with the direction of the Québécois Party

In 2004, seeking to cause the destiny, Pauline Marois openly requires of the departure of Bernard Landry then chief of the Québécois Party. In 2005, this last resigns after being subjected to a vote of confidence where it obtains 76,2% of the supports. Following this resignation, it launches out officially and without awaiting in the race with the direction of the Québécois Party in June 2005. It receives the support of Joseph Facal, Jonathan Valois, Maka Kotto and Marie Malavoy and a score of deputies of its party and Québécois Bloc, left souverainist camped in Ottawa.

In the event of victory, she promised to hold a Référendum in the six months at one year after the election of a government pequist, provided that he is gaining:

It is an immense task which we have to achieve together, to prepare Quebec to make sovereignty, especially to make a success of it and gain the referendum. It is not a question to hold a referendum any time, tomorrow morning, it acts to hold one of them gaining.

It receives many supports outside the Québécois Party, like that of the ex-president of the Fédération of the nurses, Jennie Skeene, of the former president of CEQ, Lorraine Page, of the écrivaine Helene Pedneault and the former president of the Executive committee of the town of Montreal, Lea Cousineau.

The week before the election, it receives the support of Pierre Dubuc, candidate in the race. The November 10th, Gilbert Paquette gives up the race and requires of its partisans to vote for Marois.

November 15th, 2005, it loses finally the election with 30,56%, that is to say the 2nd position, with: 32166 votes, whereas André Boisclair is elected with a majority of 53,68%. Its dream to become Prime Minister for Quebec - and first woman to become it - escapes to him once again. She accepts the clear verdict and joins herself the new chief. She shows herself all the same satisfied with the electoral campaign, but acknowledges being pained a little.

March 20th, 2006, without bitterness, Pauline Marois announces that it leaves the active political life. This rapid departure causes a certain surprise since it had just agreed to occupy the station of criticism as regards International relations. However, since January, the rumor ran that an imminent departure of the tenor was likely to occur. It is withdrawn after more than 25 years of public life and policy, not without sorrow. However, she will acknowledge at the time of her speech of resignation that the heart is not there any more .

2007: Third countryside with the direction of the Québécois Party

Following the resignation of Andre Boisclair, on May 8th, 2007, Pauline Marois chooses to present in possible a race to the direction of the Québécois Party, on May 11th, 2007. For it, it is about a third attempt to become chief of this party.

May 13rd, 2007, Pauline Marois declares officially her candidature, that is to say eighteen months after her defeat at the time of the race to the direction of the Québécois Party of 2005. She wants to put side the chief clerk project and wants to modify her approach of a future country. She wishes to change all the program of the Québécois Party to adapt this one to the wills of the Inhabitants of Quebec.

Pauline Marois was the only person officially in string for the succession of Andre Boisclair, Gilles Duceppe being withdrawn one day after having announced her candidature, probably convinced of the fatal consequences for the movement souverainist of such a confrontation and perceiving perhaps also a lack of sufficient supports. Indeed, Pauline Marois enjoyed a very great number of supports as of the first day of the advertisement of her candidature, at the same time within mobility pequist that within the population (according to the first surveys).

She received the support of the political club SPQ-Free. Also, it rejoined the near total of the Député S of the Québécois Party. It then made of it a statement indicating that it supported the thaw of the school fees.

May 14th, 2007, Gilles Duceppe offered to him also its support to him. The same day, Pauline Marois is seen besides with a supper-benefit of the Québécois Bloc, with Montreal, whereas this last grants its unconditional support to him.

She became officially chief of the Québécois Party, with the closing of the period of the settings in candidature, on June 26th, being the only person having deposited the necessary signatures.

Political comeback active

August 13rd, 2007 in Quebec, Rosary Bertrand, of the Left Québécois, resigns like deputy of the district of Charlevoix, in extreme cases is great area of the Capital-Main road. At the same time, it forces the release of a by-election, providing opportunity, in Pauline Marois, to be able to reach the National Assembly of Quebec. The very same day of the resignation of Rosary Bertrand, Marois announces that it will be candidate with this election.

In September 2007, the day before the poll, a controversy bursts: a journalist of the daily newspaper The Gazette reveals that Pauline Marois and her spouse, Claude Blanchet, have a residence located on agricultural in the past grounds (until their dézonage, in 1991), and on public grounds expropriés in 1978 and intended for the prolongation of the highway 440.

September 24th, 2007 in Quebec, is the day of the poll, Pauline Marois is elected with 59,16% of the votes, becoming at the same time appointed of Charlevoix. Its main adversary, the adequist Conrad Harvey, obtains as for him 37,04% of the voices. The assermentation of Pauline Marois takes place on October 11th, 2007.

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