{"id":6182,"date":"2015-09-02T16:07:54","date_gmt":"2015-09-02T16:07:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newscoverage.org\/?p=6182"},"modified":"2015-09-02T16:11:26","modified_gmt":"2015-09-02T16:11:26","slug":"ouimet-quits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newscoverage.org\/index.php\/2015\/09\/02\/ouimet-quits\/","title":{"rendered":"Ouimet quits"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fabre MNA improved ordinary Quebecers\u2019 access to justice<\/em><\/h1>\n

By Robert Frank<\/a><\/p>\n

The man who has represented the western Laval riding of Fabre for the past three years is throwing in the towel.<\/p>\n

Gilles Ouimet announced, Aug. 24, that he intends to quit politics.<\/p>\n

Ouimet sent a resignation letter to National Assembly Speaker Jacques Chagnon, explaining that he would like to improve his \u201cwork-family balance.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the letter, he indicated that he had explained his personal situation to the legislature\u2019s ethics commissioner Jacques St. Laurent, the details of which will remain confidential.<\/p>\n

As this week\u2019s edition of The Suburban<\/em> went to press, the usually voluble Ouimet was unavailable for an interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe received some directives\u00a0and he is not taking any interviews for the moment concerning his resignation,\u201d political attach\u00e9 Walter V. Calder\u00f3n said in an interview.<\/p>\n

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Calder\u00f3n explained that Ouimet was reticent because his resignation was not yet official.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe sent the resignation letter by mail but, to make it official, he needs some signatures and he has to present the original letter to the speaker,\u201d Calder\u00f3n said. \u201cI\u2019m not sure when that will be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

The delay sparked speculation of ongoing backroom negotiations. The Couillard government was stung by Ouimet\u2019s departure, as well recent<\/p>\n

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resignation of other high-profile MNAs like Marguerite Blais.<\/p>\n

Ouimet, the former head of the Quebec Bar Association, was clearcut cabinet material and had been widely mooted to become the province\u2019s Justice Minister after the April 7, 2014 election. Instead, he languished on the government backbenches since the Liberals swept Laval in last year\u2019s provincial election.<\/p>\n

Couillard instead appointed Mille \u00celes MNA Francine Charbonneau to serve as Family Minister in the Quebec cabinet. Ouimet\u2019s central role in Pierre Moreau\u2019s campaign against Couillard for the Liberal leadership might have been a factor in bypassing Ouimet. However, Charbonneau, was also a Moreau supporter.<\/p>\n

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In addition, Couillard double-hatted Charbonneau as the minister responsible for Laval, leaving Ouimet as well as Laval\u2019s four other MNAs outside the cabinet.<\/p>\n

In contrast, a dozen members of the Couillard cabinet represent ridings on the Island of Montreal.<\/p>\n

After Fabre residents elected him to represent them in Quebec City in 2012, Ouimet spoke in the National Assembly on behalf of the then Liberal opposition on a number of justice issues.<\/p>\n

Couillard subsequently tossed Ouimet the values charter hot potato, leaving it to the Fabre MNA to map out the Liberal position on one of\u00a0Quebec\u2019s thorniest issues.<\/p>\n

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Despite the lack of\u00a0a cabinet appointment, Ouimet did\u00a0help improve ordinary Quebecers\u2019 access to justice during\u00a0his tenure. In Oct.\u00a02014, he used his\u00a0powers of persuasion\u00a0to get the province\u2019s\u00a0politicians of all\u00a0stripes to fast track a\u00a0boost in the amount individuals can claim in small claims courts from $7,000 to $15,000.<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, the Quebec Bar Association, which represents\u00a0some 25,000 Quebec lawyers, is enduring its own leadership crisis. On July 1, it removed Ouimet\u2019s successor, Lu Chan Khuong from her position as batonni\u00e8re, after allegations that she had been caught shoplifting at a Simons clothing store in Laval came to light.<\/p>\n

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On Friday, Quebec Superior Court Justice Michel Beaupr\u00e9 declined to reinstate her as head of the Quebec Bar, leaving a leadership void that Ouimet\u00a0would be well-placed to fill.<\/p>\n

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\"140404<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite not being tipped for cabinet post, Gilles Ouimet leaves lasting legacy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Photo \u00a9 Robert Frank)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fabre MNA improved ordinary Quebecers\u2019 access to justice By Robert Frank The man who has represented the western Laval riding of Fabre for the past three years is throwing in the towel. Gilles Ouimet announced, Aug. 24, that he intends to quit politics. 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