Quebec Conservatives

Eventhough I live in Ontario, I attended a Quebec candidates dinner that was attended by 3 of the strongest candidates that they have had in years running in the Hull Gatineau area. Also, speaking where John Reynolds - who is not running for re-election in B.C. so he can work on the national campaing - and Rona Ambrose - our fluently bilingual MP from Alberta. She made a good point that Alberta and Quebec are very similiar as they have a strong provincial identity and and beleive that stronger provinces make for a stronger Canada.

The "star" candidate is Pontiac's Lawrence Cannon who is running against David Smith. Mr. Cannon is a well-known political figure in Québec. He was a member of the National Assembly from 1985 to 1994. Mr. Cannon held several high profile postings in the Bourassa government, including Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and Minister of Communications from October 1990 to January 1994. As Minister of Communications he implemented the 911 emergency system as well as the Privacy Act. Mr. Cannon worked as a consultant in the private sector and re-entered politics by becoming a city councillor in the new city of Gatineau in 2001. In January 2002, he was appointed president of the Société de transport des Outaouais and, in January 2004, he was appointed president of the Association du transport urbain du Québec. Mr. Cannon holds a degree in political science from the Université de Montréal in addition to a Master’s degree in business administration from Université Laval.

In Hull-Aylmer, we have Gilles Poirier holds master’s degrees in commercial sciences (Université de Sherbrooke) and business administration (Concordia University), as well as a doctorate in education. He is a member of the Ordre des Comptables en Management Accrédités du Québec. He has been a professor in the department of accounting sciences at the Université du Québec en Outaouais, of which he was also departmental director for four years. In addition, he is an experienced businessman who worked for several years in the food sector as the owner of several companies. Mr. Poirier is also the author of several articles and specialized publications in the field of accounting and management, in Canada and abroad.

I'll have more on the Gatineau Candidate later - I beleive he is the President of the University of Ottawa Young Conservative Club which is one of the most active clubs in Canada.

Update:
Gatineau Candidate:
At 25 years of age, Patrick Robert already has some valuable political experience. He grew up in Gatineau and completed his studies in the region. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in political science (University of Ottawa) and in social science. He has been working as a political research consultant for several years.

Mr. Robert also acquired some very relevant experience working in the federal public service over the years. In addition, together with two other partners he founded a company specializing in the promotion of special events. He is actively involved in his community, especially for amateur sports, and plans to put his experience and enthusiasm to good use in serving the people in the Gatineau riding.