Maurice Clermont leaves public life to devote more time to family

"I think I've done my part," Mr. Clermont stated, pointing to his two decades as a city councilor and five-and-a-half years in provincial politics.

Approaching his 65th birthday, he decided to 'hang up his skates' after much reflection, in the end choosing family over politics.

On departing, he says he has very few regrets and many positive impressions of his work in Quebec City where he served for five-and-a-half years, citing his role in the successful accomplishment of three major projects in the riding as evidence of his success as the MNA for Mille-Îles.

Mr. Clermont outlined his contributions to the betterment of his constituency by citing "The bridge in the east, work on which is underway, the new bridge in Terrebonne on which traffic has rolled for the past several months, and the sound barrier erected along Autoroute 25, at a cost of $9 million, an essential quality-of-life improvement clamoured for by the people of the riding for the past 20 years."

But much to his disappointment, time ran out on another project - the expansion of a section of Highway 335 to four lanes, north of Dagenais Boulevard. "The (Quebec) Ministry of Transport is still examining the option of an urban boulevard at a cost of $10 million versus $80 million for an autoroute," he explains.

"I personally sought her out and introduced her to the executive of the Mille-Îles Liberal Riding Association, which named her the candidate. It all happened very quickly," explains the departing MNA, putting emphasis on the impromptu calling of the election by Premier Jean Charest, and adding that the party had already sounded out Mrs. Charbonneau on the prospects of running under the Liberal Party of Quebec banner.

Although he has chosen to leave politics Mr. Clermont promises to campaign day and night alongside the new Liberal recruit for the duration of the pre-vote period.

Despite her inexperience in a provincial campaign, this being her baptism of fire in provincial politics, Francine Charbonneau, who is on an unpaid leave of absence from her duties as Chairperson of the Council of Commissioners of the Commission scolaire de Laval until the day after the election, knows something about what to expect in the next few weeks on the campaign trail.

She emphasizes that she’ll conduct herself in the current provincial campaign with the same energy she's always devoted to the election process in the past.