Premier François Legault does not intend to celebrate his 25-year political career this year.
He became Minister of Industry in Lucien Bouchard's PQ government on Sept. 23, 1998, but was elected on Nov. 30 of the same year as the representative for L'Assomption, the riding in which he is still a member.
In a news conference on Friday at the end of a caucus meeting of his party's elected officials in a Laval hotel, the CAQ leader said that neither he nor his party had any intention of celebrating this anniversary.
"I don't like these things," he said.
He pointed out that he is still younger than the former dean of the National Assembly, François Gendron. And smiling, he alluded to the U.S. President.
"I'm quite a bit younger than Mr. Biden, apart from that!" he said.
Legault is 65 years old, while the President is 80.
However, Legault is now the dean of the House. According to recent data, he has served as an elected official for 20 years, 6 months, and 27 days so far.
The premier was quick to add, however, that he has taken a break from politics.
He resigned on June 24, 2009 as a member of the Parti Québécois (PQ), then in opposition. But he was elected as an MNA and leader of the then-new Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) on Sept. 4, 2012.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 27, 2023.
