Coke-Snorting Boisclair New PQ Leader
Streaker @ Tue Nov 15, 2005 9:06 pm
He's young. He's telegenic. He's gay. He's admitted to taking cocaine when he was a member of the provincial cabinet. He is the new leader of the Parti Québécois:
$1:
Parti Quebecois picks new leader
By LES PERREAUX
QUEBEC (CP) - Andre Boisclair rolled over his rivals to become leader of the Quebec sovereignty movement Tuesday, brushing aside criticism of his past cocaine use and doubts about his resolve in the face of crisis.
A charming political dropout with a million-dollar smile, Boisclair easily beat the prim and proper Pauline Marois, a 56-year-old with vast cabinet experience, to become the new leader of the Parti Quebecois.
Boisclair, 39, received 53.7 per cent support among PQ members on the first ballot when results were tallied Tuesday evening.
Boisclair, considered a moderate on the thorny sovereignty issue, told party members in his victory speech he will work toward making Quebec a country.
"Two things are clear for us now - first, in the next election campaign, the Parti Quebecois will seek a mandate to hold a referendum on Quebec sovereignty as soon as possible," he said to loud cheers in Quebec City.
"And we will present Quebecers with a plan to give them a country."
Boisclair also made a pitch to Marois and her supporters in a clear bid to reunite the oft fractious party.
"Pauline, we need you. Pauline, you've always had a large role in this party and you will always have a large role."
Boisclair sailed to victory as about 75 per cent of the party's 140,000 members voted but the real challenge now begins. He must rally a party whose hardline elements have devoured leaders of legendary stature. He must also prepare for an election showdown with Premier Jean Charest in the next few years.
Marois and the three other main contenders in the PQ race stepped gingerly around Boisclair's use of the illegal drug while he served in Lucien Bouchard's cabinet in the late 1990s.
Charest and his Liberal campaigners are unlikely to be so kind.
PQ members, faced with a host of charmless candidates in a field of eight, followed the lead of Quebec voters who told pollsters they were ready to forgive Boisclair's cocaine indiscretions.
However, PQ stalwarts including Marois have said Boisclair is a dangerous choice whose past could come back to haunt the party in an election.
Boisclair faces high expectations. Charest has been stuck at staggering levels of unpopularity since shortly after coming to power in 2003. The PQ expects to beat the Liberals and snap Quebec's 35-year tradition of electing governments to two terms.
Considered a relatively soft sovereigntist and a right-winger in a party of progressives, Boisclair must unite a party whose hawkish elements have taken down Bernard Landry, Bouchard and even Rene Levesque for showing hesitation on independence.
The PQ leadership campaign began in September but unofficially kicked off in the spring when Landry suddenly resigned following a lukewarm endorsement of his leadership by the party.
Boisclair, who quit politics in 2004 to attend Harvard, was planning to move to Toronto and gain experience in business. He cancelled those plans to run, bursting immediately to the front and never looking back.
The five months of debates and stump speeches produced few new ideas as most candidates, including Boisclair, professed their devotion to the party's aggressive new platform which calls for a referendum in the first part of the next PQ mandate.
The campaign was jolted in September when Boisclair admitted he used cocaine on several occasions as a cabinet minister.
Boisclair chalked it up to youthful indiscretion and actually received a boost in polls following the revelation.
Boisclair was notably thin-skinned through the crisis, blushing and abruptly cutting off questions when they became too pointed. He avoided answering persistent queries on the source of the cocaine and the frequency of his use.
Pundits wondered how Boisclair would handle a real crisis in government when he was so easily flustered by the predictable cocaine controversy.
Some observers wondered what other skeletons ruthless Liberal opponents could uncover during the next election campaign.
Shortly after Boisclair's cocaine admission, Marois admitted smoking marijuana when she was 19. She said she didn't like it.
The mother of four served under every PQ premier from Levesque through Landry, holding key cabinet portfolios including finance, health and education. She also served as deputy premier.
Once nicknamed the Superwoman of Quebec politics, Marois will now have to decide her next move. She came in second in the last PQ leadership race to Pierre Marc Johnson in 1985.
Marois also contemplated a run in 2001 but her campaign never got off the ground when Landry gathered an overwhelming list of high-powered supporters.
Link
By LES PERREAUX
QUEBEC (CP) - Andre Boisclair rolled over his rivals to become leader of the Quebec sovereignty movement Tuesday, brushing aside criticism of his past cocaine use and doubts about his resolve in the face of crisis.
A charming political dropout with a million-dollar smile, Boisclair easily beat the prim and proper Pauline Marois, a 56-year-old with vast cabinet experience, to become the new leader of the Parti Quebecois.
Boisclair, 39, received 53.7 per cent support among PQ members on the first ballot when results were tallied Tuesday evening.
Boisclair, considered a moderate on the thorny sovereignty issue, told party members in his victory speech he will work toward making Quebec a country.
"Two things are clear for us now - first, in the next election campaign, the Parti Quebecois will seek a mandate to hold a referendum on Quebec sovereignty as soon as possible," he said to loud cheers in Quebec City.
"And we will present Quebecers with a plan to give them a country."
Boisclair also made a pitch to Marois and her supporters in a clear bid to reunite the oft fractious party.
"Pauline, we need you. Pauline, you've always had a large role in this party and you will always have a large role."
Boisclair sailed to victory as about 75 per cent of the party's 140,000 members voted but the real challenge now begins. He must rally a party whose hardline elements have devoured leaders of legendary stature. He must also prepare for an election showdown with Premier Jean Charest in the next few years.
Marois and the three other main contenders in the PQ race stepped gingerly around Boisclair's use of the illegal drug while he served in Lucien Bouchard's cabinet in the late 1990s.
Charest and his Liberal campaigners are unlikely to be so kind.
PQ members, faced with a host of charmless candidates in a field of eight, followed the lead of Quebec voters who told pollsters they were ready to forgive Boisclair's cocaine indiscretions.
However, PQ stalwarts including Marois have said Boisclair is a dangerous choice whose past could come back to haunt the party in an election.
Boisclair faces high expectations. Charest has been stuck at staggering levels of unpopularity since shortly after coming to power in 2003. The PQ expects to beat the Liberals and snap Quebec's 35-year tradition of electing governments to two terms.
Considered a relatively soft sovereigntist and a right-winger in a party of progressives, Boisclair must unite a party whose hawkish elements have taken down Bernard Landry, Bouchard and even Rene Levesque for showing hesitation on independence.
The PQ leadership campaign began in September but unofficially kicked off in the spring when Landry suddenly resigned following a lukewarm endorsement of his leadership by the party.
Boisclair, who quit politics in 2004 to attend Harvard, was planning to move to Toronto and gain experience in business. He cancelled those plans to run, bursting immediately to the front and never looking back.
The five months of debates and stump speeches produced few new ideas as most candidates, including Boisclair, professed their devotion to the party's aggressive new platform which calls for a referendum in the first part of the next PQ mandate.
The campaign was jolted in September when Boisclair admitted he used cocaine on several occasions as a cabinet minister.
Boisclair chalked it up to youthful indiscretion and actually received a boost in polls following the revelation.
Boisclair was notably thin-skinned through the crisis, blushing and abruptly cutting off questions when they became too pointed. He avoided answering persistent queries on the source of the cocaine and the frequency of his use.
Pundits wondered how Boisclair would handle a real crisis in government when he was so easily flustered by the predictable cocaine controversy.
Some observers wondered what other skeletons ruthless Liberal opponents could uncover during the next election campaign.
Shortly after Boisclair's cocaine admission, Marois admitted smoking marijuana when she was 19. She said she didn't like it.
The mother of four served under every PQ premier from Levesque through Landry, holding key cabinet portfolios including finance, health and education. She also served as deputy premier.
Once nicknamed the Superwoman of Quebec politics, Marois will now have to decide her next move. She came in second in the last PQ leadership race to Pierre Marc Johnson in 1985.
Marois also contemplated a run in 2001 but her campaign never got off the ground when Landry gathered an overwhelming list of high-powered supporters.
The PQ's new leader is a pretty dynamic guy who has a lot of federalists feeling very nervous, especially with his ability to connect with young Quebecers and sell lots of party memberships.
A lot of questions have been raised about his judgement, however, especially regarding his use of cocaine when in cabinet. Some have suggested that Boisclair might turn out to be a ticking time bomb for the separatists.
Will he be the leader who takes Quebec to independence or will this choice blow up in the PQ's face?
Blue_Nose @ Tue Nov 15, 2005 9:26 pm
Streaker Streaker:
The PQ's new leader is a pretty dynamic guy who has a lot of federalists feeling very nervous, especially with his ability to connect with young Quebecers and sell lots of party memberships.
A lot of questions have been raised about his judgement, however, especially regarding his use of cocaine when in cabinet. Some have suggested that Boisclair might turn out to be a ticking time bomb for the separatists.
Will he be the leader who takes Quebec to independence or will this choice blow up in the PQ's face?
A lot of questions have been raised about his judgement, however, especially regarding his use of cocaine when in cabinet. Some have suggested that Boisclair might turn out to be a ticking time bomb for the separatists.
Will he be the leader who takes Quebec to independence or will this choice blow up in the PQ's face?
I was going to ask whether or not the old diehard seperatists would approve of this guy... what kind of demographics do the seperatists have?
FireWire @ Tue Nov 15, 2005 9:28 pm
This guy is a smooth operator, he can sell ice cubes to polar bears. I think Quebec needed a change of face and by following him we should get something good in return. Only time will tell.
ROCKaMIC @ Tue Nov 15, 2005 9:34 pm
This might be good for them or just blow in their face.
I think that separatists govern the province the best except but they just won't forget the separation issue lol. Anyways. We'll see how this turns out.
We will surely have another separatist referendum since quebec liberals are finished. Whatever..
It is quite easy though,
Are you in favor of Quebec as a separate nation,
you just got to answer NO! lol
Streaker @ Tue Nov 15, 2005 9:44 pm
Blue_Nose Blue_Nose:
Streaker Streaker:
The PQ's new leader is a pretty dynamic guy who has a lot of federalists feeling very nervous, especially with his ability to connect with young Quebecers and sell lots of party memberships.
A lot of questions have been raised about his judgement, however, especially regarding his use of cocaine when in cabinet. Some have suggested that Boisclair might turn out to be a ticking time bomb for the separatists.
Will he be the leader who takes Quebec to independence or will this choice blow up in the PQ's face?
A lot of questions have been raised about his judgement, however, especially regarding his use of cocaine when in cabinet. Some have suggested that Boisclair might turn out to be a ticking time bomb for the separatists.
Will he be the leader who takes Quebec to independence or will this choice blow up in the PQ's face?
I was going to ask whether or not the old diehard seperatists would approve of this guy... what kind of demographics do the seperatists have?
The party is really divided by this guy. A lot of the PQ old guard are worried that Boisclair is a flake but they'll stick with him as long as the hype goes unquestioned.
If Boisclair doesn't live up to the hype they'll turn on him with a vengeance, however. PQ party politics is a real blood sport. Right now the public at large is pretty excited by him - a lot of people in Quebec, separatists and federalists, are fed up with the generation of old geezers who have been running the province for the last 40-odd years and see Boisclair as a changing of the guard.
The funny thing is Boisclair and the hype surrounding him remind me of Charest just a few years ago, and now Charest is scraping the bottom of the barrel in the polls.
As a federalist, though, Boisclair makes me pretty nervous...
ROCKaMIC @ Tue Nov 15, 2005 9:50 pm
Streaker Streaker:
As a federalist, though, Boisclair makes me pretty nervous...
Could you elaborate on this for me please?
Tman1 @ Tue Nov 15, 2005 9:53 pm
I think he means Boisclair has the potential to rally more support for the sovereigntist cause. I don't know how or why but who ever said separatists were smart.
Streaker @ Tue Nov 15, 2005 10:09 pm
ROCKaMIC ROCKaMIC:
Streaker Streaker:
As a federalist, though, Boisclair makes me pretty nervous...
Could you elaborate on this for me please?
ROCK, he has had a galvanising effect on young Quebecers, a large number of whom have been taking out memberships in the party. If Boisclair's brand of charisma turns out to have a similar effect on older people then the federalist cause is going to be facing a major challenge in the next few years.
Older Quebecers might not be so impressed by his use of cocaine, however.
ROCKaMIC @ Tue Nov 15, 2005 10:15 pm
Streaker Streaker:
ROCKaMIC ROCKaMIC:
Streaker Streaker:
As a federalist, though, Boisclair makes me pretty nervous...
Could you elaborate on this for me please?
ROCK, he has had a galvanising effect on young Quebecers, a large number of whom have been taking out memberships in the party. If Boisclair's brand of charisma turns out to have a similar effect on older people then the federalist cause is going to be facing a major challenge in the next few years.
Older Quebecers might not be so impressed by his use of cocaine, however.
Yeah, sure, those that make their choices based on whatever they feed them on TV.. that makes me nervous..
However i know a lot of ex-separatists who now are federalists and don't want to know anything else about separatism and then again you got those old people that want to separate and they don't even know why.
onemeancanadian @ Tue Nov 15, 2005 10:45 pm
Now the Paul Martin can throw money at the queers and not try to hide it.
Gabriel @ Tue Nov 15, 2005 11:05 pm
I did not vote for him but I will be on his side though... He'll hold a referendum as soon as he his elected which is in 2 years I think. I don't think liberals will win the next one so... 
Only time will tell us if he's a great leader or not...
Cmmd1 @ Wed Nov 16, 2005 12:17 am
Hello Guys !!!! Ready to not read what i say and shit on my arguments because im a Badddd "separatist" ? Let's go
( for start, i didn't put Boisclaire in my choice, im a bit scare i will tell why )
( And it a DAMMMMMMN long text, and my english suck !!! But read it all for understand ! )
( And i try to be humouristic ! So its normal that i look weird !! And i did NOT insulte or denigrate english-canadians !! So dont denigrate quebecers please. )
Yes !!!! Boisclair is Popular !!!!
Why?? For me, ( its my opignion ) He was popular because :
1- The Mediatic Circus
From the Dammmmmmmn Be"gay"ning ( haha gay joke ), they talk about Boisclaire, oooooh he went to havard, ooooh he's 38yr ooooh he gay !!! He can be a good prime minister !
2- Maybe his "carrer" He start being deputee ( in my county 
lol ) in 89, he stop in 2001 ( or 2002, or 2003, or 2004 ) ( for Havard ) and he will be there next election.
But the #1 reason is the MAINS reason, even his "Cokaine" bad trip was a bit good for him, talk it bad or talk it good, but Talk it !!!!!
So Boisclaire was the more know "intimiditily", we know about his sex-choice, his drug trip, his scolarship, so "we" trust him
But Why im afraid of Boisclaire??????
Its because allllllllllll the rumours i heard..... if they are true and they are use against him ... lol PQers will maybe lost they face more :-S
The rumours are worst that cokain things, but IF the rumours ARE NOT true. Boisclair can make it
Liberal will not be able to say :
Hey quebecers, look the PQ leader sniffed (sniffed, in past, i think he will nnnnnever do it against, if he do, he is the stupiedest guy on earth ) Sniffed coke !!! You will let the country for a Cokaine?????
If Liberals use the "coke line" strategie too much, quebecers will be piss off, For one mouth we read, watch and listen the cokaine story, we knooooow it
And the DAMNNNNN Souverainty is not about ONE man, is about a people who want it, and want to WORK FOR BUILT IT !!!!!!!
And thhhhink about it !!!! Gilles Duceppe will be THE LEADER of the Referendum !!!!!
He IS THE BEST Politicians in CANADA !!!! You think that the PQ will say :
Oh No Gilles !!!! Don't came in PQ after the next election ! And Dont Came to the Next referendum we are fine !!!
Lol, IF PQ win next election, Boisclaire and Gilles Duceppe ( or Just Gilles, if the rumours are true ) WILL make another Referendum !!! ( My first one !!!!! )
So maybe the """"""""""""war"""""""""" ( with one death in the FLQ thing, i dont count the "before PQ" ) with Quebec vs Canada WILL FINISH !!!!!!
IMAgine Canada !!!! A country !!! Without bloc !!!!! :-O :-O
MARJORITY PARTY WILL HAPPEN !!!! YOUR CULTURE WILL GROW !!!! ( OR YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATE BY USA.... LOOK AT THE "GANGSTA" IN TORONTO... WITH GUNS...................... )
IN QUEBEC !!!!!! No DAMMMMMMMMMN more PQ !!!!! it will destroy itsefl !!! the left people will go to left !!!!!!! Right people to right !!!! :-O :-O
WE WILL HAVE TRUE GOUVERMENT !!!!!!! !!!!! NO MORE FEDERAL VS SEPARATIST IN QUEBEC POLITIC !!!
IMAGINE !!!!! QUEBEC vs CANADA !!!!! IN HOCKEY !!!!! IN OLYMPIC !!!!! We could keep that "sport rivality" !!!! That cool !! ( I hate you toronto maple leafs !!!!!! Senator... your too good that not fair lol )
If a "true war" is necessary, we will joint you !!!! we will be friendly !!!!
I think that Quebecers AND Canadians will be more happier if they are 2 TRUE country....
I'm ready and i want the resposability of a Quebecers. I am like you and i deserve my country... You will lost nothing.... just territory.... But you got all the rest... any way !
Gilles Duceppe will be the next leader of the referendum !
So i voted that it's a nightmare for federalist, but at the end its a good story !!!!
ShepherdsDog @ Wed Nov 16, 2005 1:07 am
Well one thing's for sure, Quebec City will never have to worry about having too much 'snow' anymore, if the PQ comes to power. Boisclaire will take care of any he finds lying around. Imagine that, a Premier who will personally deal with any blizzard that hits.
Scape @ Wed Nov 16, 2005 2:19 am
The cocaine issue will act as a catalyst. The more it is made an issue the more he will defect it into fueling the separatists by making the attack on his credentials as an attack on the choice of the people of Quebec. I suspect he will even goad his opponents to talk about it. Like attacking a cripple or a felon that did his time. Cocaine is illegal but it is also popular and the youth vote is more important to the Bloc than the older farts that had their chance and blew it twice.
This is a nightmare. Harper is the only federalist party the bloc has to even bother with and the very idea of that is fodder for stand up comics. The only thing that will stop Quebec from separating is Quebec. I think the people of Quebec are so sick of the whole issue they may well do it once and for all just to end the argument and move on.
Proculation @ Wed Nov 16, 2005 7:52 am
The left-wing part of the PQ is quite worried about Boisclair's ideology that tends to be 'centre-right' on economy. The second important candidate, Pauline Marois, asked their "friends, the Unions..." and they backed her up. A lot of the very-left,left-wing candidates (they were eight) asked to back Pauline Marois on the second turn.
Every good economic ideas (SCARY RIGHT-WING-ADQ-HARPER-BUSH IDEOLOGY 
) is criticized by the unions and the workers base. And when you know that more than 80% of the population earns less than 25 000$ per year...