Michael Fortier
Encyclopedia
Michael M. Fortier, PC
(born January 10, 1962) is a former Canadian
Minister of International Trade and a former Conservative
senator
from Quebec
. He lost as the Conservative candidate for the riding of Vaudreuil-Soulanges
in the 2008 Canadian election
.
As a former member of the Canadian Cabinet, he is a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
and thus has the right to the style The Honourable
and the post-nominal designation PC for life. He is the brother of former Quebec Liberal Party MNA Margaret Delisle.
's minority government
took office. A financier and lawyer from Montreal
, he had not been elected as a member of the House of Commons
at the time he was appointed, nor was he a member of the Senate. Harper announced that Fortier would be appointed to the Senate, but would be expected to step down and run for a seat in the House of Commons at the next election
. On February 27, 2006, Fortier was formally summoned to the Senate. This practice is unusual in modern Canada, but there is precedent for such a practice: in 1979, former Prime Minister Joe Clark
appointed Quebec Senator Jacques Flynn
Minister of Justice
because of his lack of representation in that province. In 1972, when Trudeau failed to win a single seat west of Manitoba, he appointed senators to cabinet as well. 19th century Prime Ministers John Abbott
and Mackenzie Bowell
served their entire terms in government as Senators.
Harper intended for Fortier to represent Montreal in Cabinet. No Montreal-area riding has elected a Conservative or any member of the party's predecessors—the Progressive Conservatives
, the Canadian Alliance
and the Reform Party
--since 1988
. Historically, right-of-centre candidates rarely compete, let alone win, in Montreal except in landslides.
Before entering the Cabinet, Fortier was a partner at Ogilvy Renault
, a leading Montreal law firm. One of his colleagues was Brian Mulroney
. He specialized in securities, mergers and acquisitions
. From 1992 to 1996, he managed Ogilvy Renault’s office in London
, England. In 1999, he became the Managing Director and Senior Advisor (Eastern Canada) at Crédit Suisse First Boston
. In 2004, Fortier became Corporate Financing Director (Quebec) for TD Securities. Two days after his appointment to Cabinet Montreal Gazette columnist Ian McDonald claimed that Fortier “was easily making $1 million a year running the Montreal office of TD Securities.”
He ran for the leadership of the party in 1998
but came in last with 4% of the vote. Fortier was a Progressive Conservative candidate in the Montreal-area riding of Laval West
during the 2000 federal election
placing fourth. In 2003, he was co-chair of Harper's campaign to lead the new Conservative Party. See Stephen Harper Leadership Team.
Fortier and veteran MP John Reynolds
were the co-chairs of the 2006 Conservative campaign.
. Opponents of Fortier's appointment also note that in doing so, Harper broke a promise made on Radio-Canada
television during the election campaign.
As a Senator, Fortier did not attend Question Period
to respond to questions from the opposition parties in the House, even though his department spent several billion dollars a year. However, his parliamentary secretary
, James Moore
, answered questions on his behalf. Fortier was subject to questioning in the Senate, but the Bloc Québécois
and New Democratic Party
were not represented in that body (One senator, Lillian Dyck
created the term "Independent NDP" to describe herself, but this is distinct from the NDP
. The NDP opposes the existence of the Senate and does not recognize her as part of the NDP
.http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/03/24/senators-canada050324.html). The Department of Public Works was at the centre of the sponsorship scandal
, and the Conservatives singled the department out for criticism as an example of what they saw as a lack of accountability.
Fortier himself claimed he didn't run for a seat because "I didn't want to run in the election. I had a great career, five young kids, and so it wasn't the right situation for me to run when the election came around. That's just the simple truth." http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060207/michael_fortier_060207
In his blog
, Andrew Coyne
commented that "it is a fine thing for a Prime Minister elected on a platform of democratic accountability, who promised he would not appoint anyone who was not elected, either to cabinet or to the Senate, to then turn around and do both at one go." http://andrewcoyne.com/2006/02/trust-people.php Jeffrey Simpson
of the Globe and Mail wrote that "with breathtaking insouciance, Prime Minister Stephen Harper jettisoned, or at least delayed, his promise to only elect senators". http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060207.wxsimpson07/BNStory/National/home
However, the Toronto Star
s Chantal Hébert
defended the appointments of Fortier and Emerson to Cabinet, arguing that the problem is with the first past the post system which allows entire parts of the country (such as large cities) to be unrepresented in government. For example, the Conservatives were unable to win any seats in Toronto
, Montreal
and Vancouver
in the last election, while the Liberals have only won four seats in Edmonton
since 1968
and have only elected three MPs from Calgary
since Alberta
joined Confederation in 1905. Others have argued that a party's inability to win seats in any particular region is that party's own fault.
Michael Fortier was loudly booed at the opening ceremonies of the 2006 World Outgames
, an LGBT
sporting event and cultural festival held in Montreal. The Conservative senator's speech was interrupted as he attempted to welcome the estimated crowd of 40,000 at the Olympic Stadium
that evening. Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay
, who was greeted with sustained applause, intervened (unsuccessfully) to urge the crowd to listen "with respect" to the representative of the Canadian government.
in the next federal election
, which he lost. The opposition parties pressured him to run in the by-election on November 27 in Repentigny
. However, Fortier repeated his original promise to run in the next general election.http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20061121/CPACTUALITES/611210611/1019/CPACTUALITES
in May 2008 when she went public with the fact her former paramour had forgotten classified NATO briefing documents at her Montreal home for more than a month.
On election night, he was soundly defeated by popular Bloc Québécois
incumbent Meili Faille
, who captured 41.34% of the vote compared to Fortier's 23.69%.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
(born January 10, 1962) is a former Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Minister of International Trade and a former Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
senator
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
from Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. He lost as the Conservative candidate for the riding of Vaudreuil-Soulanges
Vaudreuil-Soulanges
Vaudreuil-Soulanges may refer to:* Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional County Municipality, Quebec* Vaudreuil-Soulanges , a federal electoral district coterminal with the aforementioned Regional County Municipality...
in the 2008 Canadian election
Canadian federal election, 2008
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
.
As a former member of the Canadian Cabinet, he is a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
and thus has the right to the style The Honourable
The Honourable
The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...
and the post-nominal designation PC for life. He is the brother of former Quebec Liberal Party MNA Margaret Delisle.
Appointment to Harper Cabinet
Fortier was appointed to Cabinet on 6 February 2006, the day Stephen HarperStephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
's minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
took office. A financier and lawyer from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, he had not been elected as a member of the House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
at the time he was appointed, nor was he a member of the Senate. Harper announced that Fortier would be appointed to the Senate, but would be expected to step down and run for a seat in the House of Commons at the next election
40th Canadian federal election
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
. On February 27, 2006, Fortier was formally summoned to the Senate. This practice is unusual in modern Canada, but there is precedent for such a practice: in 1979, former Prime Minister Joe Clark
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
appointed Quebec Senator Jacques Flynn
Jacques Flynn
Jacques Flynn, PC, OC, QC was a Canadian politician and Senator.Born in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, the grandson of the Premier of Quebec Edmund James Flynn, he graduated in law from Université Laval in and was called to the Quebec Bar both in 1939.A Progressive Conservative, Flynn ran unsuccessfully...
Minister of Justice
Minister of Justice (Canada)
The Minister of Justice is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the Department of Justice and is also Attorney General of Canada .This cabinet position is usually reserved for someone with formal legal training...
because of his lack of representation in that province. In 1972, when Trudeau failed to win a single seat west of Manitoba, he appointed senators to cabinet as well. 19th century Prime Ministers John Abbott
John Abbott
Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott, PC, KCMG, QC was the third Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the office for seventeen months, from June 16, 1891 to November 24, 1892. - Life and work :...
and Mackenzie Bowell
Mackenzie Bowell
Sir Mackenzie Bowell, PC, KCMG was a Canadian politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Canada from December 21, 1894 to April 27, 1896.-Early life:Bowell was born in Rickinghall, Suffolk, England to John Bowell and Elizabeth Marshall...
served their entire terms in government as Senators.
Harper intended for Fortier to represent Montreal in Cabinet. No Montreal-area riding has elected a Conservative or any member of the party's predecessors—the Progressive Conservatives
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
, the Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
and the Reform Party
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
--since 1988
Canadian federal election, 1988
The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....
. Historically, right-of-centre candidates rarely compete, let alone win, in Montreal except in landslides.
Before entering the Cabinet, Fortier was a partner at Ogilvy Renault
Ogilvy Renault
Ogilvy Renault LLP was a Canadian law firm with 450 members in offices in Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec, Toronto, Calgary and London, England. Ogilvy Renault offered services in the areas of business law, litigation and ADR, employment and labour law and intellectual property...
, a leading Montreal law firm. One of his colleagues was Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
. He specialized in securities, mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
. From 1992 to 1996, he managed Ogilvy Renault’s office in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England. In 1999, he became the Managing Director and Senior Advisor (Eastern Canada) at Crédit Suisse First Boston
Credit Suisse First Boston
Credit Suisse First Boston was the former name of the banking firm Credit Suisse.-History:In 1978, Credit Suisse and First Boston Corporation formed a London-based 50-50 investment banking joint venture called the Financière Crédit Suisse-First Boston...
. In 2004, Fortier became Corporate Financing Director (Quebec) for TD Securities. Two days after his appointment to Cabinet Montreal Gazette columnist Ian McDonald claimed that Fortier “was easily making $1 million a year running the Montreal office of TD Securities.”
He ran for the leadership of the party in 1998
Progressive Conservative leadership conventions
The first Progressive Conservative Party of Canada leadership election was held in 1927, when the party was called the Conservative Party. Prior to then the party's leader was chosen by caucus....
but came in last with 4% of the vote. Fortier was a Progressive Conservative candidate in the Montreal-area riding of Laval West
Laval West
Laval West was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 2004....
during the 2000 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2000
The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons of the 37th Parliament of Canada....
placing fourth. In 2003, he was co-chair of Harper's campaign to lead the new Conservative Party. See Stephen Harper Leadership Team.
Fortier and veteran MP John Reynolds
John Reynolds (Canadian politician)
John Douglas Reynolds, PC was the Member of Parliament for the riding of West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country in the Canadian House of Commons from 1997 to 2006...
were the co-chairs of the 2006 Conservative campaign.
Controversy Over Senate Appointment
Fortier's appointment to Cabinet has drawn considerable controversy. The main charge is that Fortier's appointment was a significant departure from past Conservative policy. The Conservatives, and before them Reform and the Alliance, had strongly opposed Senate appointments and unelected Cabinet ministers while in oppositionOfficial Opposition (Canada)
In Canada, Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition , commonly known as the Official Opposition, is usually the largest parliamentary opposition party in the House of Commons or a provincial legislative assembly that is not in government, either on its own or as part of a governing coalition...
. Opponents of Fortier's appointment also note that in doing so, Harper broke a promise made on Radio-Canada
Télévision de Radio-Canada
Télévision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in French as Société Radio-Canada. Headquarters are at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, which is also home to the network's flagship station, CBFT-DT...
television during the election campaign.
As a Senator, Fortier did not attend Question Period
Question Period
Question Period, known officially as Oral Questions occurs each sitting day in the Canadian House of Commons. According to the House of Commons Compendium, “The primary purpose of Question Period is to seek information from the Government and to call it to account for its actions.”-History:The...
to respond to questions from the opposition parties in the House, even though his department spent several billion dollars a year. However, his parliamentary secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
, James Moore
James Moore (Canadian politician)
James Moore, PC, MP is the Canadian Member of Parliament for Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam. He is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada...
, answered questions on his behalf. Fortier was subject to questioning in the Senate, but the Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
and New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
were not represented in that body (One senator, Lillian Dyck
Lillian Dyck
Lillian Eva Quan Dyck is a Canadian senator from Saskatchewan. She was appointed to the Senate on the recommendation of Prime Minister Paul Martin on March 24, 2005....
created the term "Independent NDP" to describe herself, but this is distinct from the NDP
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
. The NDP opposes the existence of the Senate and does not recognize her as part of the NDP
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
.http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/03/24/senators-canada050324.html). The Department of Public Works was at the centre of the sponsorship scandal
Sponsorship scandal
The sponsorship scandal, "AdScam", "Sponsorship" or Sponsorgate, is a scandal that came as a result of a Canadian federal government "sponsorship program" in the province of Quebec and involving the Liberal Party of Canada, which was in power from 1993 to 2006...
, and the Conservatives singled the department out for criticism as an example of what they saw as a lack of accountability.
Fortier himself claimed he didn't run for a seat because "I didn't want to run in the election. I had a great career, five young kids, and so it wasn't the right situation for me to run when the election came around. That's just the simple truth." http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060207/michael_fortier_060207
In his blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
, Andrew Coyne
Andrew Coyne
James Andrew Coyne is the national editor for Maclean's, a weekly national newsmagazine in Canada. Previously, he was a columnist with the National Post and an editor-in-chief of the University of Manitoba's newspaper, The Manitoban.-Background:Coyne was born in Ottawa, Ontario, the son of Hope...
commented that "it is a fine thing for a Prime Minister elected on a platform of democratic accountability, who promised he would not appoint anyone who was not elected, either to cabinet or to the Senate, to then turn around and do both at one go." http://andrewcoyne.com/2006/02/trust-people.php Jeffrey Simpson
Jeffrey Simpson
Jeffrey Carl Simpson, OC , is a Canadian journalist. He has been The Globe and Mails national affairs columnist for almost three decades...
of the Globe and Mail wrote that "with breathtaking insouciance, Prime Minister Stephen Harper jettisoned, or at least delayed, his promise to only elect senators". http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060207.wxsimpson07/BNStory/National/home
However, the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
s Chantal Hébert
Chantal Hébert
Chantal Hébert is a Canadian columnist and political commentator.-Life and career:Hébert was born in Ottawa, Ontario. She is the eldest of 5 children. In 1966 her family moved to Toronto where the 12-year-old was enrolled in École secondaire catholique Monseigneur-de-Charbonnel...
defended the appointments of Fortier and Emerson to Cabinet, arguing that the problem is with the first past the post system which allows entire parts of the country (such as large cities) to be unrepresented in government. For example, the Conservatives were unable to win any seats in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
in the last election, while the Liberals have only won four seats in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
since 1968
Canadian federal election, 1968
The Canadian federal election of 1968 was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 28th Parliament of Canada...
and have only elected three MPs from Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
since Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
joined Confederation in 1905. Others have argued that a party's inability to win seats in any particular region is that party's own fault.
Michael Fortier was loudly booed at the opening ceremonies of the 2006 World Outgames
2006 World Outgames
The 1st World Outgames took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from July 26, 2006 to August 5, 2006. The international conference was held from July 26 to the 29. The sporting events were held from July 29 to August 5.-History:...
, an LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
sporting event and cultural festival held in Montreal. The Conservative senator's speech was interrupted as he attempted to welcome the estimated crowd of 40,000 at the Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (Montreal)
The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics...
that evening. Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay
Gérald Tremblay
Gérald Tremblay is a Canadian politician and businessman currently serving his third term as mayor of Montreal and as president of the Montreal Metropolitan Community...
, who was greeted with sustained applause, intervened (unsuccessfully) to urge the crowd to listen "with respect" to the representative of the Canadian government.
Promise To Seek Election
On November 21, 2006, Michael Fortier announced that he would seek election to the House of Commons in the riding of Vaudreuil-SoulangesVaudreuil-Soulanges (electoral district)
Vaudreuil-Soulanges is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997. From 1914 to 1968 a similarly-defined electoral district existed under the slightly different designation Vaudreuil—Soulanges.It consists of the...
in the next federal election
40th Canadian federal election
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
, which he lost. The opposition parties pressured him to run in the by-election on November 27 in Repentigny
Repentigny (electoral district)
Repentigny is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997.It consists solely and entirely of the Regional County Municipality of L'Assomption.-Demographics:...
. However, Fortier repeated his original promise to run in the next general election.http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20061121/CPACTUALITES/611210611/1019/CPACTUALITES
Fortier Dismisses Advisor Connected to Julie Couillard
Fortier confirmed June 11, 2008 that he dismissed senior Quebec adviser Bernard Cote after learning that Cote briefly dated Julie Couillard last year while she was attempting to win a government contract. Cote had to resign because of a perceived conflict of interest, since Public Works was handling the building contracts Couillard was bidding on, Fortier said. Fortier told reporters that Cote, "should have actually recused himself from this matter, which he didn't do, hence his resignation." Couillard sparked the resignation of foreign minister Maxime BernierMaxime Bernier
Maxime Bernier, PC, MP is a Canadian politician currently serving as the Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper....
in May 2008 when she went public with the fact her former paramour had forgotten classified NATO briefing documents at her Montreal home for more than a month.
2008 Federal Election
While he chose not to run in an earlier by-election, Fortier was a candidate for the riding of Vaudreuil-Soulanges in the 2008 federal election, in fulfillment of his promise made at the time of his 2006 Senate appointment. In order to fulfill this promise, on September 8, 2008, he resigned from the Senate to run in the general election.On election night, he was soundly defeated by popular Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
incumbent Meili Faille
Meili Faille
Meili Faille is a Canadian politician. She was a Bloc Québécois member of the Canadian House of Commons, being first elected in the 2004 election in the district of Vaudreuil-Soulanges. Prior to being elected, Faille was a consultant and project coordinator...
, who captured 41.34% of the vote compared to Fortier's 23.69%.