François Gendron will announce his departure from political life Saturday

Archival Photo Simon Clark
The dean of the national Assembly will draw to a close at the end of the current term, after 42 years of political life.

Patrick Bellerose

Wednesday, February 21, 2018 10:46

UPDATE
Wednesday, 21 February, 2018 18:17

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After 42 years of political life, the dean of the national Assembly will draw his reverence to the term of the current mandate.

François Gendron will announce on Saturday, in the riding of Abitibi-West, he will leave political life after the general elections of October next, learned The Newspaper. He will make the announcement in the company of the leader of the parti québecois Jean-François Lisée.

It is the fifth elected the parti québecois to announce that he will not seek a new term in the elections of 2018. Alexandre Cloutier, Agnès Maltais, Nicole Léger and Claude Cousineau have already indicated that they will not be candidates, while Nicolas Marceau confirmed that he is still thinking.

Among liberals, four elected officials have also announced that they will not be candidates for the 1 October next, while others are thinking.

42 years without interruption

Today aged 73 years, François Gendron was elected for the first time in 1976, at the election of the first government of René Lévesque. He has since held his position as mp for Abitibi-West without interruption.

After having been appointed minister of the public Service under René Lévesque, he has held the portfolios of Education and natural Resources over the governments pq members and successive. Under the government of Pauline Marois, he has also held the positions of minister of Agriculture and vice-prime minister.