“The policy, it kills the family,” said Labeaume

Photo Stevens LeBlanc
Régis Labeaume

Mayor of Quebec city

Vincent Larin

Friday, 1 September 2017 23:12

UPDATE
Friday, 1 September 2017 23:12

Look at this article

A sign that the public life can be difficult to reconcile with the life of a couple, the mayor of Québec, Régis Labeaume, has admitted to being separated from his companion of the past 33 years for several months.

“The policy, it kills the family,” said the head of the City of Quebec for nearly a decade, columnist Karine Gagnon, of the Journal de Québec.

“The truth is that sarah [his wife] and me, we had difficulties, and for months it has not been set. That is the truth. After 33 years of marriage, I think that it should not be the only ones”, he said.

Its torque is still holding in spite of these difficulties, he added, not wanting to expand any further on his private life.

Rumors

“I think that there are too many humans involved, and I have not the taste of it, he said. Already, it is quite complicated to be a public personality, and as for the rumours, what do you want, it’s been 10 years that there are rumors. As soon as you are [personality] of public, you’re a rumor, so for the past 10 years, I’ve heard so much.”

Régis Labeaume has also taken advantage of the maintenance to scan the back of the hand of the rumours that he’s no longer living on the territory of the city and would thus no longer be eligible for the position of mayor.

He explained that he resided more often than usual at the family cottage at mont-Sainte-Anne in recent times, in particular because of the situation with his wife. “[It is] a refuge to which everyone in the family has the key and goes there when he wants”, he explained.

“In the lifestyle one has chosen, I go there very often, because I love it,” he said. Say what you want, but there isn’t a lot of people who talk to me there, and sometimes, I need to take the air, take a step back.”

Still eligible

He stressed that his only fixed address was always in the neighbourhood of Sillery, in Quebec city.

His chief of staff, Louis Côté, has nevertheless carried out certain checks to ensure that the situation of his candidate did not stop him to stand for the upcoming municipal elections.

The act provides that to be eligible for a position of member of the board, it is necessary to be registered on the voters list of the municipality and have resided continuously or not in the territory in the last 12 months preceding September 1 of the year of the election.

Régis Labeaume is therefore perfectly qualified to run for the position of mayor of the City of Quebec for what would be his fourth term.