18 Facts About Louise Harel

Louise Harel was interim leader of the opposition in the National Assembly of Quebec.

Louise Harel represented the riding of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in the Montreal region, and its predecessors, from 1981 to 2008.

Louise Harel ran for Mayor of Montreal as the representative of the Vision Montreal municipal political party in the 2009 election, but was defeated by incumbent Gerald Tremblay.

Louise Harel graduated in 1977 from the Universite de Montreal with a law degree and was admitted to the bar in 1978.

Louise Harel worked at the national secretariat, the Centre des services sociaux de Montreal and the Social Development Council of Metropolitan Montreal as a staff member.

Louise Harel has been a member of the Parti Quebecois since 1970 and was the president of the party in Montreal-Centre in the 1970s and the vice-president of the party province wide from 1979 to 1981.

Louise Harel was first elected to the National Assembly in the 1981 election as the Member of the National Assembly for Maisonneuve.

Louise Harel retained her seat that year and in 1989 and served in opposition for the next five years.

Louise Harel served as interim PQ leader and leader of the opposition until a leadership election chose Andre Boisclair as leader on November 15,2005.

Louise Harel was not a candidate in the leadership election.

Louise Harel continued to serve as leader of the opposition until PQ leader Andre Boisclair won his seat in the National Assembly on August 14,2006.

Louise Harel was re-elected in the 2007 elections and named the PQ critic in social services and later she was giving the portfolio of Status of Women.

Louise Harel ran for mayor of Montreal for the November 1,2009 Montreal municipal election on behalf of the municipal Vision Montreal party.

Louise Harel has stated that the rise of "ethnic neighbourhoods" in the city is an undesirable situation, because she believes that Montrealers should feel part of the whole city, not just of their own borough.

Louise Harel announced she would remain leader of Vision Montreal and opposition leader at City Hall.

In early July 2013, Louise Harel allied Vision Montreal with mayoral hopeful Marcel Cote.

In January 2014 Louise Harel announced her intention to revive Vision Montreal but not to run for office again herself.

Louise Harel has begun a weekly broadcast on Radio Ville-Marie.