It's nice to know that the Bouchard boys, Alexandre and Simon, won't have to worry about paying tuition wherever they're in school (I've tried to track them down, but can't, and that's probably all to the good.) Montreal newspapers report that their father, former Quebec premier Lucien, who called out for massive tuition hikes for Quebec universities a little while ago, has brought in more than $5 million in business for the law firm he's working for, Davies, Ward, Phillips & Vineberg.
First, the electronic newspaper put out by locked-out Journal de Montréal writers, Rue Frontenac, noted that the Université of Québec à Montréal has paid the firm, with Bouchard as the point man, $2.7 million, as it tried to extricate itself from a deal with a developer involved in the excessively expensive new complex in downtown Montreal. Then today Le Devoir says that Montreal's transit authority has budgeted $2.5 million to the firm for the services of Bouchard and his team in the messy acquisition of Métro cars.
I have no idea how many hours Bouchard billed for the work, but he is very likely walking away with more than loose change. Certainly his boys won't have the same problems paying for their studies that a whole lot of others have.
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4 comments:
Good to find another progressive Montreal blog.
I had heard grumblings from Chantal Hebert over at the TO star to other sources I can't name, simply because I forget (I'm old; I forget things; ya know how that goes), that Bouchard may be setting the stage for starting his own right of center Quebec provincial party. Hebert speculated with the likes of Philippe Couillard, the old Liberal health minister before Bolduc and )PQ alum Francois Legault. I have heard others say with old LIberal finance minister, Monique Jerome-Forget.
At first, I thought impossible, that the man is getting on in years and probably much like Parizeau releasing his last book, simply wanted his last hurrah.
I did some deeper digging. Bouchard would definitely be going through that empty nest syndrome about now. As you pointed out, his boys are finished high school and are grown (I agree with you, the fact that we hadn't heard about them should be taken as a good sign, but then Bouchard always managed to keep his kids out of the spot light by sending them to bording school in the US; hope the irony isn't missed on you: LOL!), he is recently divorced from his wife, Audrey. At 71, and appearing to be in reasonbaly good health still, perhaps he wants a last hurrah in politics?
Time is ripe for another more French speaking soft nationalist right of center party (much to my chagrin). ADQ is decimated. Mario Dumont seems to enjoy his career on the big tv screen and not likely to come back to politics anytime soon. What few ADQ members may have existed now sit in teh National Assembly as independants.
Once again, a party for those more conservative rural unilingual French very Catholic Quebecers.
However, I don't think he's interested in being premier again:due to his age and whatever health conditions he may have. I think most likely he will create this party, recruit ex-Liberals, some more moderate right leaning ex-pquests, perhaps a few of those independent ex ADQ MNAs.
Again, good to meet another fellow Montreal left blogger.
And good to hear from you1 What's your blog: there wasn't a link to it in the comment.
As for Bouchard, Couillard, Legault etc. forming a new party: certainly their political background is far more in tune with conservative ideas than it ever was with liberal ones. À suivre.
One irony: my husband Lee is a health economist who has been extremely critical of Couillard. He left McGill 18 months ago to pursue other interests, and who should get his phone number but Couillard.
Cheers
Mary
Hi Mary: my blog is Sister Sage's Musings:
http://sistersagesmusings.ca
Beware, I'm not above ranting, profanity and tellin' it like it is.
Interesting your husband is a health economist. I'm working on a few future posts about health care. I would be interested in having his views on that subject.
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