Paradis to retire as a Liberal with head held high
According to Liberal Riding Association President Hardy Craft, MNA Pierre Paradis, who has represented the Brome Missisquoi riding for nearly four decades, will not run in the upcoming provincial election.
Ingrid Marini, former Executive Director of Townshippers’ Association will take up the Liberal banner in Brome Missisquoi.
Paradis made the decision Friday, Craft said.
“He’s disappointed. He loves representing the people of Brome Missisquoi. He loves his job,” commented Craft, explaining that Paradis is still feeling the effects of a head injury sustained at the end of 2016.
“For the first six months, he couldn’t even get out of bed for long,” Craft said.
In January, 2018, Craft said Paradis felt better and had the intention of returning to the National Assembly, but then he had a relapse.
“At the meeting on Friday it wiped him out after a few hours. It was hard on him.”
“I’ve been with Pierre since he started 38 years ago,” commented Craft, explaining that regardless of the buzz, Paradis was the Liberal candidate in Brome Missisquoi until he heard otherwise from the man himself.
“He knows even if he would like to he can’t; he’s not going to run,” Craft said.
“The important thing is that he will retire as a Liberal with his head held high.”
Coinciding with his medical leave from the National Assembly, Paradis was temporarily removed from the Liberal caucus and stripped of his role as Minister of Agriculture amid allegations of sexual misconduct from a former colleague. He was later accused of ethics violations by National Assembly Ethics Commissioner Ariane Mignolet, who suggested Paradis had misappropriated his housing allowance.
Paradis was subsequently cleared of any sexual impropriety, and the report of his alleged ethics violations was rejected.
The two politically damaging inquiries, both of which have since been discredited, only had legs because Paradis was off his feet, according to Craft.
“He couldn’t defend himself,” Craft said. “If he had been in good health, this would have been over a long time ago,” he commented.
“He hasn’t done a bad thing in his life,” insisted Craft. He remembered back in the 1980s getting calls from journalists sniffing around for dirt on Paradis. “You have to be cleaner than clean,” Craft said, to have had a political career spanning close to four decades.
“There are good things happening at the end of the mandate,” Craft added, explaining that even in convalescence, Paradis maintained his political savvy.
“He couldn’t announce he was not running again and then expect his dossiers to be completed,” explained Craft, pointing to recent developments in the health sector in the region.
The only project still on the table for Paradis was Highway 35 to connect Quebecers to the Vermont border rather than the narrow and winding route 133 currently being used. “Maybe it’s too big a project for Quebec,” Craft said, explaining that the highway was supposed to be completed in time for Expo ’67, so Paradis’ inability to get it done shouldn’t exactly count as a failure.
“As things worked out, I think things are going to go very well,” Craft said, referring to Ingrid Marini, who will run for the Liberals in Brome Missisquoi in the upcoming election.
“Pierre is 68. His entourage is older,” Craft said, explaining the Marini, in her early 40s, will bring in younger people.
“We’re happy with the result. I think Ingrid is a good candidate.”
According to Craft, both Marini and her mother have worked for Paradis in his offices over the years. Marini comes from several generations of farmers, Craft went on, adding that Paradis was a friend of her great grandfather.
Marini’s candidacy for the Liberal party will be announced officially on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at the legion in Phillipsburg, Craft said.