Philippe Couillard

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Philippe Couillard

| honorific-suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|size=100%}}

| image = Philippe Couillard en 2018 (coupé).jpg

| alt =

| caption = Couillard in 2018

| order = 31st

| office = Premier of Quebec

| term_start = April 23, 2014

| term_end = October 18, 2018

| monarch = Elizabeth II

| lieutenant_governor = {{unbulleted list|Pierre Duchesne|J. Michel Doyon}}

| deputy = {{unbulleted list|Lise Thériault|Dominique Anglade}}

| predecessor = Pauline Marois

| successor = François Legault

| office1 = Leader of the Opposition in Quebec

| premier1 = Pauline Marois

| term_start1 = December 18, 2013

| term_end1 = April 23, 2014

| predecessor1 = Jean-Marc Fournier

| successor1 = Stéphane Bédard

| office2 = Leader of the Quebec Liberal Party

| term_start2 = March 17, 2013

| term_end2 = October 4, 2018

| predecessor2 = Jean Charest

| successor2 = Pierre Arcand (interim)

{{Collapsed infobox section begin |last=yes |Quebec Executive Council

|titlestyle=border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes

| office2 = Minister of Health and Social Services

| premier2 = Jean Charest

| term_start2 = April 29, 2003

| term_end2 = June 25, 2008

| predecessor2 = François Legault

| successor2 = Yves Bolduc{{Collapsed infobox section end}}}}

{{Collapsed infobox section begin |last=yes |Parliamentary constituencies

|titlestyle=border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes

| office4 = Member of the National Assembly

| term_start4 = April 7, 2014

| term_end4 = October 4, 2018

| predecessor4 = Denis Trottier

| successor4 = Nancy Guillemette

| constituency4 = Roberval

| term_start5 = December 18, 2013

| term_end5 = April 7, 2014

| predecessor5 = Raymond Bachand

| successor5 = Hélène David

| constituency5 = Outremont

| term_start6 = March 26, 2007

| term_end6 = June 25, 2008

| predecessor6 = Margaret F. Delisle

| successor6 = Yves Bolduc

| constituency6 = Jean-Talon

| term_start7 = April 14, 2003

| term_end7 = March 26, 2007

| predecessor7 = André Tranchemontagne

| successor7 = Pierre Arcand

| constituency7 = Mont-Royal{{Collapsed infobox section end}}}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|06|26}}

| birth_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada

| death_date =

| death_place =

| spouse = Suzanne Pilote

| alma_mater = Université de Montréal

| occupation = {{hlist|Politician|neurosurgeon|consultant|professor}}

| party = Liberal

| footnotes =

}}

Philippe Couillard {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC}} ({{IPA|fr|filip kujɑːʁ|lang}}; born June 26, 1957) is a Canadian business advisor{{cite web |url=https://strategycorp.com/people/dr-philippe-couillard/ |title=Dr. Philippe Couillard PC |work=Strategy Corp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241227201657/https://strategycorp.com/people/dr-philippe-couillard/ |archive-date=December 27, 2024 |access-date=December 27, 2024}} and former neurosurgeon, university professor and politician who served as 31st premier of Quebec from 2014 to 2018. Between 2003 and 2008, he was Quebec's Minister of Health and Social Services in Jean Charest's Liberal government and was MNA for Mont-Royal until he resigned in 2008. In the 2014 election, Couillard moved to the riding of Roberval, where he resides. He was the leader of the Quebec Liberal Party from 2013 to 2018. He resigned as Liberal leader and MNA on October 4, 2018.

Background and early life

Couillard was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Canadian-born Joseph Alfred Jean Pierre Couillard de Lespinay and French-born Hélène Yvonne Pardé.{{in lang|fr}} Mention marginale sur l'acte de naissance d'Hélène Yvonne Pardé : « mariée à Grenoble le 26 décembre 1955 avec Joseph Alfred Jean Pierre Couillard de Lespinay », état civil de la ville de Grenoble. He holds a medical degree and a certification in neurosurgery from the Université de Montréal. He was the head of the department of neurosurgery at Hôpital Saint-Luc from 1989 to 1992 and again at the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke from 1996 to 2003. From 1992 to 1996, he practised in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

Political career

In 2003, Couillard left the medical profession to run for the Montreal-area seat of Mont-Royal in the National Assembly, representing the Quebec Liberal Party. He was elected in the 2003 election and was appointed Minister of Health and Social Services on April 29, 2003.

After taking office, he proved skillful in the handling of his department's public relations and was regarded by some as the most popular minister in the Charest government.{{cite news |url=https://www.ledevoir.com/societe/sante/119203/ministere-un-reseau-en-sante-relative? |title= Ministère - Un réseau en santé... relative |lang=fr |trans-title=A healthcare system in... relative health |date=September 30, 2006 |last=Bourgault-Côté |first=Guillaume |work=Le Devoir |access-date=December 27, 2024}} His accomplishments during his tenure included a $4.2 billion increase in the Quebec health budget, the prohibition of smoking in public places, and a reduction in the number of union local accreditations in the health sector.

In 2007, Couillard ran in the riding of Jean-Talon in the Quebec City area, replacing Margaret Delisle who did not seek re-election for health reasons. Couillard won his seat in the 2007 election despite the Action démocratique du Québec's (ADQ) strong performance in the region in which the party gained the majority of the seats. Pierre Arcand succeeded Couillard in the Mont-Royal riding. Couillard was reappointed as minister of health and social services, as well as minister responsible for the provincial Capitale-Nationale (Quebec) region.

On June 25, 2008, Couillard announced his resignation as minister and MNA. He was succeeded as minister and Jean-Talon MNA by locally-known Alma doctor Yves Bolduc.{{cite news |url=http://www.canoe.com/infos/quebeccanada/archives/2008/06/20080625-102043.html |title=Philippe Couillard quitte la vie politique |lang=fr |trans-title=Philippe Couillard quits politics |date=June 25, 2008 |last=Ouellet |first=Martin |work=Canoë Infos |publisher=Quebecor Media |agency=La Presse Canadienne |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080703233813/http://www.canoe.com/infos/quebeccanada/archives/2008/06/20080625-102043.html |archive-date=July 3, 2008 |access-date=December 27, 2024}}{{cite news |url=http://www.canoe.com/infos/quebeccanada/archives/2008/06/20080625-141903.html |title=Yves Bolduc devient le nouveau ministre de la Santé |lang=fr |trans-title=Yves Bolduc becomes new health minister |date=June 25, 2008 |last1=Nadeau |first1=Rémi |last2=Ouellet |first2=Martin |work=Canoë Infos |publisher=Quebecor Media |agency=La Presse Canadienne |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080707061823/http://www.canoe.com/infos/quebeccanada/archives/2008/06/20080625-141903.html |archive-date=July 7, 2008 |access-date=December 27, 2024}}

On June 23, 2010, Couillard was appointed to the Security Intelligence Review Committee and consequently became a member of the Privy Council.{{cite web |url=http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=1&featureId=6&pageId=26&id=3465 |title=Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces appointments to the Security Intelligence Review Committee |date=June 23, 2010 |work=Office of the Prime Minister |location=Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306065530/http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=1&featureId=6&pageId=26&id=3465 |archive-date=March 6, 2012 |access-date=December 27, 2024}}

On October 3, 2012, Couillard became the third person to enter the leadership election to succeed Jean Charest as leader of the Quebec Liberal Party. When asked why he was re-entering politics, he said, "I feel the need to serve."{{cite news |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1086551729/7944603DDCFF4DFFPQ |title=Couillard enters liberal leadership race; Faces tough questions about ties to embattled former MUHC director |date=October 4, 2012 |last=Authier |first=Philip |work=The Gazette |page=A8 |via=ProQuest}}

On March 17, 2013, Couillard became the leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, beating ex-cabinet ministers Raymond Bachand and Pierre Moreau.

On December 9, 2013, he was elected MNA for the safe Liberal seat of Outremont after Bachand stood down from the seat in his favour.{{Cite news |url=http://www.macleans.ca/2013/12/09/quebec-liberal-leader-philippe-couillard-wins-byelection-to-get-legislature-seat/ |title=Quebec Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard wins byelection to get legislature seat |date=December 9, 2013 |work=Maclean's |agency=The Canadian Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305205721/http://www.macleans.ca/2013/12/09/quebec-liberal-leader-philippe-couillard-wins-byelection-to-get-legislature-seat/| archive-date=March 5, 2014 |access-date=December 27, 2024 }}

=Quebec election, 2014=

On March 5, 2014, amid weeks of speculation that the Parti Québécois would call a snap election, Lieutenant Governor Pierre Duchesne dropped the writs for a general election at the request of Premier Pauline Marois. Couillard opted to run in the riding of Roberval, where he now lives, handing Outremont to star candidate Hélène David.

When the election campaign began, polls showed a close race between the Parti Québécois and the Liberals. However, the PQ held a wide lead among francophone voters, giving the advantage in terms of seat distribution to the PQ. Couillard stated that his campaign would focus on "healthcare, education and jobs". He also accused premier Pauline Marois of mismanaging Quebec's economy and also clarified his opposition to the Quebec Charter of Values, describing it as "an unnecessary bill that succeeds only in dividing Quebecers".{{cite news |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/pauline-marois-calls-april-7-election |title=Pauline Marois calls April 7 election |orig-date=March 5, 2014 |date=May 20, 2014 |work=Ottawa Citizen |agency=The Canadian Press |location=Quebec City, Quebec, Canada |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241227205729/https://ottawacitizen.com/news/pauline-marois-calls-april-7-election |archive-date=December 27, 2024 |access-date=December 27, 2024}}

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, the polls began to break heavily in the favour of Couillard and the Liberals as the PQ began to bleed support to all 3 major opposition parties. His second debate performance was not as strong as his first one, and he was criticized by both Pauline Marois and François Legault of the Coalition Avenir Québec for suggesting that a factory worker in Quebec ought to be bilingual in the event that an Anglophone businessperson was to walk on the floor. While his comment was portrayed by his critics as proof that he was soft on the French language issue, his poll numbers continued to exceed those of his opponents.

On April 7, Couillard led the Quebec Liberals to a sweeping victory, winning 70 seats in the National Assembly and a return to government a mere 19 months after being ousted in one of their poorest election showings in the party's history.{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/03/05/quebec-election-date-2014-pauline-marois_n_4901751.html |title=Quebec Election 2014: Pauline Marois Sets Date For April 7 |orig-date=March 5, 2014 |date=May 4, 2014 |last=Blatchford |first=Andy |work=HuffPost |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725105713/http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/03/05/quebec-election-date-2014-pauline-marois_n_4901751.html |archive-date=July 25, 2020 |access-date=December 27, 2024}} The Liberals even managed to unseat Marois in her own riding. On election night, Couillard stressed the importance of creating a better business climate in Quebec and doing away with some of the divisive policies that had characterized Marois' tenure as premier. He also pledged to work cooperatively with other provinces and the federal government and to reassert Quebec's place as a leader in the Canadian federation.

Premier of Quebec

Returning the Liberal Party of Quebec back to a majority government, after an eighteen-month stint led by Pauline Marois and the Parti Quebecois, Couillard assumed office on April 23, 2014, naming 26 ministers to his cabinet.{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/philippe-couillard-unveils-new-liberal-cabinet-1.2619057 |title=Philippe Couillard unveils new Liberal cabinet |orig-date=April 23, 2014 |date=April 24, 2014 |work=CBC News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241227094142/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/philippe-couillard-unveils-new-liberal-cabinet-1.2619057 |archive-date=December 27, 2024 |access-date=December 27, 2024}}

= Economic policy =

After the Liberals were elected in April 2014, the budget deficit was nearly $6 billion. Couillard's government and his finance minister, Carlos Leitão, balanced the budget only one year later in 2015 through spending cuts and raising taxes.{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/the-liberals-balanced-the-budget-but-will-it-cost-them-the-election-1.4816074 |title=The Liberals balanced the budget, but will it cost them the election? |orig-date= September 16, 2018 |date=September 19, 2018 |last=Montpetit |first=Jonathan |work=CBC News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241227210933/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/the-liberals-balanced-the-budget-but-will-it-cost-them-the-election-1.4816074 |archive-date=December 27, 2024 |access-date=December 27, 2024}} Couillard's government ran four consecutive balanced budgets during his tenure as premier. However, his cuts to education and healthcare spending caused his popularity to decline.{{cite web |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/philippe-couillard |title=Philippe Couillard |orig-date=March 18, 2013 |date=December 4, 2018 |last1=Fontaine |first1=Myriam |last2=Lambert |first2=Maude-Emmanuelle |last3=Marshall |first3=Tabitha |work=The Canadian Encyclopedia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241227211228/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/philippe-couillard |archive-date=December 27, 2024 |access-date=December 27, 2024}}

= Environment =

Couillard's government removed protection of several preserved areas while authorizing logging in caribou land. The government claimed that this decision would grow the economy and jobs.{{cite news |url=https://reporterre.net/Au-Quebec-les-derniers-caribous-menaces-par-l-industrie-forestiere |title=Au Québec, les derniers caribous menacés par l'industrie forestière |lang=fr |trans-title=In Quebec, the last caribou are threatened by the forestry industry |orig-date=March 17, 2020 |date=August 28, 2020 |last=Gacon |first=Alexis |work={{ill|Reporterre|fr}} |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241130103115/https://reporterre.net/Au-Quebec-les-derniers-caribous-menaces-par-l-industrie-forestiere |archive-date=November 30, 2024 |access-date=December 27, 2024}}

In 2014, Couillard announced his opposition to the development of shale gas, citing a report that raised environmental concerns.{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-premier-philippe-couillard-says-no-to-shale-gas-1.2874976 |title=Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard says no to shale gas |date=December 16, 2014 |work=CBC News | url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241227211931/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-premier-philippe-couillard-says-no-to-shale-gas-1.2874976 |archive-date=December 27, 2024 |access-date=December 27, 2024}}

= Religious symbols =

In October 2017, Couillard's government passed Bill 62, a Quebec ban on face covering. This law gained national and international attention, as Muslim women who wear a niqab or burqa would have to remove their religious garments to uncover their face to access public services. Couillard supported the law, saying "We are in a free and democratic society. You speak to me, I should see your face, and you should see mine. It's as simple as that."{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-niqab-burka-bill-62-1.4360121 |title='I should see your face, and you should see mine,' Quebec premier says of new religious neutrality law |orig-date=October 18, 2017 |date=October 19, 2017 |last=Shingler |first=Benjamin |work=CBC News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241227212201/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-niqab-burka-bill-62-1.4360121 |archive-date=December 27, 2024 |access-date=December 27, 2024}}

=Quebec election, 2018=

Couillard's government was ousted after only one term by the Coalition Avenir Québec in the October 2018 provincial election. Couillard himself easily won reelection in Roberval.{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/philippe-couilard-liberal-leader-1.4850132 |title=Philippe Couillard steps down, making way for a 'new generation' of Quebec Liberals |date=October 4, 2018 |last=Hinkson |first=Kamila |work=CBC News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241227225824/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/philippe-couilard-liberal-leader-1.4850132 |archive-date=December 27, 2024 |access-date=December 27, 2024}} He resigned as party leader and MNA on October 4, 2018.

After politics

In September 2022, Couillard was reported to be involved with the Canadian activities of a UK-based company Britishvolt, lobbying to build a gigafactory in Canada.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/sep/29/britishvolt-38bn-battery-factory-green-industry |title=Shock therapy: turmoil engulfs Britishvolt’s £3.8bn battery factory |date=September 29, 2022 |last=Jolly |first=Jasper |work=The Guardian |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241224170142/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/sep/29/britishvolt-38bn-battery-factory-green-industry |archive-date=December 24, 2024 |access-date=December 27, 2024}} However, by the end of November 2022, the company was reported to have abandoned its ambitions to build a factory in Canada; Couillard reportedly ceased working for Britishvolt in October 2022.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/nov/27/britishvolt-scraps-plan-for-second-factory-in-canada |title=Britishvolt scraps plan for second factory in Canada |date=November 27, 2022 |last=Jolly |first=Jasper |work=The Guardian |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241227230224/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/nov/27/britishvolt-scraps-plan-for-second-factory-in-canada |archive-date=December 27, 2024 |access-date=December 27, 2024}}