MONTREAL — A quick sketch of Quebec Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard, who is vying for a second mandate as premier when Quebecers go to the polls Oct. 1.
Age: 61
Born: June 26, 1957, in Montreal.
Job before politics: Neurosurgeon.
Education: Earned a doctorate in medicine in 1979 and neurosurgery degree in 1985 from Universite de Montreal, a specialist certificate from College des medecins du Quebec and a specialist certificate from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 1985.
Professional career: Strategic adviser in health and in life sciences with Secor-KPMG; senior follow in health law at McGill University; head of the department of neurosurgery at St-Luc Hospital from 1989 to 1992, and again at the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke from 1996 to 2003.
Political career: Embarked on a career in provincial politics in 2003; served as health minister between 2003 and 2008; elected Liberal leader in March 2013; won byelection in December 2013; became premier in April 2014.
Current riding: Roberval, about 250 kilometres north of Quebec City.
Quote: “We need to bring a team that is going to be both experienced and made of new people. We’ve always renewed ourselves at strategic moments. This is one of those moments.” — Couillard as he recently announced the controversial candidacy of former NHL player Enrico Ciccone to replace longtime Liberal backbencher Francois Ouimet.
The Canadian Press
