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Sidewalk Cafes along Verdun Street

Rue Verdun, or Verdun Street, is an upscale commercial and residential street in Beirut, Lebanon.^[1] The street, which is a major shopping center and tourist attraction, was named in honor of the Battle of Verdun during World War I. However, "Verdun" remains the street's unofficial name. It is officially named Rachid Karami Street, after Lebanon's late Prime Minister who was assassinated during the Lebanese Civil War. Rue Verdun is close to embassies and major companies, most importantly the BLOM Bank Headquarters - Lebanon's Nb. 1 bank in terms of annual revenues. It is also only 2 km away from the regional Head-office of the UNESCO, 5 km away from the Beirut International Exhibition & Leisure Center, and a 10 minute walk from the Corniche Beirut. The Municipality of Beirut has several plans to revamp the street starting with redirecting traffic to go in one-way direction from north to south, to replacing the pavement with cobblestone and installing new street furniture.

Shopping[link]

Christmas decorations on Verdun Street

Security guards on a shopping center entrance

The interior of a Verdun shopping center

Verdun is Lebanon's Answer to "Fifth Avenue". It occupies a distinct place in the Lebanese Shopping and Entertainment Scene. You can find top names like Massimo Dutti, Armani, Christian Dior, Springfield Timberland, Oysho, Mango, and Zara. Shops and boutiques are distributed among several shopping centers and along the street's sidewalks forming a retail haven for all shopping-addicts. The most famous of these is the Verdun 732 Center and Dunes Mall.

Landmarks[link]

Lycée Franco-Libanais Verdun is one of Beirut's most prominent Francophone schools. The Druze Center is the seat of the high sheik of the Druze Sect in Lebanon, also a notable Verdun Landmark. The "Rashid Karami" memorial statue, after whom the street is named, is also present on this avenue of shops and cafes. Dar El-Fatwa will join the Verdun family of landmarks in its soon-to-be-constructed Headquarters on a currently empty lot on the street. In front of the Dunes Center lies Verdun's most recognizable landmark: a golden fountain courtesy of the Verdun Traders Association. Verdun is also home to several politicians who reside in the street's high-end luxury Apartments. The most famous are Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, current PM Najib Mikati, and the Late MP Walid Eido.

Tourism and entertainment[link]

Verdun is home to a number of tourism facilities. Four Points by Sheraton has a prime location on the entrance of Rue Verdun. Another hotel is the Holiday Inn, rising above the bustling Dunes Center. Lying on the intersection of Verdun and Hamra is the Bristol Hotel, an old-age landmark and witness to Verdun's development over the years. Joining the hotel family of Verdun soon is the Staybridge Suites, which is still under construction in a 22-storey-high tower. Several Food and Beverage Outlets line the sidewalks of Verdun. Those range from international franchise coffee shops and diners to local restaurants offering popular national dishes.

Verdun Street Festival[link]

Verdun is one of Beirut's most prestigious residential neighborhoods where also some of the most important fashion boutiques are found.^[2] The Verdun Shopping and Street Festival is the jewel in Verdun's crown of entertainment.

Notes and references[link]

Verdun Quai de Londres Verdun Location within Lorraine region  Verdun Administration Country France Region Lorraine Department Meuse Arrondissement Verdun Mayor Arsène Lux Statistics Elevation 194–330 m (636–1,080 ft) Land area1 31.03 km2 (11.98 sq mi) Population2 19,624  (1999)  - Density 632 /km2 (1,640 /sq mi) INSEE/Postal code 55545/ 55100 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. Coordinates: 49°09′43″N 5°23′15″E / 49.162°N 5.3876°E / 49.162; 5.3876 Imperial City of Verdun Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire ? – 1552 → Coat of arms Capital Verdun Government Republic Historical era Middle Ages  - Established Uncertain Enter start year  - Three Bishoprics     annexed by France   1552 1552  - Peace of Westphalia     recognises annexation   1648 Today part of  France

Verdun (French pronunciation: [vɛʁ.dœ̃]; medieval German: Wirten, official name before 1970 Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.

Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is the slightly smaller city of Bar-le-Duc.

History[link]

Verdun (Latin: Verodunum, meaning "strong fort") was founded by the Gauls (as its Celtic name shows; "Dunum" is the Latinized version of a Celtic word meaning oppidum). It has been the seat of the bishop of Verdun since the 4th century AD, with interruptions. In the Treaty of Verdun in AD 843, the empire of Charlemagne was divided into three parts.

At around this time Verdun was the centre of a Europe-wide thriving trade selling young boys to be enslaved eunuchs to the Islamic emirates of Iberia.^[1] Less controversially, the city has been famous for Dragées or sugared almonds from 1200 onwards; they were distributed at the baptism of French princes.^[2]

Verdun was part of the middle kingdom of Lotharingia, and in 1374 it became an Imperial Free City of the Holy Roman Empire. The Bishopric of Verdun formed together with Tull (Toul) and Metz the Three Bishoprics, which were annexed by France in 1552 (recognized in 1648 by the Peace of Westphalia).

From 1624 to 1636, a large bastioned citadel was constructed on the site of the Abbey of Saint Vanne. In 1670, Vauban visited Verdun and drew up an ambitious scheme to fortify the whole city. Although much of his plan was built in the following decades, some of elements were not completed until the after the Napoleonic Wars. Despite the extensive fortifications, Verdun was captured by the Prussians in 1792, but abandoned by them after the Battle of Valmy. During the Napoleonic War, the citadel was used to hold British prisoners-of-war. In the Franco-Prussian War, Verdun was the last French fortress to surrender in 1870. Shortly afterwards, a new system of fortification was begun.^[3] This consisted of a mutually supporting ring of 22 polygonal forts up to 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from the city, and an inner ring of 6 forts.^[4]

Bird's-eye view of Verdun in 1638

Early map of Verdun, circa 1695

Battle of Verdun (1792)[link]

The Battle of Verdun was fought on August 20, 1792 between French Revolutionary forces and a Prussian army. The Prussians were victorious. This therefore opened the path to Paris.

Verdun in 1819[link]

Norwich Duff visited Verdun in 1819, shortly after the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars. He writes:

Verdun is prettily situated in a valley surrounded by hills. The River Meuse runs through the town and forms several canals and ditches round the town which is fortified and, I believe, by the great Marshal Vauban. The citadel and [surrounds] are a good deal out of repair and [people] were at work on them. Though there is little to see at Verdun, every part of it felt interesting from the number of our countrymen [i.e. British prisoners of war] confined here during the war. Verdun is famous for its sweetmeats, sugar plums, confits etc. which are said to be the best in France. They made us show our passports [here] it being a fortified town.

Battle of Verdun (First World War)[link]

Verdun was the site of a major battle of the First World War. One of the costliest battles of the war, Verdun exemplified the policy of a "war of attrition" pursued by both sides, which led to an enormous loss of life.

Following the failure of the Schlieffen Plan in 1914 and the solidifying of the Western Front, Germany remained on the strategic defensive in the west throughout most of 1915. In the winter of 1915–1916, German General Erich von Falkenhayn, the chief of the German General Staff (1914–1916) made plans for a large offensive on the Western Front that ultimately aimed to break Great Britain, which he believed was Germany's main enemy. Falkenhayn argued that Britain, hidden behind the shield of the French army, could be met head on and defeated only after this shield was broken. As Falkenhayn recalled it, his so-called Christmas memorandum to Kaiser Wilhelm II envisioned a massive but limited attack on a French position 'for the retention of which the French Command would be compelled to throw in every man they have'. Once the French army had bled to death, Britain could be brought down by Germany's submarine blockade and superior military strength. The logic of initiating a battle not to gain territory or a strategic position but simply to create a self-sustaining killing ground—to bleed the French army white—pointed to the grimness of military vision in 1916.

Recent scholarship by Holger Afflerbach and others, however, has questioned the veracity of the Christmas memo. No copy has ever surfaced and the only account of it appeared in Falkenhayn's post-war memoir. His army commanders at Verdun, including the German Crown Prince, denied any knowledge of an attrition strategy. It seems likely that Falkenhayn did not specifically design the battle to bleed the French army but justified ex-post-facto the motive of the Verdun offensive, despite its failure.

Verdun was the strongest point in pre-war France, ringed by a string of powerful forts, including Douaumont and Vaux. By 1916, the salient at Verdun jutted into the German lines and lay vulnerable to attack from three sides. The historic city of Verdun had been a Gallic fortress before Roman times and later a key asset in wars against Prussia, and Falkenhayn suspected that the French would throw as many men as necessary into its defence. Ironically, France had substantially weakened Verdun's defences after the outbreak of the war, an oversight that would contribute to the removal of Joseph Joffre from supreme command in the summer of 1916. The attack was slated to begin on February 12, then the 16th, but snow forced repeated postponements.

Falkenhayn massed artillery to the north and east of Verdun to precede the infantry advance with intensive artillery bombardment. His attack would hit the French positions on the right bank of the Meuse. Although French intelligence had warned of his plans, these warnings were ignored by the French Command and troop levels in the area remained low. Consequently, Verdun was utterly unprepared for the initial bombardment on the morning of 21 February 1916. German infantry attacks followed that afternoon and met tenacious but ultimately inadequate resistance for the first four days. On 25 February the Germans occupied Fort Douaumont. French reinforcements—now under the leadership of General Pétain—began to arrive and were instantly thrown into "the furnace" (as the battle was called) to slow the German advance, no matter what the cost. Over the next several days, the stubborn defense managed to slow the German advance with a series of bloody counter-attacks. In March, Falkenhayn decided to target the French positions on the left bank of the Meuse as well, broadening the offensive front twofold. Throughout March and April, Le Mort Homme and Hill 304 were under continuous heavy bombardment and relentless infantry attacks. Meanwhile, Pétain organised repeated, small-scale counter-attacks to slow the German advance. He also ensured that the Bar-le-Duc road into Verdun—the only one to survive German shelling—remained open. It became known as La Voie Sacrée ("the Sacred Way") because it continued to carry vital supplies and reinforcements into the Verdun front despite constant artillery attack.

German gains continued in June, but slowly and only after increasingly heavy losses on their side. They attacked the heights on both banks of the river. On 7 June, following almost a week of bitter resistance, Fort Vaux fell to the Germans after a murderous hand-to-hand fight inside the fort itself. On 23 June the Germans reached what would become the furthest point of their advance. The line was just in front of Fort Souville, the last stronghold before Verdun itself. Pétain was making plans to evacuate the right bank of the Meuse when the Allies' offensive on the Somme River was launched on 1 July, partly to relieve pressure on the French. The Germans could no longer afford to continue their offensive at Verdun when they were needed so desperately on the Somme. At a cost of some 400,000 German casualties and a similar number of French, the attack was finally called off. Germany had failed to bleed France to death.

The battle continued, however, from October to the end of the year. French offensives, employing new tactics devised by Pétain's deputy, General Robert Nivelle, regained the forts and territory they had lost earlier. This was the only gleam of hope in an otherwise abysmal landscape.

Overall, the battle lasted 11 months. Falkenhayn was replaced by Hindenburg as Chief of General Staff. General Nivelle was promoted over the head of General Pétain to replace Generalissimo Joffre as French supreme commander, although he was to hold the post for less than six months.

A panoramic view of Verdun in 1917

A panoramic view of Verdun from 2004

A panoramic view of Verdun from 2004

Cemetery and memorial[link]

Douaumont ossuary

There are many French and German cemeteries throughout the battlefield. The largest is the French National Cemetery and Douaumont ossuary, near Fort Douaumont. Thirteen thousand crosses adorn the field in front of the ossuary, which holds roughly 130,000 unidentified remains brought in from the battlefield. Every year yields more remains, which are often placed inside the ossuary's vaults.

Among many revered memorials on the battlefield is the "Bayonet Trench", which marks the location where some dozen bayonets lined up in a row were discovered projecting out of the ground after the war; below each rifle was the body of a French soldier. It is believed that these belonged to a group of soldiers who had rested their rifles against the parapet of the trench they were occupying when they were killed during a bombardment. The men were buried where they lay in the trench and the rifles left untouched.

Nearby, the World War I Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial is located at Romagne-sous-Montfaucon to the northwest of Verdun. It is the final resting place for 14,246 American military dead, most of whom died in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The chapel contains a memorial to the 954 American missing whose remains were never recovered or identified.

Notable people[link]

• Giovanni Veneroni, linguist.
• Danielle Mitterrand, First Lady.

Landmarks[link]

The Châtel Gate is the only remaining part of the medieval city walls. It leads onto La Roche Square.

La Citadelle was built in the 17th Century. It is still in military hands but the underlying tunnels can still be visited.

Notre-Dame de Verdun Cathedral was consecrated in 1147 but was built on the site of an earlier church. The 12th Century Lion Door on the north side has a lavishly decorated tympanum. The whole building was heavily restored in the 18th Century.

The Episcopal Palace was built in the 18th Century by Robert de Cotte and has a fine facade. Part of the building is occupied by the World Peace Centre.

The Princerie Museum is located in the former residence of the princes of Verdun. It contains historic works of art from the region.^[5]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Verdun

• Official web site Verdun
• The Battle of Verdun
• La place forte de Vedun 1870–1918
• GPS-Teamproject "Verdun - Somme - 1916"
• "My visits to the battlefields of Verdun". http://home.casema.nl/r.cossee/. 
• "Forum Eerste Wereldoorlog,Dutch/Flemish Forum,also about Verdun". http://www.forumeerstewereldoorlog.nl/. 

• "World War I Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial". American Battle Monuments Commission. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/ma.php. Retrieved January 17, 2006. 
• "Photo album of old and modern Verdun area". http://www.worldisround.com/articles/80502/. 
• "Verdun — A Battle of the Great war". http://www.verdun14-18.de. 
• "Pictures from battlefields of Verdun". http://www.historische-orte.de/html/verdun.html. 
• "The old fortifications of Verdun". http://www.fortified-places.com/verdun.html. 

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Roy W. Place (1887 – 1950) was a Tucson, Arizona architect.

Born in San Diego in 1887, Place moved to Tucson in 1917 after working in Chicago and the Boston firm of Sheply, Rutan and Coolidge. Place partnered with John Lyman in 1919, together constructing over 20 buildings in Tucson. Place worked independently from 1924-1940 as the University of Arizona's Chief architect. Roy’s son, Lew Place, joined the firm in 1930, became a partner in Place and Place in 1940, and managed the firm after his father’s death. Lew Place designed several University of Arizona buildings as well as Pueblo, Rincon and Salpointe High Schools. Lew was also the sculptor for the two figures on the Cochise County Courthouse.^[1]

Place’s sophisticated Spanish Colonial Revival building shaped the character of Downtown Tucson from the mid 1920s until urban renewal of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Buildings included the Plaza Theater constructed in 1930 (closed and demolish on May 14, 1968 for the widening of Congress Street), the Montgomery Ward Building (striped and resurfaced on the corner of Pennington and Stone Avenue) under restoration in 2010 and The Pioneer Hotel (refaced and striped of its ornamentation). The domed and pink plaster Pima County Courthouse, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The courthouse and the Davis Clinic Building are Place’s only extant surviving examples of this architectural style in the downtown Tucson, but other examples abound around the city (see Extant Buildings, below).

The never realized ‘“Puelo Nuevo Lodge”’ was designed by Roy Place and developer G.G. Souerbry. Conceived as a grand, pueblo revival, courtyard, luxury 24 units apartment Co-Op. The site occupied a Tucson city block on Speedway Boulevard from Martin to Warren. The elegant two story design featured courtyards, pueblo massing and environmentally sensitive details. Each unit was conceived with a second story bedroom with two porches to maximize open air sleeping. The development was advertised as the “most beautiful and attractive ever constructed in Tucson” and was to feature: Philippine mahogany trim, colored stucco walls, steel casement windows, celotex insulation, bean ceilings, tile, oak and linoleum floors and kitchen servidors.

Extant Buildings[link]

• Hotel Congress (1919) (NOTE: Alexander Curlett and Son, Los Angeles, is the architect of record for Hotel Congress (as well as the Rialto) in its National Registration listing.)
• Benedictine Sanctuary (1939-1940) (http://www.tucsonmonastery.com)
• The Pioneer Hotel (1928)
• Pima County Courthouse (1929) (http://jp.pima.gov/Pages/history/buildings.htm)
• Veterans Administration Hospital in Tucson(1929)
• Former Montgomery Ward Building (1929) (http://www.downtowntucson.org/downtowntucsonan/feb05/historic.html)
• Roskruge School (date unknown)
• Sam Hughes Elementary School (1927) (http://edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/Sam_Hughes/)
• El Conquistador Water Tower (1929)
• Mansfeld Junior High School (1930)
• Reilly Funeral Home (late 1920s/early 30's Art Deco remodel)
• Cochise County Courthouse in Bisbee (1930): An example of Pueblo Deco architecture.
• U.S. Post Office. Yuma, Arizona (1933): 370 West Third Street. Yuma, Arizona.
• University of Arizona Humanities Building (1935)
• University of Arizona Anthropology Building (1935)
• University of Arizona Chemistry-Physics Building (1936)
• University of Arizona Centennial Hall (1936-1937)
• University of Arizona Gila Hall (1937)
• University of Arizona Yuma Hall (1937)
• University of Arizona Administration Building (1937)
• Tucson Unified School District Educational Building (1941) 1010 East 10th Street; An example of Pueblo Revival architecture.
• Bank Building; 150 N. Stone Ave. (1955) Tucson, Arizona. (Lew Place as Roy passed in 1950.)
• Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind.
• Former Sears & Roebuck, 81 N. 6th Avenue (1929; remodel and addition 1940 (demolished 1984), and 1947 south wing addition (existing)); An example of Art Deco.

Demolished Buildings[link]

• Plaza Theater (1930)

References[link]

1. ^ Kvaran and Lockley, A Guide to the Architectural Sculpture of America.

• Haldeman, Peter. Architectural Digest, October 2004: www.ronstadt-linda.com/ad2004.html
• Nequette, Anne M. and Jeffery, R. Brooks. A Guide to Tucson Architecture. University of Arizona Press 2002.
• Cooper, James F. The First Hundred Years: The History of Tucson School District 1, Tucson Arizona 1867-1967: http://www.tusd.k12.az.us/contents/distinfo/history/history.html
• Copper, James F. Places in the Sun. Westernlore Press, Tucson 1989.
• The University of Arizona Comprehensive Campus Plan: Appendix 5 List of Historic Buildings: http://www.cfp.arizona.edu/PDF_Files/Appendix%205.pdf

Pauline Marois BA MBA, MNA
Leader of the Opposition (Quebec)
Incumbent
Assumed office December 9, 2008
Preceded by	Mario Dumont
MNA for La Peltrie
In office 1981–1985
Preceded by	new riding
Succeeded by	Lawrence Cannon
MNA for Taillon
In office 1989–2006
Preceded by	Claude Filion
Succeeded by	Marie Malavoy
MNA for Charlevoix
Incumbent
Assumed office 2007
Preceded by	Rosaire Bertrand
Personal details
Born	(1949-03-29) March 29, 1949 (age 63) Quebec City, Quebec
Political party	Parti Québécois
Spouse(s)	Claude Blanchet
Residence	Île-Bizard, Quebec
Occupation	social worker, civil servant
Religion	Roman Catholic

Pauline Marois (French pronunciation: [pɔlin maʁwa]; born March 29, 1949) is the current leader of the Parti Québécois in the province of Quebec, since June 27, 2007 and current Leader of the Official Opposition of the National Assembly of Quebec, representing the riding of Charlevoix. In a political career spanning some 30 years, she has held a total of 15 ministerial titles.

She is married to Claude Blanchet, former head of Quebec's Société générale de financement, and is the mother of four children (Catherine, Félix, François-Christophe and Jean-Sébastien).

Early life, education, and career[link]

Marois was born in Quebec City, the daughter of Marie-Paule (née Gingras) and Grégoire Marois.^[1] She holds a bachelor's degree in social work from Université Laval, as well as a master's degree in business administration (MBA) from HEC Montréal. During the 1970s she gained experience with several community organizations, before working as press attachée for then-finance minister Jacques Parizeau. She also served as chief of staff for Lise Payette, minister responsible for the condition of women, and taught for some time at Université du Québec en Outaouais.

Marois was first elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in the 1981 election as the Parti Québécois (PQ) Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for La Peltrie. She immediately joined the government of René Lévesque as Minister for the Status of Women. In 1983, she was promoted to Minister of Labour and Income Security and Minister responsible for the Outaouais region.

Second leadership race[link]

She quickly started to organize her leadership bid following the PQ electoral defeat. Her close supporters founded Groupe Reflexion Quebec, which served as a think tank. Her key organizors were Danielle Rioux, Nicole Léger, Nicolas Girard, Nicole Stafford, Joseph Facal and Pierre Langlois.

Marois announced her candidacy in the election for the leadership of the PQ following the sudden resignation of Landry in June 2005. She won 30.6% of the vote placing second to André Boisclair.

Marois retired from the National Assembly in March 2006, stating that after 25 years in elected politics it was time for her to pursue other interests. She vowed to remain active in the PQ, and reaffirmed her confidence in Boisclair's leadership. She was succeeded as MNA for Taillon by Marie Malavoy.

Third leadership race[link]

In the March 26, 2007 Quebec provincial election, the Parti Québécois was reduced to third place in the National Assembly, behind both the governing Quebec Liberal Party and the opposition Action démocratique du Québec. Following this disappointing result, PQ leader André Boisclair announced his resignation as leader on May 8, 2007. Marois was considered a leading candidate to replace Boisclair, especially following federal Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe's withdrawal from the race.^[2]

On May 11, 2007, she announced that she would run again for leader of the PQ for the third time.^[3]

No other candidate stepped forward to contest the election, and Marois was acclaimed leader on June 27, 2007. She led the party from outside the National Assembly until winning the Charlevoix by-election on September 24.

By-election[link]

On August 13, 2007, Marois announced her candidacy for the riding of Charlevoix, after the incumbent, Rosaire Bertrand, retired from politics after 13 years as the MNA.^[4] The by-election was held on September 24, 2007. Marois did not compete against a candidate from the minority governing Liberal party, which chose not to present an opposing candidate,^[5] but did face Action démocratique du Québec candidate Conrad Harvey, who had been a candidate in the same riding against Bertrand in the 2007 general elections, and won with 58.2% of the popular vote.^[6]

Marois's campaign signs displayed her image on a blue-green background along with the slogan: "Chez nous, c'est Pauline." Marois stated at the beginning of the race that she wished to reclaim nous, showing a return to the PQ's ethnic nationalist beginnings.^[7]

Canadian tradition holds that in a by-election, a party leader without a seat runs unopposed by other major parties. Also, opposing party leaders traditionally do not campaign in the riding. Marois herself, however, campaigned for a PQ candidate in a by-election against Liberal party leader Robert Bourassa in 1985, as did PQ leader René Lévesque.^[8][9]

While voter turnout in by-elections is generally low, 13.18 per cent of the 33,156 Charlevoix voters turned up at advance polling and an overall turnout of about 58%.^[10][11]

Zoning controversy[link]

According to a Montreal Gazette newspaper article, there were questionable actions on the part of Marois' husband, Claude Blanchet, which led to protected agricultural land being rezoned to permit him to construct a residence, and to parcels of government land being appropriated by the couple for their own private use. Marcel Turcotte was said to have been paid $500 by an agent of Blanchet after he signed an affidavit to the effect that he had occupied an unheated building on the land (not far from his home) 50% of the time, thereby justifying the zoning change application under a grandfather clause.^[12]

Marois' spokeswoman, Christiane Miville-Deschênes, did not explain if Blanchet held a contract or rented or paid charges on the public acreage and at what time and in what manner he received the right of way. According to the borough of L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève, only one area of all government-owned tracts in Île Bizard is rented, and that is a borough-run park.^[13]

Marois confirmed in an interview with TVA news anchor Pierre Bruneau and reporter Paul Larocque, that one parcel of land belongs to the Quebec Crown, and denied having received a free pass on the acquisition of it. She also filed a complaint against the newspaper and, along with her husband, later filed a $2 million lawsuit against the Gazette and one of their journalists.^[14][15]

Although it was initially covered at some length in the official PQ blog, all mention of the chateau scandal has since disappeared from the site.^[16]

Leader of the Parti Québécois[link]

Immediately after being named the new leader of the party, Marois conducted a major shuffle of the shadow cabinet. François Gendron was named the new house leader, replacing Diane Lemieux. Lemieux was offered by Marois the position of caucus chair, but refused and indicated her intention to resign her seat of Bourget.^[17]

Marois stated that the project of holding a referendum on sovereignty would be put on hold indefinitely, indicating that regaining the support of voters for sovereignty would not be her main objective.^[18]

In September 2007, she proposed a strategic plan for helping the forestry sector, which has been hard hit in recent years by the closure of several mills in western and central Quebec. Measures proposed included an increase in protected forest space, an increase of productivity by developing the second and third transformation of wood and incentives to encourage the usage of wood from Quebec for construction projects.^[19]

In November 2007, Mario Dumont, in which his party suggested the elimination of school boards, proposed a motion to topple the government in the wake of poor voting turnouts during the school elections on November 4, 2007. The PQ strongly rejected the motion along with the Liberals citing that it was a lack of judgment made by the ADQ leader. Marois added that she was open for a debate on the structural bases of the school boards.^[20]

Bill 195[link]

On October 18, 2007, Marois proposed Bill 195, the Quebec Identity Act, which included a requirement that immigrants must learn French in order to obtain rights, including a putative Quebec citizenship and the right to run in elections at all levels. The bill also proposed the fundamental values of Quebec should be taken into account in a future constitution, including equality between sexes and the predominance of French ^[21][22]

The idea was met with criticism amongst various minority groups. The Quebec Liberal Party also dismissed some of the measures as divisive and harmful. House Leader Jean-Marc Fournier also made a parallel between the proposed bill and Jacques Parizeau's "Money and the ethnic vote" speech following the 1995 referendum, while Cabinet Minister Benoit Pelletier added that it would violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Many current and past members of the Parti Québécois also rejected this proposal, including Bernard Landry.^[23][24]

Outside of Quebec, several newspapers described the bill as racist.^[25] Don Martin, columnist for the National Post, wrote that the population should try to stop the racism taking place in Quebec.^[26] However, while the vast majority of non-francophones are opposed, it was supported by a bare majority of francophones. However, the Liberals and the ADQ stated that they would defeat Bill 195.^[27][28]

Bill 101[link]

In April 2008, Marois proposed a major rewrite of Bill 101, the Charter of the French Language, in light of concerns of a purported decline of French language in the province—particularly in the Montreal region. Her proposals included more French courses in elementary and secondary schools, a requirement for new arrivals to learn French and for the extension of French Language requirements to be applied to small businesses as well as for more power for the Office québécois de la langue française.^[29]

Controversial position on Montreal anglophones[link]

On July 21, 2011, Pauline Marois was addressing Patrick Lagacé of La Presse newspaper in Montreal, Quebec. When asked what she proposed to do to counter the rising wave of English-speakers to Montreal's West Island where Pauline Marois resides she replied in a jokingly matter by suggesting they be drowned. Marois denies making the comments and says that her words were manipulated.

Leader of the Opposition[link]

Not long after the re-election of the federal Conservatives to a second minority government, and with the global financial crisis increasingly coming to the foreground of current events, Jean Charest precipitated the fall of his own minority government, arguing before the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec that the National Assembly was no longer functional. Obtaining the right to dissolve the parliament, an election was called in Quebec.

The péquiste campaign was largely seen as lacking momentum until Marois’ performance in the televised debate against Charest and Mario Dumont brought new enthusiasm to the party. While the PQ did not win the election or prevent the Liberals from obtaining a majority, their return to the status of official opposition, the unexpectedly large number of seats obtained (51), and the ADQ’s effective marginalization were seen as a moral victory by supporters. Marois thus became the first elected woman Leader of the Official Opposition in Quebec.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pauline Marois

• "Biography" (in French). Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours. National Assembly of Quebec. http://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/deputes/marois-pauline-79/index.html.