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Mario Dumont  BA MNA
42nd Leader of the Opposition (Quebec)
In office March 26, 2007 – November 5, 2008
Preceded by	André Boisclair
Succeeded by	Pauline Marois
Leader of the ADQ
In office 1994 – March 6, 2009
Preceded by	Jean Allaire
Succeeded by	Sylvie Roy (interim)
MNA for Rivière-du-Loup
In office September 12, 1994 – March 6, 2009
Preceded by	Albert Côté
Succeeded by	Jean D'Amour
Born	May 19, 1970 (1970-05-19) (age 39) Cacouna, Quebec, Canada
Political party	Action démocratique du Québec
Spouse(s)	Marie-Claude Barrette
Children	Angela Charles Juliette
Alma mater	Concordia University
Profession	Politician
Website	adq.qc.ca

Mario Dumont (born May 19, 1970 in Saint-Georges-de-Cacouna, Quebec) is a television personality and former politician in the province of Quebec. He was a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec (MNA), and the leader of the Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ), from 1994 to 2009. After the 2007 Quebec election, Dumont obtained the post of Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly.

Following his party's poor showing in the 2008 Quebec election, he announced his resignation as ADQ leader, and subsequently joined the television network V to host a daily news and talk show which began in 2009.

Biography

Dumont and his wife, Marie-Claude Barrette, have three children: Angela, Charles, and Juliette.

Political profile

Dumont bought his first membership card in the provincial Liberal Party at age 15. He stated to his school friends that in the future he would be Quebec's premier.^[1] Dumont was a former President of the Parti libéral du Québec's Youth Commission, but had a falling out with the party following the rejection of the Allaire Report proposing maximalist powers for Quebec after the collapse of the Meech Lake Accord.

The first Liberal sovereignists Dumont called himself and Michel Bissonnet, who preceded Dumont as leader of the Liberal youth wing. This was the group that led the Liberal sovereignist faction while Liberal premier Robert Bourassa remained unopposed.^[2]

Dumont organized the "Liberals for the No side," in the 1992 referendum on the Charlottetown Accord.

He and Liberal party insider Jean Allaire played a central role in the creation and development of the ADQ in 1994. He succeeded Allaire as leader after the latter resigned for health reasons.

Dumont was elected as an ADQ member of the National Assembly for Rivière du Loup in the 1994, 1998, 2003, and 2007 elections. Dumont holds a Bachelor in Economics from Concordia University (1993) and completed some graduate work at the Université de Montréal.

In the 1995 Quebec Referendum, Dumont joined with Parti Québécois Premier Jacques Parizeau and Bloc Québécois leader Lucien Bouchard, who wooed him and with whom he remains close, in support of the sovereigntist campaign. In subsequent years, however he changed positions on the issue, arguing that the sovereignty question had been decided and that Quebecers had no desire to revisit it. The constitutional position of the ADQ has since been "Autonomist", favouring increased powers and responsibilities for Quebec while remaining within Canada. In practical terms, Dumont has supported the creation of a Quebec constitution, the change of the province's name to that of the "autonomous state of Québec", and the collection of all taxes by the provincial government, with the funds necessary for the federal government to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities being transferred to it by the province.

Since the 1998 provincial election, Dumont has distinguished himself primarily for his stances on economic issues, which are generally considered to be right of centre in the context of the predominantly social-democratic Quebec political scene. He advocates the payment of a cash allowance to parents who do not wish to make use of the province's 7 dollar a day daycare program, changes to the provincial health system that would allow private for profit health care and private health insurance alongside the public system, the abolition of school boards, the encouragement of private education, a tougher criminal justice system, reductions in the size of the provincial bureaucracy, and the repayment of the province's $127 billion government debt.

2007 Quebec election

In the 2007 Quebec election, the ADQ won 41 seats with 31% of the popular vote, and formed the Official Opposition in the National Assembly. Prior to the dissolution of the National Assembly, the ADQ had held only five seats, and as a result did not have official party status. However, the ADQ failed to win seats in several major cities including Montreal, Gatineau, Saguenay, Longueuil, Laval and Sherbrooke.

However, after the election, the popular support for the party decreased gradually. A late-April 2008 Crop-La Presse poll showed the party in third position with 17%, more than 20% behind the PLQ. ^[3]

2008 Quebec election

On October 23, 2008, two ADQ MNAs, André Riedl and Pierre Michel Auger, crossed the floor to the governing Liberal Party, embarrassing Dumont. Quebec premier Jean Charest subsequently called a snap election for December 8, 2008. A Léger Marketing poll conducted between Friday, November 14 and Monday, November 17, showed the Liberals with 44% support, the PQ with 33%, and the ADQ with 15%.^[4]

Following ADQ's poor results in the general election, Dumont announced his political retirement after his party won a meager seven seats (17% of the vote) on December 8, 2008.^[5]

Subsequent career

Mario Dumont at the launch party of his show, Dumont 360 on V.

At TQS' 2009 upfronts presentation, it was announced that Dumont would join the network in the fall as host of a daily news and information series, Dumont 360.^[6] The series launched in September 2009, shortly after the network was rebranded as V.

Votes of confidence

Bibliography

• L'Instinct Dumont, Denis Lessard (Quebec: Voix Paralleles, 2007)

References

External links

• Biography at National Assembly of Quebec
• Genealogy : Mario Dumont