Stay informed
Joël Lightbound, Carney's new pick as Quebec lieutenant, has a long history of being unpredictable
OTTAWA — In 2017, Quebec politicians of all stripes marched in unison in Lévis to demonstrate their support to Davie shipyard workers and blast Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government for failing to provide enough contracts to avoid hundreds of more job losses.
One federal government representative showed up to the march: Joël Lightbound.
Frédérick Boisvert, who was then vice president of public affairs for Davie, said he was stunned to see an MP from the Liberal Party of Canada at the march given that it was to protest their government’s refusal to give more contracts to the sole Quebec shipyard.
“When Joël appeared in the picture, I’ll admit that a few people felt their jaw drop,” said Boisvert, who is now head of the Quebec City Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Lightbound, who was then a first-term MP in Louis-Hébert, quickly let the protesters know that he understood their concerns, and that he would help them revive the shipbuilding industry in Quebec. He quickly won the respect of unions and workers, Boisvert said.
Jean-Yves Duclos, who was then minister of families, remembers this moment well.
As the only other Liberal MP from Quebec City, Duclos was just as frustrated that Davie was not part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). But he could not publicly voice that frustration, as a member of cabinet who was bound by government decisions.
“I encouraged him to (go to the march), being unable to do it myself,” he said.
In the end, it was Lightbound’s decision to join the workers and politicians protesting his own government — a “bold” move, by Duclos’ admission, and a sign of “courage,” according to Boisvert, that will serve him well in his new role as Quebec lieutenant.
“Joël fought ferociously inside government — he was one of the great advocates for the Davie shipyard,” said Boisvert.
Duclos said it was rather a group effort to rally the rest of the Quebec caucus and pressure the Trudeau government into opening the NSS and giving the shipyard its fair share of federal contracts to renew the Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy fleets.
About 18 months after that march, the Trudeau government launched the process to select a third Canadian shipyard, in addition to Irving and Seaspan, under the NSS.
Davie officially became the third shipyard to enter the federal strategy in 2023, ensuring that it would benefit from billions in federal contracts for years to come.
At 37 years old, Lightbound became Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new Quebec lieutenant this week, a role he will assume on top of his responsibilities as minister of government transformation, public works and procurement.
But his ascension to cabinet — and in becoming the face of Carney’s government in Quebec — has been anything but smooth.
Lightbound decided to quit a cushy job in a prominent law firm in Montreal in 2013 to move back to Quebec City, where he grew up, to seek the nomination as Liberal candidate for Trudeau’s team at a time when the party was in third place in the polls.
It was a gamble that paid off, as the twenty-something year old won the nomination and won his seat. Trudeau would eventually form a majority government in 2015.
His only other Liberal colleague in the region — Duclos — was part of cabinet during the Trudeau years, which meant that Lightbound would not make the cut, but the young MP would go on to play a variety of roles as parliamentary secretary from 2017 to 2021.
Lightbound’s notoriety would take an unexpected turn when, in the midst of the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa, the MP criticized his own government for politicizing the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2021 election and for failing to provide a clear plan to lift restrictions.
“Not everyone can earn a living on a MacBook at a cottage,” he famously said.
As a result, Lightbound resigned as chair of the Quebec Liberal caucus and was criticized by colleagues for scoring in his team’s own net at a time when hundreds of protesters were occupying the streets of Ottawa demanding that the Trudeau government step down.
The next few years were spent focusing on his role as chair of the House of Commons industry and technology committee, with the occasional criticism of the Quebec government’s shifting plans to build a “third link” between Quebec City and Lévis.
Days after Chrystia Freeland resigned as finance minister, Lightbound openly called for Trudeau to step down as leader . He criticized many of his decisions and said that Trudeau had not been listening to his caucus in recent months.
Lightbound would go on to support Carney in the Liberal leadership race, after Trudeau had announced he would step down, and finally made it to cabinet after the spring election. Duclos, like many other Trudeau-era ministers, was dropped from Carney’s cabinet.
As Procurement Minister, Lightbound managed to drop the bombshell that Canada Post would have to end door-to-door delivery — explaining that the Crown corporation was losing $10 million per day. His announcement received some blowback but it was fairly minimal.
And this week, Lightbound inherited the role of Quebec lieutenant from Steven Guilbeault after he resigned from cabinet because of Ottawa’s deal with Alberta for a new oil pipeline.
“The role of Quebec lieutenant is to communicate well with Quebecers, but most importantly, to get the interests of Quebec relayed properly in Ottawa,” said Lightbound shortly after his nomination. “I’m looking forward to playing that role.”
A source with knowledge of Carney’s thinking said Lightbound is an MP with “excellent” political flair who can defend the government against Conservatives, as well as the Bloc Québécois.
The source also said he is part of a new generation of politicians in Quebec who can bring a new and different vision of the future of the province. In addition, he is not from Montreal.
Lightbound said he is looking forward to developing jobs in Quebec in the defence sector and critical minerals, as well as focusing on cost-of-living issues. He also said he is hoping to make the Liberal Party of Canada more visible outside of Quebec’s urban centres.
Of course, he is also taking on the role of Quebec lieutenant at a time when the separatist Parti Québécois is on the rise and could very well form a majority government next year, with its leader promising to hold a third referendum during his first mandate.
If and when that time comes, Duclos thinks Lightbound will be asked to step up in his role as Quebec lieutenant.
“Canada needs Quebec,” he said. “One of his responsibilities… will be to demonstrate not only to Quebecers why Canada is so good for its development, in all respects, but also to demonstrate to the rest of the country how Quebec can reinforce Canada.”
Boisvert said Lightbound is not the type of guy who backs down when things get tough.
“He doesn’t hate getting into a good fight but also doesn’t seek that” he said.
If his advocacy for the Davie shipyard to join the NSS years after the deal was cast in stone is any indication, Lightbound might get called to a new fight — to save Canada.
National Post calevesque@postmedia.com
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here.
Unpublished Newswire
Comments
Be the first to comment