Laurent Lessard ended weeks of speculation Friday when he announced he won’t seek a sixth term as the MNA for Lotbiniere-Frontenac.

In a statement on Facebook, Lessard, 55, thanked his constituents for their support over the past 15 years and said he would continue to vigorously defend their interests right up until election day, scheduled for Oct. 1.

A lawyer and former mayor for the city of Thetford Mines (1999-2003), Lessard entered provincial politics as the Liberal MNA for what was then the Frontenac riding in 2003.

After a stint as minister of labour, Lessard served as then-premier Jean Charest’s agriculture minister in 2007 and 2008, and returned to the post in 2010-11 after then-ag minister Claude Bechard died of cancer.

After the Liberals returned to power in 2014, Lessard served as minister for forests, wildlife and parks and later for transport. Premier Philippe Couillard brought him back to the agriculture portfolio in early 2017 following the firing of then-minister Pierre Paradis.

Speaking Friday to the Union des producteurs agricoles’ (UPA) journal La Terre de chez nous, UPA president Marcel Groleau hailed Lessard as a minister with a great respect for farmers.

Often in federal and provincial politics, ministers who opt not to run again are replaced at the cabinet table, but Couillard hasn’t yet said whether Lessard will remain in cabinet heading into the next election. — AGCanada.com Network

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Provincial Agriculture Minister Laurent Lessard on Monday announced the three-year, $4 million organic agriculture conversion support program set up in June 2015 will now run to the end of March 2022.

The program offers up to $20,000 per crop operation and $20,000 per livestock operation.

The program has provided support for over 250 farms since its launch, Lessard said, backing the conversion of almost 4,000 hectares and over 2.6 million maple syrup taps.

“Carrying forward the expiry date of this program will allow producers who are starting to convert or are converting to organic to continue the process, and we’ll be there to accompany them,” Lessard said.

Grain, oilseed and pulse growers can get $100 per hectare in each of the pre-certification and certification stages. Forage and pastures are similarly eligible for $25 per hectare; horticulture producers, $2,500 per hectare; greenhouse growers, 50 cents per square metre; and maple syrup growers, five cents per tap.

Livestock producers, meanwhile, can get support worth up to 50 per cent of admissible costs toward renovating their barns and operations to organic standards.

“While we have noted for some years an increasing demand from consumers for organic products, the majority of those offered in the Quebec market are still sourced from outside the province,” Lessard said.

The province’s organic strategy, he said, is meant to help entrepreneurs better respond to market demands and thus meet consumers’ expectations. — AGCanada.com Network

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In a short press release, Premier Philippe Couillard said he was informed Thursday evening that Agriculture Minister Pierre Paradis is the subject of a police investigation.

Given the circumstances, Paradis has been relieved of ministerial duties and “excluded” from the Liberal government caucus, the release said.

Transport Minister Laurent Lessard, a former provincial agriculture minister (2007-09, 2010-11), was sworn in Thursday as minister for agriculture, food and fisheries. Lessard will also continue to handle the transport file, Couillard said.

The specific nature of the police inquiry wasn’t mentioned in Thursday’s release.

An even shorter announcement from Couillard’s office Wednesday had said only that Paradis would be temporarily off work and Lessard would handle the portfolio in the meantime.

Several Quebec news outlets on Wednesday had quoted a ministerial spokesperson as saying Paradis, 66, suffered a concussion in a fall from a horse a few days earlier and was under doctor’s orders to rest.

A ministerial spokesperson was not immediately available to confirm those reports Wednesday.

Thursday evening, however, news outlets including Radio Canada, the Montreal Gazette and TVA reported Paradis is the subject of an inquiry by the Surete du Quebec (SQ), the provincial police force.

TVA, citing information from an unnamed source, reported Thursday evening that the investigation follows an alleged “altercation” at a Quebec City-area bar.

Paradis has been the MNA for the Monteregie riding of Brome-Missisquoi since 1980 and the province’s agriculture minister since April 2014.

Paradis previously served in cabinet portfolios including environment and municipal affairs and had chaired the Quebec assembly’s agriculture, food and fisheries committee from 2007 to 2012. He also ran unsuccessfully against Robert Bourassa for the provincial Liberal leadership in 1983. — AGCanada.com Network

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Premier Philippe Couillard announced Wednesday that Paradis’ responsibilities as minister of agriculture, food and fisheries would temporarily go to Transport Minister Laurent Lessard.

News outlets in Quebec including Radio Canada, La Presse and TVA reported Wednesday that Paradis had suffered a concussion in a fall from a horse a few days ago and was under doctor’s orders to rest.

A spokesperson for Couillard was not immediately available Wednesday afternoon to confirm those reports or to estimate how long Paradis would be off work.

Paradis, 66, is the MNA for Brome-Missisquoi, has been the province’s agriculture minister since April 2014 and is reported to be an avid horseman.

Lessard, 54, is the MNA for Lotbiniere-Frontenac and served two stints as agriculture minister (2007-09, 2010-11) under then-premier Jean Charest.

Couillard had shuffled Lessard last August into the transport portfolio from the forests, wildlife and parks file. — AGCanada.com Network

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