Media mogul Pierre Karl Péladeau could not conceal his emotion as he announced he would resign as leader of the pro-independence Parti Québécois.

Media mogul Pierre Karl Péladeau could not conceal his emotion as he announced he would resign as leader of the pro-independence Parti Québécois.
Photo Credit: Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press

Separatist leader steps down for family reasons

The leader of the party dedicated to gaining independence for the province of Quebec has resigned in tears. Pierre Karl Péladeau is a media mogul who, in January, split up with his wife, Julie Snyder, a major television star and businesswoman. She talked about the split on a hugely popular television show last night.

Today, Péladeau resigned as leader of the Parti Québécois, a political party now in opposition, as well as his seat in the National Assembly saying he was “forced to make a heartbreaking decision between my family and my political project.” He and Snyder have two young children and he has a teenage daughter from a previous marriage.

Accusations of conflict of interest

Controversy has swirled around Péladeau. He is the controlling shareholder of Quebecor which owns many private media in Quebec. There was much criticism that this represented a conflict of interest. He said he would put his shares into a blind trust but never did.

Péladeau made headlines when he joined the party in 2014. The Parti Québécois was in power and running in an election at the time. At the announcement of his decision to run for office he raised his fist and declared that he was eager to make Quebec an independent country.

There had already been two referendums in Quebec, in 1980 and in 1995. Both were defeated, and even though the latter was lost by the smallest of margins, people were not ready to have another go at it, according to several public opinion polls taken at the time. The party was defeated in 2014.

Resignation a shock

While the resignation has come as a shock and leaves the party in some disarray, there will be those who will breathe a sigh of relief. The party traditionally has social democratic values that don’t mesh with those displayed by Péladeau. For example, as an employer, he was notorious for locking out workers during labour disputes which left some party members mortified. He also launched what some found to be unseemly personal attacks on opponents legally and in social media.

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