Louise Harel

Louise Harel (born April 22 1946) is a politician in Quebec, Canada. On June 6 2005 she was chosen interim leader of the Parti Québécois following the resignation of Bernard Landry. She is also interim leader of the opposition in the Quebec National Assembly.

Harel graduated in 1977 from the Université de Montréal with a degree in sociology. She was first elected to the National Assembly in the 1981 election as the Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for Maisonneuve. In 1984, she was appointed Minister of Cultural Communities and Immigration by Quebec Premier René Lévesque, and served until the government's electoral defeat in the 1985 election. She retained her seat, however, and served in opposition for the next nine years.

When the PQ returned to power in the 1994 election under the leadership of Jacques Parizeau, she returned to cabinet as Minister of Employment and minister responsible for immigration. She later served as Minister of Municipal Affairs. In 2002, she became the first woman to serve as Speaker of the National Assembly, and remain in that capacity until the 2003 election, after which she joined the PQ on the opposition benches.

Harel served as interim PQ leader and leader of the opposition until a leadership election chose André Boisclair as leader on November 15, 2005. She was not a candidate in the leadership election. As the new leader of the PQ, André Boisclair, does not have a seat in the National Assemby, Harel remains leader of the opposition.