Quebec’s former education minister Yves Bolduc has joined Hill + Knowlton Strategies in Quebec City as a special adviser, in a move that has raised the ire of opposition parties.
H+K says Bolduc will contribute to the firm’s business development efforts within Quebec and nationally.
Bolduc, who is a physician and was the health minister from 2008 to 2012, left politics in February shortly after he initially defended a high school’s policy of conducting strip searches of students. Before that, the Liberal minister was embroiled in controversy when it was revealed he received $215,000 in premiums for taking on new patients while working as a general practitioner and an opposition MP. Bolduc subsequently abandoned the patients after he became a minister again.
“Throughout his career as a doctor, manager, professor and politician, Dr. Bolduc has devoted himself to serving others. We very much look forward to joining forces with him as we help provide effective solutions for our clients,” said Josiane Hébert, vice-president, public and government affairs and acting general manager of H+K’s Quebec City office, in a statement. “Dr. Bolduc’s illustrious career speaks for itself, and his professional experience makes him an exceptional addition to our team.”
In a statement, Bolduc said he finds the new position “especially motivating, combining the two aspects of my professional career that are of particular importance to me: people and business.”
But, Benoît Charette, a member of the National Assembly for the Coalition Avenir Québec party told La Presse Canadienne that Bolduc’s new job creates a conflict of interest. Parti Québécois House Leader Bernard Drainville added the National Assembly should prevent Bolduc from assuming his new role by strengthening the existing ethics code.
According to current legislation, a former minister is forbidden from taking part in any lobbying activities for at least two years after having quit politics.
Bolduc told La Presse Canadienne he has no plans to stop working full-time as a doctor and will not drop any of his patients due to his new position.
He also said his new part-time job with H+K will not call on him to influence the government and that he will respect the rules that cover lobbying.
