PLQ management race | “It is by getting involved that we can change the institutions”

On the eve of the first debates of the race for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Quebec, The press Port a portrait of candidates. Today, Charles billion.

Posted at 5:00 a.m.

(North Hatley) “The right portfolio, the heart on the left”: Charles billion uses this formula to describe his political vision. Young progressive-conservative activist, then pharmacist-management, philanthropic and lover of classical music, the candidate is revealed.

The story of Charles Billion is a story of social mobility: son of a maritime site worker and a teacher mother, he quickly climbed the levels of the Uniprix pharmacies chain, and then take the reins of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce in Quebec.

Collector of books – He gave 600 to the Montreal Library when he left the metropolis -, a member of the Board of Directors of the Montreal Symphonic Orchestra (OSM), Mr. Billion now lies in the Estian village of North Hatley, on the banks of the Massawippi river.

“Well, in Quebec we are always humble, but I can say that I am proud of my professional career,” he drops, smile in the corner.

Regional candidate

When he embarked on the chiefdom race, Mr. billion positioned himself as the candidate of the regions. To convince, he spreads his roots. He was born and grew up in Lévis, and his parents are themselves from Kamouraska, in Bas-Saint-Laurent. “I come from a typically French-speaking Quebec environment,” he drops.

Young, he quickly got involved in politics, even if it “did not flow into the water” in his family. In the Federal, he finds himself in the Progressives-conservatives of Joe Clark, the politician who best understood Canada, according to Mr. billion. He saw the country as different communities “which give themselves joint services, and which must respect their provenances”, says Mr. billion.

He takes up a formula borrowed from the columnist Antoine Robitaille, who described him as a “disappeared blue”. “A blue that no longer exists, it’s a beautiful line. I identified myself a lot about this movement, Mulroney, Bouchard, men who wanted well-balanced books to finance social programs. It got lost with the current conservative party, ”he regrets.

He will also campaign at the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ), when Jean Charest, who also came from the progressive-conservative party of Canada, was the leader.

Interested in religion

At that time, he takes up to denounce the drifts of the Catholic Church, “as a young Catholic and practicing,” he wrote in The press In 2003. “Beyond the debate on gay marriage which at the moment mobilizes public opinion, it is also the questions relating to abortion, the fate of divorced in the church and the accession to the priesthood for women that the priest Gravel denounces,” he adds.

“I said to myself: it is not by leaving that we can change the institutions, it is by getting involved,” he says today. If he no longer considers himself a practitioner, he always has a “deep respect for religions”.

For Mr. billion, the defense of minorities and diversity is important, for example access to abortion in women. He himself embodied him by announcing his candidacy with his spouse. He doesn’t want to hide. “It’s part of me,” he explains.

In addition to his commitment to politics, he studied pharmacy. Barely hired at Uniprix, he embarked on an MBA in business administration. It quickly climbs into the company’s hierarchy. In 2013, at 33, he was appointed executive vice-president of the 380 pharmacies chain, with a consolidated turnover of $ 1.6 billion.

“At that time, Uniprix pharmacies were held by older pharmacists. Charles modernized this, and he set up a team with more modern tools to develop the practice of pharmacists, ”notes Bertrand Bolduc, ex-president of the Order of Pharmacists.

When the big boss François Castonguay retired, Charles billion tries to obtain the post. It is rather Philippe Duval, an external candidate, who is chosen, because of his experience. “It was a bit delicate, more for him than for me,” said Mr. Duval. “But he did that with a lot of fingering and professionalism. His first reaction was to tell me: I am committed and I stay. It demonstrates his sense of loyalty, ”he says.

Member of the ADDA

M. billion becomes the face of Uniprix. Although he is not well known to the general public, he still participated in programs like Two girls in the morning, Doctorsand prepares capsules that are broadcast after the program The parent at Radio-Canada. He is still a member of the Union of Artists, even if he intends to withdraw to avoid “all confusion”. “This is the business I have been the most about in my life,” he said, laughing.

In 2017, he left Uniprix, and went to National, and then become president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce in Quebec.

He impressed the ex-minister of the economy Pierre Fitzgibbon there, who met him almost every week during the Cavid-19 pandemic.

“Him like me, we are not very patient. I attend so many meetings where people speak to make time. If I have something to tell you, I’ll say it. I’m not just talking to punish. I know a lot, a lot, a lot, some of which in the race for the chiefdom, ”replies Charles billion. Like Mr. Fitzgibbon, he says he is not a very supporting person.

During the pandemic, Mr. billion and his team offer the Buy Bleu project, which will be recovered by the Legault government under the name of Blue Basket. The project is a failure, but at least says the candidate, the local purchasing reflex has remained, and is manifested today in the context of the trade war with the Americans.

Charles billion also has a little -known facet. “It is passionate about the arts and music,” says Monique Leroux, ex-president of the council and chief executive of the Desjardins movement, who rubbed shoulders with the OSM. He is a hard worker, who actively participates in “fundraising and events,” she adds.