View source for Louis Plamondon

{{Short description|Canadian politician (born 1943)}}
{{For|the lawyer and militia officer in Lower Canada|Louis Plamondon (lawyer)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix    = 
| name                = Louis Plamondon
| honorific_suffix    = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|MP|size=100%}}
| image               = 
| caption             = 
| office              = 38th [[Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada]]
| term_start          = September 27, 2023
| term_end            = October 3, 2023
| predecessor         = [[Anthony Rota]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/44-1/house/sitting-224/journals |title=JOURNALS |date=September 26, 2023 |website=ourcommons.ca |publisher=[[House of Commons of Canada]] |access-date=September 26, 2023 |quote=at the ordinary hour of daily adjournment on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, the member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel, the Dean of the House, be deemed elected Interim Speaker of the House}}</ref>
| successor           = [[Greg Fergus]]
| office1             = Leader of the [[Bloc Québécois]]<br />in the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]]
| status1             = Interim
| term_start1         = August 12, 2014
| term_end1           = October 22, 2015
| predecessor1        = [[Jean-François Fortin (politician)|Jean-François Fortin]]
| successor1          = [[Rhéal Fortin]]
| term_start2         = June 2, 2011
| term_end2           = December 16, 2013<ref>{{cite web|title=PLAMONDON, Louis, B.A.Ped., B.A.An.|url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo/files/Parliamentarian.aspx?Item=4b9cf7c8-d5db-4efa-a24e-c26afde48cc3&Language=E&Section=FederalExperience|publisher=Parliament of Canada|access-date=26 April 2014}}</ref>
| predecessor2        = [[Pierre Paquette]]
| successor2          = [[André Bellavance]]
| term_start3         = 1992
| term_end3           = November 9, 1993
| predecessor3        = [[Jean Lapierre]]
| successor3          = [[Michel Gauthier]]
| office4             = [[Dean of the House (Canada)|Dean of the House of Commons]]
| term_start4         = October 14, 2008
| term_end4           = 
| predecessor4        = [[Bill Blaikie]]
| successor4          = 
| office5             = Chair of the Bloc Québécois Parliamentary Caucus
| term_start5         = August 26, 2004
| term_end5           = February 28, 2018
| predecessor5        = 
| successor5          = 
| riding6             = [[Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel—Alnôbak]]<br />{{small|Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel (2015-2025)<br>Bas-Richelieu-Nicolet-Bécancour (2000–2015)<ref>The riding was briefly known as Richelieu in 2004.</ref>}}<br />{{small|Richelieu (1984–2000)}}
| parliament6         = Canadian
| term_start6         = September 4, 1984
| term_end6           = 
| predecessor6        = [[Jean-Louis Leduc]]
| successor6          = 
| birth_name          = 
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1943|7|31}}
| birth_place         = [[Saint-Raymond, Quebec]], Canada
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| party               = [[Bloc Québécois]] (1990–2018, 2018–present)
| otherparty          = {{plainlist|
* [[Québec debout]] (2018)
* [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative]] (1984–1990)
}}
| relatives           = [[Luc Plamondon]] (brother)
| residence           = [[Sorel-Tracy]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elections.ca/res/rep/off/ovr2019app/51/table12E.html|title=Official Voting Results|publisher=Elections Canada|access-date=January 23, 2021}}</ref>
| alma_mater          = {{plainlist|
* [[Université Laval|Laval University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
* [[Université de Montréal|University of Montreal]]
}}
| occupation          = {{hlist|Politician|businessman}}
| website             = {{URL|www.louisplamondon.com}}
| status              = 
| order               = 
}}

'''Louis Plamondon''' (born July 31, 1943) is a Canadian politician who has served as a [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|member of Parliament]] (MP) since his [[1984 Canadian federal election|election in 1984]]. As the longest-serving current member of the House of Commons, Plamondon is [[Dean of the House (Canada)|Dean of the House]], and holds the record as Canada's longest-serving dean. He represents [[Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel]] (formerly known as [[Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel|Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour]] and [[Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel|Richelieu]]) and briefly served as the 38th [[Speaker of the House of Commons (Canada)|speaker of the House of Commons]] in an interim capacity in 2023. Plamondon is a member of the [[Bloc Québécois]]; he was first elected as a [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative]] (PC), until leaving the PC caucus in 1990.

Plamondon has won his seat in twelve consecutive federal elections, winning twice as a Progressive Conservative before becoming a founding member of the [[Bloc Québécois]] in 1990, after which he has been re-elected ten more times. He, along with six other Bloc MPs, resigned from the Bloc's caucus to sit as an [[Independent politician|independent]] MP on February 28, 2018 citing conflicts with the leadership style of [[Martine Ouellet]].<ref name="ind">{{cite news|last1=Allard|first1=Clement|title=Seven of 10 Bloc Quebecois MPs quit over Martine Ouellet's leadership|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/seven-of-10-bloc-quebecois-mps-quit-over-martine-ouellets-leadership/article38144355/|access-date=February 28, 2018|work=The Globe and Mail|agency=The Canadian Press|date=February 28, 2018}}</ref> He rejoined the Bloc Québécois caucus on September 17, 2018.<ref name=deboutBloc>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/bloc-mps-return-1.4826329|title=5 Bloc Québécois MPs who quit party returning to the fold|work=CBC News|date=September 17, 2018|access-date=September 17, 2018}}</ref>

== Early life and career ==
Plamondon was born in [[Saint-Raymond, Quebec|Saint-Raymond-de-Portneuf, Quebec]] and is the brother of lyricist [[Luc Plamondon]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Thompson |first=Elizabeth |date=September 28, 2005 |title=Passion and Tears: Jean Sworn In |work=[[Montreal Gazette]] |page=A1}}</ref> He has a teaching certificate from [[Normal school|L'École normale]] Maurice L. Duplessis (1964), a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree from [[Université Laval|Laval University]] (1968), and a B.A.An. from the [[Université de Montréal|University of Montreal]] (1976). He was a math teacher and restaurant owner before entering political life.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes2004/riding/086/ Canada Votes 2004: Richelieu], [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]], 2004, accessed August 6, 2009.</ref> Plamondon supported the "oui" side in Quebec's [[1980 Quebec independence referendum|1980 referendum on sovereignty]].<ref>Alan Freeman, "Quebec MPs take lead from Bourassa, not PM," ''Globe and Mail'', 17 March 1990, A9; Alan Freeman and Ross Howard, "3 Quebec Tory MPs, 1 Liberal quit over rejection of Meech," ''Globe and Mail'', June 27, 1990, A1.</ref>

== Member of Parliament ==
=== Progressive Conservative MP ===
Plamondon was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the [[1984 Canadian federal election|1984 federal election]], defeating [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]] incumbent [[Jean-Louis Leduc]] in Richelieu. The Progressive Conservatives won a landslide [[majority government]] in this election under [[Brian Mulroney]]'s leadership, and Plamondon entered parliament as a government [[backbench]]er. He was associated with the [[Quebec nationalism|Quebec nationalist]] wing of his party and soon became known as a [[wikt:maverick|maverick]].<ref>Robert McKenzie, "Bourassa's support of Tories could backfire badly," ''Toronto Star'', 6 November 1988, B3.</ref> In 1986, he criticized justice minister [[John Crosbie]] for appointing an anglophone to replace the sole francophone judge on the [[Ontario Court of Appeal]].<ref>See Richard Cleroux, "Crosbie defends naming of judge," ''Globe and Mail'', 8 February 1986, A11.</ref> He later criticized industry minister [[Sinclair Stevens]] for awarding a multimillion-dollar untendered contract to a shipbuilding company in [[Quebec City]].<ref>Joel Ruimy, "Quebec's Tories: Trying to delay a big headache," ''Toronto Star'', 31 May 1986, B6.</ref> Plamondon also expressed sympathy with fellow MP [[Robert Toupin]], who left the Progressive Conservatives in May 1986 to sit as an independent.<ref>Richard Cleroux and Francois Shalom, "Tory MP turns independent, cites profound disagreement," ''Globe and Mail'', 15 May 1986, A1.</ref>

Plamondon was on the [[Social liberalism|socially liberal]] wing of the Progressive Conservative Party. He voted against a motion to reintroduce capital punishment in 1987 and later opposed efforts to restrict abortion services.<ref>"How the MPs voted on capital punishment," ''Toronto Star'', 30 June 1987, A10; David Vienneau, "MPs reject all abortion options," ''Toronto Star'', 21 July 1988, A1; David Vienneau, "New abortion law won't end the fighting," ''Toronto Star'', 26 May 1990, SA2.</ref> He strongly supported the Mulroney government's efforts to strengthen [[Official Bilingualism in Canada|official bilingualism]] and criticized dissident anglophone Tory MPs who tried to weaken the government's reforms.<ref>Linda Diebel, "Ottawa moves to stop 'dinosaurs'," ''Toronto Star'', 5 July 1988, A3.</ref>

Plamondon was also one of the more pro-labour members of the Tory caucus. In 1985, he promoted a partnership between the federal and Quebec governments and the [[Quebec Federation of Labour]]'s Solidarity Fund.<ref>"Maker of fire trucks plans modernization," ''Globe and Mail'', 5 July 1985, B6.</ref> Two years later, he stood with striking letter carriers in [[Sorel, Quebec|Sorel]] and criticized his own government's decision to approve replacement workers.<ref>David Stewart-Patterson, "PM won't cross picket line but backs postal policy," ''Globe and Mail'', 27 June 1987, A9.</ref> He was prominent among a group of Quebec Tory MPs who tried to reduce the party's reliance on corporate donations.<ref>Richard Clereux and Susan Delacourt, "Cote gets little sympathy from vexed Tory caucus," ''Globe and Mail'', 4 February 1988, A4.</ref> [[Ricardo López (politician)|Ricardo López]], a right-wing Quebec Tory MP, once suggested that Plamondon would be more suited to the [[social democratic]] [[New Democratic Party]].<ref>Richard Clereux, "Quebec Tory MPs seek to edge dissident colleague from caucus," ''Globe and Mail'', 15 October 1987, A5. The article title refers to [[Fernand Jourdenais]], not Plamondon.</ref>

Plamondon was re-elected without difficulty in the [[1988 Canadian federal election|1988 federal election]], as the Progressive Conservatives won a second majority government across the country. Over the following year, he became even more strongly aligned with the Quebec nationalist wing of his party. He supported [[Premier of Quebec|Quebec premier]] [[Robert Bourassa]]'s use of the [[Canadian constitution]]'s [[notwithstanding clause]] to prohibit outdoor English-language signs, and expressed regret that the ban was not extended to indoor signs.<ref>Richard Clereux and Hugh Winsor, "Override clause incompatible with rights charter, Mulroney says," ''Globe and Mail'', 20 December 1988, A5; "Tories told to stay silent over signs storm," ''Toronto Star'', 22 December 1988, A10; Richard Clereux, "Quebec PC supports Bourassa on clause," ''Globe and Mail'', 14 April 1989, D14.</ref> He also criticized [[D'Iberville Fortier]], Canada's official languages commissioner, for suggesting that Quebec was acting in an unjust manner toward its anglophone minority.<ref>"MP demands resignation of languages commissioner," ''Globe and Mail'', 22 June 1989, A12.</ref>

Consistent with his nationalist views, Plamondon was a vocal supporter of the Mulroney government's proposed [[Meech Lake Accord]] on constitutional reform and opposed [[Jean Charest]]'s efforts to modify the accord in early 1990.<ref>Graham Fraser and Susan Delacourt, "Meech Lake accord must be ratified as is, federal minister says," ''Globe and Mail'', 27 March 1990, A13.</ref> During this period, Plamondon speculated that [[sovereignty-association]] between Quebec and Canada would be "logical and reasonable" if the accord failed and added that he might become a "Quebec-only MP" in that event.<ref>Rosemary Speirs, "Stakes too high for failure of Meech," ''Toronto Star'', 29 April 1990, A1; Alan Freeman, "QUEBEC AFTER MEECH PART 1 PCs still committed to accord, loyal to PM," ''Globe and Mail'', 12 May 1990, A10.</ref> When the accord was rejected in June 1990, Plamondon resigned from the Progressive Conservative caucus and informed the House of Commons that he could no longer support a united Canada.<ref>"TWO MORE QUEBECERS QUIT CANADA GOVERNMENT," ''Reuters News'', 26 June 1990; Patrick Doyle, "4 federal MPs quit parties to back Quebec cause," ''Toronto Star'', 27 June 1990, A1.</ref>

=== Bloc Québécois MP ===
==== Mulroney and Campbell Governments (1990–93 ) ====
Plamondon was one of a group of Progressive Conservative and Liberal MPs from Quebec who left their parties after the failure of the Meech Lake Accord. This group soon coalesced as the [[Bloc Québécois]] under the leadership of [[Lucien Bouchard]]. The Bloc was not initially given official recognition in the House of Commons, and its members were designated as independent MPs. Plamondon was recognized as the Bloc's house leader in 1992.

In its original form, the Bloc Québécois was a loose alliance of parliamentarians rather than a formal political party. Plamondon was one of the first Bloquistes to promote the creation of a strong party organization to challenge the Progressive Conservative Party's Quebec machine in the next federal election. Others, including Lucien Bouchard, initially favoured a weaker party structure that would simply allow Bloc candidates to have their party designation appear on the ballot.<ref>Patricia Poirier, "Bloc Québécois to seek party status in House of Commons," ''Globe and Mail'', 11 February 1991, A1.</ref> The vision favoured by Plamondon ultimately won out, and the Bloc became a strong political organization throughout Quebec.

Shortly after joining the BQ, Plamondon asked the federal government to apologize to the province of Quebec and provide financial compensation for those who were wrongly arrested under the [[War Measures Act]] in the 1970 [[FLQ Crisis]].<ref>"MP demands apology, payment," ''Globe and Mail'', 10 October 1990, A6.</ref> He later spoke against a bid by [[Izzy Asper]] to bring his [[Global Television Network]] to [[Montreal]], arguing that the market was already saturated.<ref>John Partridge, "Izzy Asper stars in broadcast dealings," ''Globe and Mail'', 15 March 1991, B1.</ref> In 1992, he described [[Mordechai Richler]]'s book ''[[Oh Canada! Oh Quebec!]]'' as [[hate literature]].<ref>Graham Fraser, "BQ urges Ottawa to ban Richler book," ''Globe and Mail'', 17 March 1992, A1.</ref>

Plamondon was charged with attempting to hire a prostitute during an undercover sting operation in April 1993.<ref>"MP nabbed in red light district sweep," ''Toronto Star'', 24 April 1993, A10.</ref> He claimed innocence, saying that the charge was the result of a "bad joke between friends which lasted 45 seconds," but nonetheless resigned as his party's house leader pending resolution of the matter.<ref>"MP resigns post in Bloc Québécois over sex allegation," ''Toronto Star'', 27 April 1993, A9.</ref> He was renominated as the Bloc candidate for Richelieu despite the controversy.<ref>"THE WEEK IN REVIEW: Monday, August 2, 1993, to Friday, August 6, 1993," ''Financial Post'', 7 August 1993, 2.</ref>

==== Chrétien Government (1993–2003) ====
Plamondon was re-elected without difficulty in the [[1993 Canadian federal election|1993 federal election]], as the Bloc won fifty-four out of seventy-five seats in Quebec to become the [[official opposition]] in the House of Commons. The [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]] won a [[majority government]] under the leadership of [[Jean Chrétien]]. At his own request, Plamondon was left out of the Bloc's initial [[shadow cabinet]].<ref>"Bouchard criticizes Chrétien over Parliament opening delay," ''Kitchener-Waterloo Record'', 11 November 1993, A5.</ref> He pleaded guilty to the charge against him in April 1994, maintaining his innocence but adding that he simply wanted to resolve the matter as quickly as possible. He received an absolute discharge and does not have a criminal record.<ref>"MP pleads guilty," ''Financial Post'', 7 April 1994, 2; "Bloc MP to remain in caucus after guilty plea: Bouchard," ''Winnipeg Free Press'', 7 April 1994.</ref>

Plamondon co-chaired a funding and membership drive for the Bloc in early 1995.<ref>"Bloc launches funding drive," ''Winnipeg Free Press'', 23 January 1995.</ref> He opposed finance minister [[Paul Martin]]'s austerity budget in the same year, arguing that it placed an unfair financial burden on the provinces to fight the federal deficit.<ref>Paul Waldie and Terry Weber, "Critics rail at Liberals' missed chance to attack deficit," ''Financial Post'', 28 February 1995, B6.</ref> He personally opposed the Chrétien government's [[Canadian gun registry|gun registry]] legislation, which the Bloc supported, and he absented himself from the parliamentary vote that led to its passage.<ref>Tu Thanh Ha, "Firearms registry Ottawa's next project," ''Globe and Mail'', 14 June 1995, A1. He later joined with three other Bloc MPs to vote against new funding for the program in June 2005. See Sylvain Larocque, "Duceppe semonce quatre députés qui ont voté contre le registre des armes," 15 June 2005, 04:28pm.</ref>

After a narrow [[Canadian federalist|federalist]] victory in Quebec's [[1995 Quebec independence referendum|1995 referendum on sovereignty]], Lucien Bouchard left the Bloc Québécois to become leader of its provincial counterpart, the [[Parti Québécois]] (PQ). Plamondon initially favoured [[Bernard Landry]] to become the Bloc's new leader, arguing that he was the best positioned of all candidates to unite the party's different factions.<ref>Rheal Seguin, "Bouchard to go for PQ job," ''Globe and Mail'', 21 November 1995, A1; "Separatists confident Bouchard will lead them: Decision could spark new drive for separation," ''Hamilton Spectator'', 21 November 1995, A3.</ref> Landry decided not to run, and [[Gilles Duceppe]] eventually succeeded Bouchard as leader.<ref>[[Michel Gauthier]] also served as interim leader for a time.</ref>

Plamondon supported the Chrétien government's choice of [[Dyane Adam]] to become Canada's official language commissioner in 1998, saying that she would be "tougher" than her predecessor [[Victor Goldbloom]] (whom he nonetheless acknowledged had done good work on education matters).<ref>Edison Stewart, "Toronto woman candidate for language job," ''Toronto Star'', 4 December 1998, A8.</ref> He endorsed Adam's criticism of the Chrétien government in 2000, when she wrote that it was not sufficiently committed to defending official bilingualism.<ref>Stephen Thorne, "Federal government failing bilingualism "at highest levels," says watchdog," ''Canadian Press'', 5 October 2000, 3:24pm.</ref> Plamondon strongly opposed the [[Clarity Act]] legislation introduced by intergovernmental affairs minister [[Stéphane Dion]] in 1999, arguing that it would create confusion in any future referendum on Quebec sovereignty.<ref>Graham Fraser, "PM dismisses Quebec legislation," ''Globe and Mail'', 17 December 1999, A8.</ref>

==== Martin Government (2003–2006) ====
[[Paul Martin]] replaced Jean Chrétien as Liberal Party leader and prime minister in late 2003. Shortly before he was sworn in, Plamondon published a short book entitled ''Le mythe Paul Martin''.<ref>Brian Laghi and Campbell Clark, "Opposition parties move fast to target Martin," ''Globe and Mail'', 18 November 2003, A4.</ref> As its title implies, the work was highly critical of its subject: Plamondon accused Martin of damaging Quebec's interests during his time in the Chrétien cabinet.<ref>"Le Bloc lance un livre contre Paul Martin et suscite des réactions," ''Nouvelles Tele-Radio'', 24 November 2003, 3:24pm; Sylvain Larocque, "Le Bloc québécois lance un essai pour montrer "l'autre côté" de Paul Martin," ''La Presse Canadienne'', 24 November 2003, 6:13pm.</ref> He also argued that Martin would become an ally of United States president [[George W. Bush]], neglect the low-income citizens of Canada and Quebec, and favour the interests of English Canada. The Bloc distributed one thousand free copies of the book, and a further fifteen hundred copies were put on sale in bookstores. Martin's supporters dismissed the work as a negative campaign ploy lacking any progressive vision,<ref>Daniel LeBlanc, "Bloc MP produces anti-Martin volume," ''Globe and Mail'', 25 November 2003, A9.</ref> and Liberal MP [[Don Boudria]] asked the [[Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada|speaker of the House of Commons]] to investigate whether Plamondon had broken parliamentary rules by using publicly funded research staff to help compile the book.<ref>Elizabeth Thompson, "Liberals 'outraged' Bloc used staff for Martin book," ''National Post'', 26 November 2003, A4.</ref>

It was initially believed that Paul Martin's Liberals would win a majority of seats in Quebec at the expense of the Bloc, but the Liberal Party's fortunes were instead damaged by the [[Sponsorship Scandal|sponsorship scandal]], in which some advertising revenues approved by the Chrétien government to promote Canadian federalism in Quebec were found to have been misused. The Bloc soon re-established itself as the dominant federal party in Quebec,<ref>[[Graham Fraser]], "Bloc cashing in on Liberal scandals; Audit report boosts Duceppe," ''Toronto Star'', 3 April 2004, F1.</ref> and the Liberals were reduced to a [[minority government]] in the [[2004 Canadian federal election|2004 federal election]]. Plamondon was chosen as BQ caucus chair in the new parliament.<ref>Norman Delisle, "Il faut régler le déséquilibre fiscal pour mieux financer la santé, selon Duceppe," ''La Presse Canadienne'', 26 August 2004, 02:17pm.</ref>

When [[Bernard Landry]] resigned as Parti Québécois leader in 2005, rumours circulated that Gilles Duceppe would run to succeed him. Plamondon said that most Bloc MPs wanted Duceppe to stay in federal politics but would respect his decision one way or the other.<ref>Isabelle Rodrigue and Sylvain Larocque, "Les députés du Bloc veulent convaincre leur chef de rester en poste," ''La Presse Canadienne'', 6 June 2005, 5:47pm; Kevin Doherty and Elizabeth Thompson, "Legault won't run for PQ leadership: Cites family reasons, won't rule out future bid," ''Montreal Gazette'', 5 June 2005, A10.</ref> Duceppe chose to remain with the Bloc, and [[André Boisclair]] became PQ leader.

==== Harper Government (2006–2015) ====
Plamondon was elected to a seventh term in the [[2006 Canadian federal election|2006 federal election]], as the [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative Party]] won a [[minority government]] under the leadership of [[Stephen Harper]]. Widely respected as an electoral strategist, Plamondon later prepared an internal brief examining why the Bloc lost seats in the [[Quebec City]] area to the Conservatives.<ref>"Louis Plamondon assure que le Bloc sera attentif à Québec lors des prochaines élections," ''La Presse Canadienne'', 11 February 2007, 11:13am. See also "[[Mario Laframboise]] sera l'organiseur électoral en chef pour le Bloc québécois," ''Nouvelles Tele-Radio'', 3 April 2007, 10:30pm.</ref> He remained as the Bloc's caucus chair.<ref>Graham Fraser, "Gilles Duceppe's tricky high-wire act," ''Toronto Star'', 8 April 2006, F03.</ref>

André Boisclair resigned as Parti Québécois leader after a poor showing in the [[2007 Quebec general election|2007 provincial election]], and rumours again circulated that Duceppe would run to succeed him. This time, Plamondon told reporters that Duceppe should run for the provincial leadership to impose discipline on the notoriously unruly party.<ref>Alexander Panetta, "Bloc MPs tell Duceppe to seek PQ leadership, 'kick party's butt'," ''Canadian Press'', 9 May 2007, 5:00pm; Elizabeth Thompson and Philip Authier, "Duceppe should leave Bloc to save PQ, MPs say," ''Ottawa Citizen'', 10 May 2007, A3.</ref> Some in the PQ objected to this comment, which galvanized resistance to a Duceppe candidacy.<ref>Hubert Bauch, "Leadership race over before it ever began; Poll favouring Marois might have fuelled Duceppe's decision," ''Montreal Gazette'', 13 May 2007, A4.</ref> Duceppe eventually entered the leadership contest, but withdrew after only one day due to poor polling and a growing sense that the sovereigntist movement would be divided if he won. He stayed as leader of the Bloc, and Plamondon helped ensure his successful transition back to the federal scene.<ref>Elizabeth Thompson and Philip Authier, "Duceppe's shocking 'unity' bid," ''Ottawa Citizen'', 13 May 2007, A3; Lina Dib, "Difficile retour à Ottawa pour Duceppe: il demande l'appui de ses députés," ''La Presse Canadienne'', 13 May 2007, 2:53pm.</ref>

When [[Brian Mulroney]] released his memoirs in September 2007, he alleged that Lucien Bouchard had conspired with [[Jacques Parizeau]] to create the Bloc Québécois while still a federal cabinet minister. Plamondon rejected this, arguing that Bouchard was loyal to Mulroney until resigning in protest against the government's handling of the Meech Lake Accord.<ref>Hubert Bauch, "Plamondon rejects PQ conspiracy claim," ''Montreal Gazette'', 8 September 2007, A13.</ref> Plamondon also criticized [[Jean Chrétien]] later in the year, when Chrétien wrote in his memoirs that he would not have recognized a narrow sovereigntist victory in the 1995 referendum.<ref>Marianne White, "Ex-PM would not have recognized referendum Yes," ''National Post'', 15 October 2007, A1.</ref>

Plamondon was re-elected to an eighth term in the [[2008 Canadian federal election|2008 election]] as the Conservatives won a second consecutive minority government. He was again chosen as BQ caucus chair and, as the longest-serving member of the House of Commons, was also recognized as [[Dean of the House (Canada)|Dean of the House]]. Plamondon presided over the Commons when it re-elected [[Peter Milliken]] as its speaker in October 2008 and acknowledged the irony that an MP from a sovereigntist party would hold this position.<ref>Fannie Olivier, "Le Bloc ne semble pas s'inquiéter de deux départs en deux mois,"''La Presse Canadienne'', 25 June 2009, 4:18pm; Bill Curry, "NDP's Blaikie decides against running again; Bloc MP could be Commons' dean," ''Globe and Mail'', 16 March 2007, A4; "Longest-serving MP sits for so-called temporary party," ''Montreal Gazette'', 17 October 2008, A3.</ref>

Plamondon was returned by the narrowest margin of his career in the [[2011 Canadian federal election|2011 federal election]] following a strong challenge from the [[New Democratic Party]] (NDP). Gilles Duceppe was personally defeated in his riding and subsequently resigned as party leader; the Bloc won only four seats including Plamondon's and consequently lost [[official party status]]. Plamondon was chosen as the Bloc's acting house leader and, in the absence of a full-time leader, became its main parliamentary spokesperson.<ref>[http://www.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Files/Parliamentarian.aspx?Item=4b9cf7c8-d5db-4efa-a24e-c26afde48cc3&Language=E&Section=FederalExperience Parliamentarian File - Federal Experience: Louis Plamondon], [[Parliament of Canada]], accessed 30 June 2011; [http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-nouvelliste/actualites/201106/29/01-4413491-louis-plamondon-le-quebec-se-cherche.php Louis Plante, "Louis Plamondon: «Le Québec se cherche»," ''Le Nouvelliste'', 29 June 2011, accessed 30 June 2011. The latter piece incorrectly describes Plamondon as the Bloc's interim leader.</ref> He remains Dean of the House and presided over the Commons when it chose [[Andrew Scheer]] to be Milliken's successor as speaker on June 2, 2011;<ref>{{Cite news |last=Raj |first=Althia |author-link=Althia Raj |date=June 3, 2011 |title=Youngest-ever Speaker elected; Job comes with $233,247-a-year salary, two homes |work=[[Montreal Gazette]] |page=A15}}</ref> the Harper-led Conservatives had won a majority government at the election.

==== Trudeau Government (2015–2025) ====
<ref>{{Cite web |title=Site officiel du député de Bécancour - Nicolet - Saurel, Louis Plamondon |url=https://www.louisplamondon.com/ |access-date=2023-10-03 |website=www.louisplamondon.com}}</ref>
Plamondon was the Bloc candidate in his riding for the [[2015 Canadian federal election]], and was the only Bloc MP elected in 2011 to be running under the party banner again.<ref>{{cite web |author=Banerjee, Sidhartha |date=13 September 2015 |title=Louis Plamondon, Bloc Québécois devotee, prepares for fight of a lifetime |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/canada-election-louis-plamondon-bloc-quebecois-2015-1.3226283 |access-date=13 September 2015 |website=[[CBC News]]}}</ref> He was re-elected to a tenth term in the House of Commons, presiding over the House as it elected [[Geoff Regan]] as speaker; the Liberals had won a majority government under the leadership of [[Justin Trudeau]]. He was reelected to an 11th term in [[2019 Canadian federal election|October 2019]], to retain his position as Dean of the House<ref>{{cite news |date=21 October 2019 |title=Canada election results: Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/5767674/canada-election-becancour-nicolet-saurel/ |access-date=16 December 2019 |work=[[Global News]] |publisher=}}</ref> and preside over the election of [[Anthony Rota]] as speaker.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tunney |first1=Catharine |last2=Zimonjic |first2=Peter |last3=Harris |first3=Kathleen |date=5 December 2019 |title=Liberal MP Anthony Rota elected Speaker of the House of Commons |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/speaker-house-of-commons-rota-1.5384728 |access-date=16 December 2019 |work=[[CBC News]] |publisher=}}</ref> In the [[2021 Canadian federal election]], Plamondon was elected to Parliament for the 12th time. He was appointed the Library of Parliament committee and caucus vice-chair in the [[Bloc Québécois Shadow Cabinet of the 44th Parliament of Canada|Bloc Québécois Shadow Cabinet]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lévesque |first=Catherine |date=October 5, 2021 |title=Bloc Québécois announces shadow cabinet |url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/national/election-2021/bloc-quebecois-announces-shadow-cabinet |website=[[Montreal Gazette]]}}</ref>

In 2023, Plamondon eclipsed [[Herb Gray]] as the longest-serving dean of the House, with 15 years in the role. Upon the resignation of Speaker [[Anthony Rota]] in September 2023, Plamondon served as interim speaker, and for the sixth time as the presiding officer in the election of the subsequent speaker.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tasker |first=John Paul |date=26 September 2023 |title=Anthony Rota resigns as Speaker after honouring Ukrainian veteran who fought with Nazi unit |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/speaker-anthony-rota-resignation-1.6978422 |work=[[CBC News]] |publisher=}}</ref>

==== Carney Government (2025–) ====

In 2025, Plamondon was elected for a 13th time. He continued to preside as the Dean of the House as '''[[Francis Scarpaleggia]]''' was elected Speaker on May 26, 2025, in the [[45th Canadian Parliament]].




== Publications ==
* ''Le mythe Paul Martin'', 2003

== Electoral record ==
{{2025 Canadian federal election/Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel—Alnôbak}}
{{2021 Canadian federal election/Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel}}
{{2019 Canadian federal election/Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|2015|Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel|percent=yes|change=yes|expenditures=yes}}
{{CANelec|CA|BQ|Louis Plamondon|20,871|39.98|+1.68|&ndash;}}
{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Claude Carpentier|12,666|24.26|+14.16|&ndash;}}
{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Nicholas Tabah|11,531|22.09|-13.51|&ndash;}}
{{CANelec|CA|Conservative|Yves Laberge|5,955|11.41|-1.62|&ndash;}}
{{CANelec|CA|Green|Corina Bastiani|1,182|2.26|-0.71|&ndash;}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes/Expense limit|52,205|100.0 &nbsp;|&nbsp;|$212,219.80}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total rejected ballots|958|&ndash;|&ndash;}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Turnout|53,163|&ndash;|&ndash;}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Eligible voters|78,607}}
{{CANelec/hold|CA|BQ|+7.60}}
{{CANelec/source|Source: [[Elections Canada]]<ref>[http://www.elections.ca/Scripts/vis/candidates?L=e&ED=24009&EV=41&EV_TYPE=1&PC=&PROV=QC&PROVID=24&MAPID=&QID=8&PAGEID=17&TPAGEID=&PD=&STAT_CODE_ID=-1 Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel, 30 September 2015]</ref><ref>[http://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=can&dir=cand/canlim&document=index&lang=e Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815061116/http://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=can&dir=cand%2Fcanlim&document=index&lang=e |date=2015-08-15 }}</ref>}}
{{end}}

{{2011 Canadian federal election/Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour}}
{{2008 Canadian federal election/Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour}}
{{2006 Canadian federal election/Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour}}
{{2004 Canadian federal election/Richelieu}}
{{2000 Canadian federal election/Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour}}
{{1997 Canadian federal election/Richelieu}}
{{1993 Canadian federal election/Richelieu}}
{{1988 Canadian federal election/Richelieu}}
{{1984 Canadian federal election/Richelieu}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=13090}}
* [http://www.louisplamondon.com/ Official site]
* [http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/ProfileMP.aspx?Key=128149&Language=E Parliamentary profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220124252/http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/ProfileMP.aspx?Key=128149&Language=E |date=December 20, 2008 }}
* [http://www.blocquebecois.org/depute.asp?id=76 Party biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090802161134/http://www.blocquebecois.org/depute.asp?ID=76 |date=August 2, 2009 }}

{{Current Members of the Canadian House of Commons}}
{{CA-Dean of the House}}
{{Speakers of the Canadian House of Commons}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plamondon, Louis}}
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