Charlotte L’Écuyer, who held the post of MNA for Pontiac in the National Assembly in Quebec from 2003 to 2014, passed away yesterday morning. Th news was confirmed by her family via Facebook — L’Écuyer had been struggling for several months with illness.

The Pontiac above all

L’Écuyer devoted her career to the development of the Pontiac. It was first in the health sector that she stood out by ardently defending the region in order to provide it with access to quality health services.

“Despite our small team, people could be proud, because it was in the Pontiac that we could have the best health care,” said L’Écuyer in the past.

It was in the 2003 election, under the banner of the Liberal Party of Quebec, that L’Écuyer was elected for the first time as MNA for the riding of Pontiac, under the government of Jean Charest. She also became the first woman to hold this position.

“I had immense pleasure working with Mr. Charest,” said L’Écuyer in the past.

Former Quebec Premier Jean Charest told CHIP 101.9 to remember her as an intelligent woman who was very attached to her region.

“Charlotte was a warm, very intelligent woman, very connected in her environment. She also had strong expertise in the field of health," recalled former Premier Jean Charest.

During her first mandate, L’Écuyer had been followed by director Manuel Foglia for almost four years, for the Quebec documentary film Chers Electeurs. The film, released in November 2008, documents the daily life of two members of the Quebec parliament.

The person who replaced her as the member for Pontiac, André Fortin, said he remembered a woman who dedicated her life to the Pontiac:

She was re-elected in 2007, 2008 and 2012; she did not run again in 2014. Between 2014 and 2017, she became a commentator on CHIP 101.9 where she mainly analyzed the development of the MRC Pontiac.

On several occasions, L’Écuyer intervened on the air, so that municipal officials in the Pontiac could mobilize on certain issues, such as municipal governance and the region’s economic recovery. L’Écuyer had, on several occasions, mentioned that she wanted the municipalities of the Pontiac to be able to work more collaboratively.

She presented her candidacy to become Warden of the MRC Pontiac during the 2017 municipal election. Placing fourth, she said she was satisfied with the results, adding that she had managed to put forward important questions, such as transparency and good governance.

CHIP FM will have more details and testimonials to come.