Hélène Laverdière and Hoang Mai endorse Paul Dewar for NDP leader

Hélène Laverdière and Hoang Mai endorse Paul Dewar for NDP leader



February 17th, 2012

MONTREAL – Today, Quebec New Democrat MPs and members of the shadow cabinet, Hélène Laverdière and Hoang Mai endorsed Paul Dewar for the leadership of the NDP. The MPs are supporting Dewar for his values and leadership skills.

“Paul is best able to continue the work that began under Jack Layton, with hope, vision, intelligence, compassion and respect,” said Hélène Laverdière. “Paul's French is improving quickly. I also know that he shares the values of Quebecers and that he is ready to defend their interests. I am convinced that the more Quebecers get to know him, the more they will appreciate him, as I’ve come to do by working with him.”

Hélène Laverdière is the foreign affairs critic and the Deputy House Leader in the NDP shadow cabinet. She is a former diplomat and the vice-chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.

“I support Paul because I believe in him. He has the qualities and the values I look for in a leader,” said Mai. “Paul works hard and his French is improving every day. He has always been in favour of the Sherbrooke Declaration and he voted in the House to recognize the Quebec nation. I am confident he will continue to work hard to defend Quebec’s interests.”

Hoang Mai, was named by Jack Layton to the post of critic for national revenue in NDP's shadow cabinet. Mr. Mai is a leader in Montreal's Vietnamese community and the vice-chair of the Commons Finance Committee. A notary by profession, he studied international law in the Hague and worked in Vietnam, Singapore and Hong Kong.

“Hélène and Hoang are two of Parliament’s rising stars and I’m grateful for their support,” said Dewar. “My social democratic values are Quebecois values. With their support, I’ll put in place the resources we need to build the profile of our Quebec MPs and grow our NDP in the next 70 ridings that we need to defeat Stephen Harper. Together, we'll build a government that represents our shared values.”

“A language can be improved, but Paul’s qualities, his leadership, his unifying spirit, his vision, his understanding of heart and mind, that is something that cannot be learned,” concluded Hélène Laverdière.