Bernard Drainville's career: a snapshot
Kalina Laframboise | CBC News | Posted: June 13, 2016 10:34 PM | Last Updated: June 13, 2016
Parti Québécois MNA for Marie-Victorin quits Quebec politics
Bernard Drainville's nine-year career with Quebec's left-leaning Parti Québécois was filled with surprise and backlash.
His unexpected departure from politics comes as the party gears up to choose its next leader.
Here are some key moments from Drainville's stint as the PQ's house leader, an MNA and a minister.
Feb. 8, 2007: The jump
The Radio-Canada journalist promptly left his position as bureau chief in Quebec City to make the leap into politics.
Drainville announced his intention to run as an MNA for the PQ in the Marie-Victorin riding in Longueuil days after conducting an interview with the party's then-leader, André Boisclair, raising questions about whether he had crossed an ethical line.
The move shocked many of his colleagues and those in Quebec's tight-knit political circle.
Nov. 6, 2012: Taking on corruption
Many in Quebec's National Assembly didn't agree when Drainville tabled a bill that would impose a $100 per year limit on individual donations to provincial political parties.
The goal was to curb corruption at the political level. The bill would pass into legislation and come into effect in 2013.
Sept. 10, 2013: The Charter
Drainville was the architect of the PQ's controversial and failed Bill 60, also known as the Quebec Charter of Values.
The proposed legislation would prohibit civil servants such as teachers, police officers and doctors from wearing overt religious symbols while at work.
The minister stood by the secular charter through bouts of resistance across Quebec and Canada.
Oct. 27, 2014: The bid
Following the resignation of former premier Pauline Marois, Drainville threw his hat into the leadership ring six months after the Quebec Liberals came to power.
Drainville told CBC Montreal at the time that if he became leader, he wouldn't hold a referendum on Quebec sovereignty in his first mandate.
Jan. 15, 2015: Charter 2.0
After the failure of Bill 60, Drainville puts forward a second secular charter after the original died when the PQ lost the 2014 election.
He unveiled a softer version of the Charter of Values, as the first one had been met with fierce opposition by some school boards, health-care institutions and municipalities.
"If you think the state should be neutral, then those who work for the state should embody this neutrality," Drainville said at the time.
April 22, 2015: The dropout
An emotional Drainville withdrew his leadership bid for the PQ and instead opted to support front-runner Pierre Karl Péladeau.
"What I'm doing today is for the unity of the party," Drainville said.
Drainville was considered to be Péladeau's primary competitor for the PQ leadership.
June 13, 2016: The resignation
Drainville will leave Quebec politics and step down from the PQ.
The house leader for the PQ is expected to take a host position at a Quebec City radio station.