Former Quebec Liberal environment minister Thomas Mulcair will run for the federal NDP, leader Jack Layton announced in Montreal Friday.

Mulcair, 52, was the province's environment minister from 2003 to 2006. He quit the cabinet after a dispute with Premier Jean Charest over the privatization of a park in his Laval riding of Chomedey and did not run again in the 2007 election.

Former Quebec cabinet minister Thomas Mulcair, shown in 2004, quit the cabinet after a dispute with Premier Jean Charest.
(CBC)

Layton told a news conference he hopes Mulcair can help the party boost its fortunes in the province.

The NDP has never had much support in Quebec, but Layton said that is changing with the rest of the political landscape.

Mulcair, who was first elected to the national assembly in 1994 and was re-elected in 1998 and 2003, said his decision to re-enter politics was based in large part on the need for environmental action.

"It's not Chicken Little, it's really serious stuff," he said. "Global warming is the key issue that has to be resolved if we're thinking about future generations."

Although he has not yet decided where in Quebec he will run, Mulcair said he has a strong base of support in Laval.

However, he may consider running in a byelection if one is held before the general election, he said. There may be one soon in the Montreal riding of Outremont, which Liberal Jean Lapierre resigned from in January.