Lucienne Robillard, seen here in 2004, has been elected president of the Liberal Party of Canada's Quebec wing. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)Former cabinet minister Lucienne Robillard has been named the new president of the Quebec wing of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Robillard, who served as a minister in the governments of former prime ministers Jean Chétien and Paul Martin, was selected unanimously by the organization's board of directors on Thursday, the party said.
She replaces Marc Lavigne, who resigned for family reasons, according to a statement released by the party on Friday.
"Lucienne is a person who has put her talent to promoting and advancing the principles and causes that drive the Liberal Party of Canada," said Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.
Media reports have suggested that Lavigne's departure, which comes just four months into his term, is related to the party's failure to regain lost ground in Quebec.
There have also been reports that party officials in the province have been irked by the perceived intrusion of Ignatieff's office into their affairs.
Robillard served as a minister in the government of former Quebec premier Robert Bourassa prior to her jump to federal politics in 1992.
She resigned her seat in the Montreal riding of Westmount-Ville Marie in January 2008.
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