Lise Thibault
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Lise Thibault (born April 2, 1939) is a Canadian civil servant who was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Quebec on January 30, 1997. As a former Vice-Regal representative of Elizabeth II, as Queen in Right of Quebec, she is styled The Honourable for life.
Born in Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan, Quebec, Thibault has worked for a variety of different organizations in the government of Quebec, including the Department of Education, the Occupational Health and Safety Commission, and the Quebec Bureau for Handicapped Persons.
On the advice of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, the Governor General appointed her Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec, following the resignation of Jean-Louis Roux. She became Quebec's first female viceroy, and the first disabled lieutenant governor in Canada; Thibault was permanently disabled in a tobogganing accident as a teenager, and uses a wheelchair. In February 2005 Madame Thibault suffered a stroke.
She is one of the longest serving lieutenant governors in Canadian history, having served for over ten years. In 2007, she was accused of spending beyond the limits of her expense account. Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that he would recommend the appointment of a new Lieutenant Governor after the provincial election; it was said by the Prime Minister's Office that the decision to replace Thibault had nothing to do with her spending. The appointment of her successor, Pierre Duchesne, was announced on May 18, 2007.[1] He was sworn in on June 7, 2007.
Questions on her spending continued after her departure, with federal and provincial auditors general pointing to $700,000 in unjustified expenses (CBC). The files were turned over to the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for investigation.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jean-Louis Roux |
Lieutenant Governor of Quebec 1997–2007 |
Succeeded by Pierre Duchesne |
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