CTV News Montreal

Updated: Tue Jan. 24 2012 4:57:18 PM

CTVNews.ca

MONTREAL — The Bloc Quebec has lost its Vice-President, as Vivian Barbot, 70, has stepped down.

Barbot served as Bloc VP since 2009 and briefly served as Interim President following the departure of Gilles Duceppe after the 2011 spring election debacle.

Barbot left her post on Thursday, just prior to the controversy started swirling around alleged payments made by the party's director general from public funds.

The former Papineau MP confessed that she was sorry to see the controversy.

"It's sad to see this happen to someone who works as hard as Duceppe, someone who has remarkable integrity and who always took care to spend public funds properly. It bothers me to see him condemned without even anybody taking the time to see what laws apply," she said.

Barbot said that she was aware that the General Manager's pay was being taken from the House of Commons budget, rather than the party.

"That was well known, there was no secret there,' she said.

Barbot was born in Haiti, where her father Clement Barbot played a role in the Duvalier regime. He fell out with the dictator and was imprisoned, released and assassinated in 1963. The rest of the family lived in the Argentinian Embassy in Port au Prince for 21 months prior to moving to Argentina in 1965.

She met her Quebecois husband Real Lymburner in Argentina and the two came to Canada in 1967, settling in Durham South in the Eastern Townships, where she taught CEGEP. She later became president of a teachers' association.  

Barbot became President of the Quebec Federation of Women in 2001, taking over from Francoise David before entering federal politics. 

She served as MP for Papineau after defeating Liberal incumbent Pierre Pettigrew in 2006. She was defeated by Liberal Justin Trudeau in 2008 and again in 2011.

With a file from The Canadian Press

Comments are now closed for this story

steve
she says that duceppe was a man of integrity. that is a joke. these people do not know the meaning of integrity. as for her, we see a lot of this garbage here in quebec. part of the seperatist winning conditions. immigrate alot of people from french countries to get that extra vote. shameless individuals who i am sure their children will be no different. losers, one and all.

Lisa Francini
I wonder if Miss Barbot will go back to Haiti with all her pension money she earned as a separatist in Canada. Looks like she got what she wanted from her move here...she hit the Canadian taxpayer subsidized jackpot salary. Maybe our immigration department should be more astute as to the future intentions of types like her before they let them in the door.

johnp
@cyberdude why do you think the PQ is so in love in bring these people,it's certainly not because of their skill and education

Miss Penelope Swankers
If I immigrate to one of the nations like many of these immigrants aligning with Quebec separatists will those countries they came from allow me the right to try and destroy it?

rando
its rediculous knowing that this woman was given the chance (by the Canadian Immigration Agency) to live a prosperous and joyful life, yet she shows up in this country and decides to go against it. Go back to haiti, you dont deserve to live in this great nation!

Cyberdude
I am so pleased that Ms. Barbot emigrated from Haiti in order to help destroy Canadian confederation.

Thanks for all your ill wishes, Ms. Barbot.

Susie-Q Mtl.
Does this mean that the B.Q. is on its way out of Ottawa? I sure do hope so. With only 4 people & now no president well it's only a matter of time. The Equality Party here in Que. saw the writing on the wall & just quietly folded up. I strongly urge the B.Q. to think about doing the same thing. They aren't wanted anymore. Fold up. Help Mr. D. deal with his problem. You can all join the P.Q. I'm sure Pauline M. will welcome you with open arms. She needs help. Lots of it.

bobby
get out, It's a useless party and should fold up and leave.It's just a money grab say it like it is, a big illusion to protect the people of quebec yah right
bob

Anna Toth
She always has a very spiteful expression on her face, even when she claims to be sincerely smiling.

Cameron in Deux-Montagnes
At least she will not be running with a gold-plated M.P.'s pension unlike Mr. Duceppe.

Leslie Pratt
I guess Miss Bardot and other separatists had better not take for granted that Canadians/Canadiens(nes) are as gullible as her party thinks they are.

Kelly Willis
Why is she running away? Is she afraid the Bloc's dirty laundry might further expose or implicate beyond the field of scope it's now uncovering?

Mr John.
Surprised...but on the run....