After years playing hockey for the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens, George Laraque will try his hand at politics. The ex-NHL player is the Green Party’s candidate in Montreal’s Bourassa riding in an upcoming byelection.
“Today is an important day for me. It is the result of many years of community involvement. I would be so proud to be chosen by the people of Bourassa to be their representative,” said Laraque.
After a successful career in hockey as an enforcer, Laraque became known as a vegan, animal-rights crusader and environmentalist. He has also been involved in humanitarian work in his parents’ native Haiti.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said “this is an important day for the Green movement in Quebec” and she described Laraque as someone who “will always speak his mind.”
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has yet to call a byelection for the riding, which has a large Haitian population.
With files from CBC.