Diane Lemieux new head of construction agency

Diane Lemieux is running in the Ahuntsic district for the Union Montreal party.

The provincial government has named former Parti Quebecois Labour Minister Diane Lemieux as the new head of the Construction Commission of Quebec (CCQ).

She is replacing Andre Menard, who worked for the CCQ for 40 years, 17 of those as president, before announcing his retirement earlier this month.

Lemieux was first elected to the National Assembly in 1998, and served as Labour and Culture Ministers in a PQ government, then as House Leader for the Opposition.

She resigned as an MNA in October 2007 to enter the private sector, but after two years re-entered politics in a failed bid to become a municipal representative for Union Montreal in 2009.

However Mayor Gerald Tremblay named her as his chief of staff and she held the position for a year.

Labour Minister Lise Theriault has confidence in Lemieux, saying she is a good manager who is able to make decisions and compromises while sticking to her principles.

The CCQ is responsible for overseeing the construction industry in Quebec, enforcing labour laws, managing pension funds, and in conjunction with several other agencies has a new mandate to battle corruption.