Vivian Barbot

Who is Vivian Barbot?

Vivian Barbot is a teacher, activist, and politician. She is a former President of the Fédération des femmes du Québec, a former Member of Parliament and former vice-president of the Bloc Québécois. She was the party's interim leader and president following the resignation of Gilles Duceppe in May 2011.

Barbot was born in Saint-Marc, Haiti. She is the former Member of Parliament for the riding of Papineau. In the 2006 election, she scored a significant victory for the Bloc by defeating former Liberal Cabinet Minister Pierre Pettigrew, but was defeated two years later in the 2008 federal election by Justin Trudeau. Barbot ran against Trudeau in the 2011 election, but was once again defeated.

The 2011 election also saw the defeat of Gilles Duceppe and all but four Bloc MPs. As vice-president of the party, Barbot was appointed interim party leader and president following Duceppe's resignation and remained in the position until Duceppe's successor, Daniel Paillé, was elected on December 11, 2011.