Quebec has a new Native Affairs Minister, and if his name sounds familiar, it’s because the new boss is the same as the old (old) boss.
Premier Jean Charest reappointed Benoit Pelletier to the position the Chapleau MNA held from 2003-2005, when he was replaced by Geoff Kelly.
Pelletier is part of the smaller 48-member Liberal caucus elected March 26 that will try to govern Quebec as a minority government.
He oversaw the signing of a tentative agreement in March 2004 between the provincial government and the Chiefs of four Innu communities.
But Pelletier may be better known for getting lost in Gatineau Park in August 2002. Before he was rescued by police, an exhausted Pelletier was reportedly mosquito-bitten, thirsty, sunburned, wet from thunderstorms and muddy from wading through deep swamps while lost for a 23-hour period after heading out on a solo hike in the park.
