LAC-MEGANTIC, Que. -- The mayor of Lac-Megantic says she has faith in her local Conservative MP to help rebuild the devastated town, even though he's been sidelined from any cabinet role on the file.
Christian Paradis, the Harper government's former Quebec lieutenant, was stripped of his role as political minister in addition to being demoted from his industry portfolio in Monday's shuffle.
Paradis has a close connection to the train disaster: he happened to be having lunch at a popular Lac-Megantic bar on July 5, just hours before it became the epicentre of the explosions, with many of its customers killed.
The government says Paradis will continue to be involved in the Lac-Megantic file as the local MP -- regardless of what his cabinet role is.
Paradis appears to be taking a back seat to Denis Lebel, the former transport minister who as the new Quebec lieutenant will become cabinet's point man on the file. That's because the new transport minister, Ontario MP Lisa Raitt, doesn't speak French.
