Régis Labeaume (born May 2, 1956) is a Canadian businessman, writer and politician. He served as mayor of Quebec City from 2007 to 2021. He was first elected on December 2, 2007 after the death of former mayor Andrée Boucher. He was reelected in 2009, 2013, and 2017. Early life Labeaume holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from the Université Laval. Prior to being mayor, Labeaume was a local businessman and chair of the Fondation de l’entrepreneurship organisation since 2003 and worked primarily in the mining industry. He was previously the political adviser of former Communications Minister and former Parti Québécois MNA of the riding of Vanier, Jean-François Bertrand from 1980 to 1983. He also collaborated to two books on the Quebec mining industry and on small and medium enterprises. Municipal politics in Quebec City In 2005, he ran for the leader of the municipal political party Renouveau municipal de Québec but lost to 2007 candidate Claude Larose. First mayoral term Labeaume was elected on December 2, 2007, in a special election following the death of Andrée Boucher. He was elected with over 59 percent of the vote, defeating candidate Ann Bourget who was the front-runner until the campaign's last few days. She finished second with 32% of the votes, followed by former Quebec Liberal Party Minister of Justice and lawyer Marc Bellemare. Labeaume obtained the support of key local figures, including Marc Boucher, husband of the late Andrée Boucher, and former mayor Gilles Lamontagne. Throughout his first term as mayor, Labeaume focused on making the city a major tourist destination. He was keen on the idea of a New Quebec City Amphitheatre. With the 400th Anniversary of the city in 2008, Quebec City's image changed in the eyes of many. After the festivities, the mayor promised to keep investing to make Quebec City an appealing destination. During his first mandate as mayor, Labeaume also developed a reputation for speaking his mind and not always using the right words in front of the media. In October 2009 he made some scathing comments about federal minister Josée Verner. On a pre-recorded interview on Télé-Québec, he declared, “I get along well with Ms. Verner, but sometimes I could just smack her. Those culture cuts, I just don't agree with them.” He later made public excuses and explained that he only wanted to express his anger about the recent cuts in culture by