Canadian Press Wednesday, December 04, 2002

Premier Bernard Landry’s adviser on sovereignty has been fired over personal disagreements with fellow staff members, a spokesman for the premier said Wednesday.

Josée Legault, a former newspaper columnist and radio personality, was hired last year as a special adviser to the premier for sovereignty and cultural affairs.

Legault was considered a sovereigntist hardliner by government standards, and some Parti Québecois members have accused Landry of acting too slowly on independence.

However, spokesman Hubert Bolduc said that Legault and the premier’s new chief of staff, Brigitte Pelletier, did not get along.

Legault’s firing marks the second major personnel change in Landry’s inner circle since last week.

Pelletier replaced Claude H. Roy - Landry’s longtime friend - when several cabinet ministers said he was too abrasive and working with him had become unbearable.

Legault has been replaced by Pierre D’Amour, an adviser to former premier Lucien Bouchard.