[...] L’homophobie existe bien sûr dans certains milieux, mais nous sommes reconnus comme une société progressiste.
The Liberals won a majority government in this election, and Richard entered the legislature as a backbench supporter of Robert Bourassa's administration.
After his defeat, Richard chaired an internal Liberal Party committee working on policy strategies for the "Non" side in the 1995 Quebec referendum on sovereignty.
He has devoted significant attention to industrial issues; in 2004, he convened a meeting between local business and labour leaders in a bid to resolve a strike at an Alcoa aluminum plant.
[9] He supported Hydro-Québec's 2008 decision to refurbish Bécancour's Candu Gentilly 2 nuclear generating station, saying that his region depends on jobs produced by the plant.