Isabelle Charest

Isabelle Charest MNA
Charest in 2023
Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Brome-Missisquoi
Incumbent
Assumed office October 1, 2018
Preceded by	Pierre Paradis
Personal details
Born	Rimouski, Quebec, Canada
Died
Party	Coalition Avenir Québec
Profession	Athlete
Sports career
Born
Died
Weight
Medal record Women's short track speed skating Representing Olympic Games Silver medal – second place 1994 Lillehammer 3000 m relay Bronze medal – third place 1998 Nagano 3000 m relay Bronze medal – third place 2002 Salt Lake City 3000 m relay World Championships Gold medal – first place 1996 The Hague 500 m Gold medal – first place 1997 Nagano 500 m Gold medal – first place 1997 Nagano 3000 m relay Silver medal – second place 1996 The Hague 1000 m Bronze medal – third place 1996 The Hague Overall World Team Championships Silver medal – second place 1999 St Louis Team Bronze medal – third place 1998 Bormio Team

Isabelle Charest MNA (born January 3, 1971) is a Canadian athlete and politician. A short track speed skater who competed in the 1994 Winter Olympics, the 1998 Winter Olympics, and the 2002 Winter Olympics, she was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in the 2018 provincial election as a member of the Coalition Avenir Québec.

In 1994 she was a member of the Canadian relay team which won the silver medal in the 3000 metre relay competition. In the 1000 m event she finished sixth and in the 500 m contest she finished seventh.

Four years later she won the bronze medal with the Canadian team in the 3000 metre relay competition. In the 500 m event as well as in the 1000 m contest she finished seventh.

At the 2002 Games she won her second bronze medal with the Canadian relay team in the 3000 metre relay competition. In the 500 m event she finished fourth.

Charest was the Chef de Mission for Team Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Controversies

In February 2019, Charest was criticized by members of the Quebec Liberal Party over comments she made calling hijabs a symbol of oppression. She said that wearing a hijab does not correspond to Quebec values and keeps women from flourishing. "For me, the hijab is not something women should be wearing because it does have, at some point, significance of oppression of women and the fact they have to cover themselves," she said.

External links

• Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Isabelle Charest". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on February 21, 2010.