No surprise libertarian Tory leadership candidate Maxime Bernier comes from Beauce
Back in the early settler days, Quebec City residents would quickly spot the Beauce farmers among them because they were covered in mud from the long trek up the shores of the Chaudiere River — often on foot — to sell their animals and produce.
They were called the “Jarrets Noirs” (muddy legs) and instead of feeling shame, modern-day citizens living along the same river south of the provincial capital have assumed the moniker and wear it with pride.
It is from this region of Canada that Tory leadership contender Maxime Bernier hails, and it is not surprising the race’s most libertarian candidate comes from arguably the most libertarian part of Quebec.
“When we showed up to the city and they saw us all full of mud — they knew exactly who we were,” said Claude Morin, mayor of Saint-Georges, a city whose population of 30,000 belies its influence across the province.