Quebec Health Minister calls weight-loss petition 'bullying'

Quebec's Health Minister, GatanBarrette, says he believes an online petition asking him toproject a healthier image by losing weight is bullying.

If I were a regular citizen ...yes, that would be bullying. This is quite inelegant, [but]this is something that happens in politics. It happens all the time. I can live with that, said Barrette.

The petition waslaunched on Tuesday soon after Barrette's appointment by Quebec City marketing specialist Pierre-tienne Vachon.

Vachon has already collected just over 9,500 signatures. However, hesaidhe never meant his campaign to cause offence.

I find it deplorable that one could interpret my initiative as a personal attack on Minister Barrette or even as a simplification ofweight problems,Vachonwrote late this morning, in an update tothe petition.

"Maybe I was a little clumsy in my wording. I apologize to everyone who was offended by my proposal or my attitude."

Vachonsaid his petition was meant to encourage the former president of theQuebec Federation of Medical Specialists to lead by example and create a province-wide campaign for others to participate in a weight-losschallenge.

Petition to come down

The petition led toa flurry of debate on social media and prompted a response from the Quebec Weight Coalition, an initiative of the Public Health Association of Quebec.

"Although healthy lifestyles merit the government's attention, targeting an individual because of his weight is not the right way to go about it," the coalition said in a news release.

"The epidemic of habits harmful to one's health has an impact on the majority Quebecers regardless of their body type: obese, chubby, normal weight, thin and skinny."

Vachonsaidhavingto explain repeatedly his reasons for launching the petition has been "very tiring," so heplans totake down the petition at 5 p.m. today.

"Your signatures and your many comments have helped put forward the importance and relevance to not only think, butact toadopt ahealthy lifestyle," wrote Vachon.I sincerely believe that [the petition] has already done its work."