 The testimony of Jean Charest, incoming Environment Minister Claude Béchard, and the owner of the company pursuing the development plan, Andre L'Esperance, all contradicted Mulcair, saying that the Orford deal had been approved by Mulcair before he left.On February 20, 2007, he announced that he would not be a Liberal candidate in the 2007 Quebec general election.With his exit from the provincial Liberals, Mulcair explored an entry into federal politics, having discussions with the Liberal Party of Canada, the New Democratic Party, and the Conservative Party of Canada, During this time he also considered a job with a prominent law firm's environment section.