The battle for the riding of Sherbrooke, one of the few that the Coalition avenir Québec could not conquer in the region in 2018, is launched, a few months before the official start of the next Quebec elections.
The CAQ and its leader, François Legault, presented a star candidacy on Sunday, the former Bloc member, mayoress of Longueuil and political commentator Caroline St-Hilaire.
Aware of the issue, Québec solidaire held a rally on Sunday afternoon featuring outgoing MP Christine Labrie.
“I want my experience to revitalize Sherbrooke, to benefit the people here,” said Ms.me St-Hilaire at a press conference. She underlined her attachment to the region in which she moved four years ago: “This is where I chose to live, I deeply love this part of Quebec. »
She is also committed to listening to citizens and fighting for them. According to her, the constituency would benefit from sitting “at the decision-making table” in the event that the CAQ government is reappointed. “Can you imagine for a moment the momentum that would give Sherbrooke? »
Prime Minister François Legault was delighted to see her join the ranks of his political party, saying that “to have a member at the height of Sherbrooke, we needed an exceptional candidate. […] I need Caroline in Quebec”.
The new caquiste is indeed a major opponent. After having been a member of the Bloc Québécois from 1997 to 2008, in the riding of Longueuil (renamed Longueuil–Pierre-Boucher, then Longueuil–Saint-Hubert during redistributions), she was Mayor of Longueuil from 2009 to 2017, before becoming a break from political life. She has been a political commentator at LCN for a few years.
Mme Labrie, for his part, won the 2018 election by obtaining 34% of the vote, against 25% for the outgoing Liberal MP, Luc Fortin. It was a first victory for Québec solidaire (QS) in this riding, and one of its rare breakthroughs outside of Montreal. The CAQ candidate had then collected 23% of the votes.
“Me, I think that the people of Sherbrooke have seen the work of Christine Labrie in recent years, they have seen what it gives to have a supportive MP, and they still want it,” the co-chairman told reporters. QS spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois at the rally organized by his party in the “queen of the Eastern Townships”.
The solidarity candidate did not say she was intimidated by her opponent. “It does not change anything in the balance sheet of the CAQ […] their candidacies have little impact at this stage on what they have done in the past four years, and especially what they are also proposing to us for their next mandate,” she said.
Voting intentions are tight between the CAQ and QS in the riding. Poll aggregator Qc125 puts them neck and neck at 33% and 32% respectively. The Liberal Party is trailing at 17%.
The riding of Sherbrooke had been acquired by Liberal Premier Jean Charest from 1998 to 2012, until he was beaten by PQ Serge Cardin. Since then, no party has succeeded in establishing its influence for more than one term.
Innovation, Housing and Daycare
In a telephone interview, Mr.me St-Hilaire insisted on the importance of developing projects related to innovation and the business world.
Asked about her decision to join the CAQ, she explained that she had “heard a lot from the Prime Minister about prosperity and pride”. “Me, it speaks to me, this kind of speech there, she said, where we put them together rather than in contradiction […] defend our language, defend our culture, and at the same time work for greater prosperity. »
Me, I think that the people of Sherbrooke have seen the work of Christine Labrie in recent years, they have seen what it gives to have a united MP, and they want more
She said she wanted to “work with the actors on the ground because there are significant needs”, particularly with regard to the supply of daycare places and the housing crisis.
In a press briefing, Mme Labrie for his part cited “inflation, the housing crisis, the environmental crisis” and the lack of places in CPE as priority issues.
“While François Legault wants to campaign on issues like immigration and religious symbols, we, it’s on these issues that we want to campaign, launched Mr. Nadeau-Dubois, because it’s that, people’s problems in real life, not ideological obsessions that divide people. »
Among his accomplishments, Mr.me Labrie cited “obtaining funding for a community mental health crisis center” in a phone interview. “We have fought important struggles in terms of the housing crisis here, such as the Faubourg Mena’Sen case”, the sale of a non-profit organization providing affordable housing for seniors to a private company, he said. she adds.