(Sherbrooke) It was time for Dominique Anglade to get out of the greater Quebec City region. Let her change her mind. Because his campaign was getting bogged down.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
It’s still far from going like clockwork, the coach couldn’t avoid a pothole – another candidate withdrew! –, but the Liberal leader’s short trip to Sherbrooke on Wednesday was her best performance so far.
A walkabout at the Carrefour de l’Estrie where the reception was positive. A militant gathering worthy of the name, without being exceptional. And a more felt speech. Finally, it looks like a “real” campaign, to use the Liberal slogan.
It was rather abnormal until now. Have we ever seen a party leader make a walkabout in a constituency where he does not yet have a candidate? Participate in rallies of 30 activists for days 2 and 3 of a campaign? Cancel an event, promise another instead and then give it up to let the media coach hang around for hours?
“We play on the offensive,” explained Dominique Anglade on Wednesday. The Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) had no MPs in the greater Quebec City region when the House was dissolved. “Of course a strategy where we play on the offensive may seem more difficult. »
Very good, but spending so much time in Quebec – and not “quality time”, so to speak! – remains inexplicable.
She was lucky, Dominique Anglade, to have some attention in the circumstances since the start of the campaign. François Legault’s faux pas on “this lady” on day 1, her promise to lower taxes the next day at the same time as that of the CAQ leader, the same goes for the seniors’ allowance: she was able to carve out a place for herself in the media, almost by accident. Otherwise, the difficulties of the party would have taken over.
Ratiba Fares withdrew his candidacy in Mégantic for professional reasons, according to the explanations of the party. Earlier this week, the same reasons had been invoked by François Beaulé to justify his withdrawal from the electoral race in Vanier-Les Rivières.
This is without counting a candidate approached in Richmond who withdrew – the party finally found a candidate on Tuesday for this riding in Estrie.
There are still 16 candidates missing. We can say in the Liberal camp that it has already happened during other campaigns, it remains that it was generally with the aim of announcing stars during the first week of the campaign. Like the trio Carlos Leitão, Martin Coiteux and Jacques Daoust under Philippe Couillard. It is not the same situation today.
In the greater region of Quebec, Portneuf and Bellechasse are still orphans of Liberal candidacy. The PLQ has no colors in six ridings in eastern Quebec. It is also lacking in Montérégie, Lanaudière, Estrie and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.
Dominique Anglade admitted that his plan to stimulate the submission of applications was not “as obvious as we thought”.
In February, she pledged to hold open nominations in “a good majority” of the 125 constituencies. With an open nomination, a leader lets the members choose the candidate. It seeks to stimulate the submission of candidates and to increase the number of members.
However, the PLQ held open nominations in only nine ridings, according to notices sent to the media during the year.
Dominique Anglade says she is satisfied with the open nominations held in Chomedey, in Laval, and Bourassa-Sauvé, in Montreal. In both cases, the number of members went from around 250 to “more than 2000”. This has “never been seen in the history of the party”, she insisted. But in Maurice-Richard, in Montreal, the open nomination did not give rise to a race: the candidate Jonathan Marleau was elected by acclamation since his opponent had not managed to collect the signature of at least 25 members , a condition provided for in the party regulations.
Announced during the unveiling of the Liberal platform in the spring, Dominique Anglade’s promises do not hold many surprises so far. And the liberal leader is struggling to give them a new impetus. It was Marwah Rizqy who came up with shock formulas to sell the commitment to free special educational programs in public schools. She hit the mark by accusing the Legault government of having “legalized a double-speed system” in the public network and of compromising equal opportunities.
Wednesday afternoon, at the Carrefour de l’Estrie, Dominique Anglade went to meet a significant number of voters for the first time in the campaign.
The local Liberals recognize that the fight will be very difficult against the outgoing solidarity MP Christine Labrie and the caquiste Caroline St-Hilaire in this riding previously represented by Jean Charest then Luc Fortin.
In the evening, in front of activists from Sherbrooke, Dominique Anglade took the time to answer questions from the audience in a town hall that you rarely see from a leader on campaign. The risk is rather limited, but Dominique Anglade was able to show a new face. She changed her tune.
“Mademoiselle Anglade”, launched a participant who was about to ask him a question. “Oh, I like that, that,” she replied tit for tat. It changes me from the lady! »