The MP for Pontiac, André Fortin, announced Wednesday that he will not be running for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ).
“Yes, I want to help my party the best I can, but not if it stops me from being the kind of father I want to be for my daughters,” he said in an interview with . radio program May the Outaouais rise.
“Difficult decision, but I will not be a candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Quebec,” also wrote Mr. Fortin on his Facebook page.
The deputy and former Minister of Transport was interested in the race to succeed Dominique Anglade, who left the head of the PLQ in November. However, although he had been “torn to pieces”, he finally made the decision – “not easy” by his own admission – to give priority to his family.
André Fortin made the same decision in 2019, during the last PLQ leadership race. “Honestly, it was probably one of the best decisions of my life,” he said on Wednesday. “The reality is that four years later, the conclusion still holds. »
Bad news for the PLQ
Mr. Fortin’s decision casts a shadow over the race to find a new Liberal leader. In May 2020, Dominique Anglade was crowned head of the party after the surprise withdrawal of his only opponent, Alexandre Cusson.
Since then, the Liberals have suffered – another – historic defeat in the October 2022 election. They only won 14% of the vote and elected only 21 deputies. In mid-June, a Léger poll gave only 4% of voting intentions among Francophones to the PLQ.
To date, only MNAs Monsef Derraji and Frédéric Beauchemin, as well as interim leader Marc Tanguay, seem interested in the leadership of their party.
In November, former minister Pierre Moreau announced that he would not be in the race to find a new Liberal leader. Since then, liberal activists and former elected officials have dreamed of seeing the former boss of Hydro-Québec Sophie Brochu or the mayor of Québec, Bruno Marchand, run for the highest post in the party. The second clearly closed the door, while the first showed no interest in the function.
If he does not jump in the race, Mr. Fortin promises to help his party, which is continuing its recovery exercise. “The Liberal Party, I sincerely believe that it must be put back on a clear ideological foundation, organizational foundations that are solid and I think it takes someone who can dedicate 100% of his energy to that,” he said. elected from Pontiac on Wednesday.
He said he was convinced that there will be “a real race” within his party. And “to have someone from the regions, who has a sensitivity to the regions, who understands that we may think a little differently from the people of Montreal and Quebec, that would be good for the Liberal Party,” said he wished.
André Fortin declined the interview request of the Duty.