(Quebec) François Legault will not call a by-election before January in the riding of Marie-Victorin, in Longueuil. The Prime Minister does not rule out not presenting a candidate if the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, presents himself.
Before consulting his caucus and making a decision, the Prime Minister asks his opponent to announce his colors. “I have noted PSPP’s reluctance. I would first like to know if the leader of the Parti Québécois wants to appear in Marie Victorin before making a decision whether or not we are going to present a candidate, ”he said on Tuesday.
“It would be to our advantage to have a quick election given the polls, but I think the people of Marie-Victorin, among others, had two elections, one at the federal level and one at the municipal level. We will give them a bit of a break between now and Christmas, ”added Mr. Legault.
St-Pierre Plamondon returns the ball
In the press scrum on Tuesday, the PQ leader categorically refused to say if he intended to be a candidate in Marie-Victorin, during the partial which must be triggered by spring, or if he preferred rather skip his turn. On the other hand, the PQ leader urges the Prime Minister to call this complementary election as soon as possible. Legally, he has six months.
“We will unpack everything in a very transparent way when the government has done its job, namely, if they do not intend to hold a partial before Christmas, when? There is a clarification, the ball is in the government’s court, ”according to Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon.
In 2018, the CAQ presented Martyne Prévost against PQ MP Catherine Fournier, who was re-elected with a slim lead of 705 votes. Since then, Mme Fournier sat as an independent as of 2019 and was elected mayor of Longueuil on Sunday, prompting a by-election to be held by the beginning of May.
Liberal leader Dominique Anglade encourages the PQ leader to jump into the arena. If this is the case, in a gesture of “elegance”, the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) will not present a candidate in Marie-Victorin, but if it withdraws the PLQ will be in the race. In 2018, the PLQ was ranked fourth.
Quebec solidaire does not intend to give the PQ leader a chance. The party will therefore present a candidate, because the citizens of Marie-Victorin “have the right to have all the options on their ballot”, according to parliamentary leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
The former PQ minister Martine Ouellet has already made her bed on the issue, saying she is ready to announce her candidacy in Marie-Victorin now. After a brief stint in the Bloc Québécois, Mr.me Ouellet founded his party, Climat Quebec.
With Jocelyne Richer, The Canadian Press