(Trois-Rivières) The Coalition futur Quebec (CAQ) will be in the race in Marie-Victorin with “probably” a woman in the ranks, announced the Prime Minister François Legault on Saturday, at the opening of the general council of his party which underlines its 10 years of foundation. The by-election will take place “after Christmas” in 2022.
The riding of Longueuil has been vacant since the election of Catherine Fournier as mayor. Since then, we have mentioned a “tradition” – which has not always been respected elsewhere – of leaving a new leader of the opposition free to enter the National Assembly, PQ leader Paul St. Pierre Plamondon in this case.
“We left the week to the head of the PQ to decide if he wanted to run. He wanks in the handle. And in addition, one of the parties, Québec solidaire, has announced that it will present a candidate. So we decided that we are going to present a candidate, probably a candidate in Maire-Victorin, ”said Mr. Legault during a 15-minute press briefing – the only one on his agenda for the end of the year. week, which is unusual.
He does not leave the field open to Paul St-Pierre Plamondon because he also wants to offer “a choice” to the voters of Longueuil.
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has so far refused to say if he intends to present himself in Marie-Victorin or if he prefers to skip his turn. He urged the Prime Minister to specify in advance when the by-election will take place. He asks her to trigger it as soon as possible.
PHOTO JACQUES BOISSINOT, ARCHIVES THE CANADIAN PRESS
PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon
“We do not want to impose on the people of Longueuil a third election in three months. We had a federal, a municipal. So it will be after Christmas, ”said Mr. Legault. For him, it is out of the question to make this election coincide with a hasty general ballot.
“I want to be clear. I have said it before and I will say it again: we have a law [sur] fixed-date elections, so the next general elections will take place in early October 2022, ”he said.
Earlier this week, Liberal leader Dominique Anglade invited the PQ leader to jump into the arena. If this is the case, she added, her party will not present a candidate in Marie-Victorin, on condition that the other political parties do the same. His party will therefore be racing because of the turn of events.
Québec solidaire has let it be known that it will not leave the field open to the PQ leader and that it will present a candidate.
In 2018, the PLQ ranked fourth, behind Québec solidaire. The CAQ had presented Martyne Prévost against the PQ MP Catherine Fournier, who had been re-elected with a slim lead of 705 votes. Mme Fournier had left the PQ and sat as an independent as of 2019.