(OTTAWA) A former Conservative Party of Canada leadership contender says expectations will be high for former Quebec premier Jean Charest when he takes to the stage in his province for the French-language candidates’ debate on Wednesday night.
Posted at 2:33 p.m.
Rudy Husny recalls that not only Mr. Charest is perfectly bilingual, but he must also “win Quebec” if he hopes to win the national race.
The second official debate of this race will take place on Wednesday in Laval, when the candidates have only about a week left to sell membership cards to supporters who will elect the next leader on September 10.
Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre spent the weekend campaigning in Quebec ahead of Wednesday’s debate, as did Leslyn Lewis, who placed third in the previous leadership race in 2020.
Mr. Husny, who is originally from Quebec and now works as a consultant and political analyst, believes it is wise for candidates to immerse themselves in French before a debate in that language.
He thinks that Messrs. Poilievre and Charest will largely dominate this debate due to their fluency in French. It is also expected that the controversial law on the secularism of the state will be on the agenda of this debate.
Candidate Patrick Brown vigorously campaigned against this Quebec law in his city of Brampton, a suburb of Toronto, where he is mayor.
A first official debate, in English, took place on May 11 in Edmonton.