Conservative leader Éric Duhaime wants to offer English-speaking voters in Montreal an “alternative” to the Liberal Party of Quebec, whose leader, Dominique Anglade, he accuses of having “betrayed” them.
Updated at 0:26
The Karina’s Club Lounge, rue Crescent, in the city center of the metropolis, being filled on Monday for the presentation of eight new candidates of the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) who will try to be elected in the region in the next election.
“I want to say to Anglophones: remember that you have been betrayed by Dominique Anglade and the Liberals. Look what they did with Bill 96 [la mise à jour de la loi 101 proposée par le gouvernement Legault] “Launched, in English, the Conservative leader to the colorful crowd.
Like Dominique Anglade, the sole PCQ MP, Claire Samson, opposed the adoption of the Act respecting the official and common language of Quebec, but Éric Duhaime claims that it is primarily because it contravened the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and not to seduce the electorate.
“The situation is changing”
On the strength of the results of a recent Léger poll, according to which his party ranks second (19%) behind the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) (48%) for support among non-Francophones, he then explained that he felt an appetite among English-speaking voters for “an alternative”.
The Liberals did what they wanted with the Anglophones, because they were a clientele that was acquired, that no one could woo, but I think that now the situation is changing.
Éric Duhaime, leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec
The latter nevertheless admitted to being “surprised” by these results given that he did little campaigning on the island of Montreal, concentrating instead on the Quebec region.
Asked whether the PCQ’s position in favor of lowering immigration thresholds was not likely to frighten non-French-speaking clienteles, the party’s new candidate in Bourassa-Sauvé, Carmel-Antoine Bessard, did not wished to respond, claiming that she had to consult her team first.
The new candidates:
- Carmel-Antoine Bessard, author and engineer, in Bourassa-Sauvé
- Chakib Saad, director of the Clinique Nouveau Départ, in Jeanne-Mance–Viger
- Christos Karteris, former restaurateur, in Bourget
- Geneviève Deneault, former reality TV candidate loft storyin Anjou–Louis-Riel
- Louis-Charles Fortier, former militant of the Democratic Action of Quebec, in Jacques-Cartier
- Marie-France Lemay, ex-manager in the health network, in Rosemont
- Stefan Marquis, architect in private practice, in Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques
- Aleksa Drakul, engineer by training, in Marguerite-Bourgeoys
Their chances of being elected are slim, however, according to projections by the Qc125 site, which compiles poll results. In Montreal, the PCQ garners only 9% of support, less than the PLQ (35%), the Coalition avenir Québec (25%) and Québec solidaire (22%).
Learn more
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- PCQ, 4e to Montreal
qc125.com