(Quebec) The large gatherings of the Conservative Party of Quebec will ultimately not have been a pledge of victory. Its leader, Éric Duhaime, failed to be elected in the riding of Chauveau, won hands down by his CAQ opponent Sylvain Lévesque.
Updated at 1:13 a.m.
He failed to elect any MPs. However, the PCQ had high hopes of making a breakthrough in Beauce and it came very close to realizing this wish. This gave rise to a battle in Beauce-Nord between the conservative Olivier Dumais, also mayor of Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon, and the outgoing CAQ deputy Luc Provençal, who finally won with a slim lead of 202 votes.
The gap was also small in Beauce-Sud where the conservative Jonathan Poulin lost by 425 votes against the caquiste Samuel Poulin.
At the start of the evening, the major television networks predicted a thrilling race between candidate Stéphane Lachance and Minister Éric Caire. In the end, it will not have taken place; the latter won La Peltrie by more than 2,000 votes.
In the Quebec region, the Conservative leader had bet everything on the issues of the third link and the tramway to try to seduce voters.
“Tonight, there were some who thought they were going to see a guy bawl, but there is one who is smiling here because you know, we are of all parties – by far – the one who knows the strongest growth. Something that we have not seen in Quebec in recent political history, ”said the Conservative leader when he addressed the activists.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Eric Duhaime
The disappointment in the room was palpable. “It’s in the evening that we leave Quebec,” said a supporter before leaving the room.
The defeat had a bitter taste since the party collected 13% of the popular vote without managing to elect a deputy.
“As I speak to you, we have exactly the same number of votes as the Liberal Party of Quebec, but we are 20 members short, one compared to the other,” said Éric Duhaime.
The two parties were one percentage point apart at press time. Enough to relaunch the debate on the reform of the voting system, which the Conservative leader has been careful not to do. “I’ve already answered that question,” he said when The Press asked him if he was going to militate in this direction. During the election campaign, he had invited voters to counter “electoral distortion”, but refused to take a position on the reform of the voting system.
“As soon as our democracy allows the multiplication of political formations, I think we have to rethink this way of proceeding with the election because the vote is scattered,” remarked Senator Josée Verner, who chaired the CPQ campaign.
” First period ”
After leaving the stage, the conservative leader took the time to greet his activists in person and to take some photos with some of them. Mélisse Boisvert hugged Éric Duhaime when he passed by her. “It’s disappointing, but it’s not the end,” she told The Pressmoved.
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Éric Duhaime gives his speech
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Éric Duhaime embraces an activist.
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Conservative supporters wear party t-shirts.
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Morose atmosphere at the Manoir du Lac Delage.
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This is the message that the Conservative leader sent to his supporters. “Politics is like our national sport, it’s like hockey, there are three periods,” he said. The first period was to make sure to become a big party, to be part of the big leagues and that, we accomplished it in a masterful way. »
The party is now preparing for the second period since the votes cast will allow it to collect public funding “on the same level as the other opposition parties”.
We have been sowing hope for several months in the hearts and minds of many Quebecers, now it will be time to start consolidating all that. We will have more time to organize ourselves better.
Éric Duhaime, leader of the Conservative Party
He then compared the “fight” of the PCQ against the CAQ to that of David against Goliath. “We are going to allow David to train for four years while ensuring that we are going to weaken the feet of the Goliath which is slowly starting to crumble in front of us. »
The third period will be the 2026 election campaign that Éric Duhaime intends to lead again. The party is here for good, said Josée Verner. “We have set up a base, we are on the podium too. The small difference in the vote between the four opposition parties gives him hope for the next elections.
The Conservative leader ended his speech by congratulating the leaders of the other parties and his Caquist opponent in Chauveau, Sylvain Lévesque, for his victory. “Quebecers have chosen to continue,” he concluded. The rest of us have chosen to continue to keep an eye on them and to monitor them. »