(Quebec) While Liberal leader Dominique Anglade invites Paul St-Pierre Plamondon to run for Marie-Victorin, Québec solidaire lets it be known that it will not leave the field open to the PQ leader if he chooses to run in the riding now vacant with the election of Catherine Fournier as mayor of Longueuil.
The Liberal Party of Quebec confirmed that the formation would leave the field open to Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon if he tried his luck in Marie-Victorin and if the other political parties do the same. The constituency is now free since Catherine Fournier was elected mayor of Longueuil on Sunday.
The Liberal leader says she wants to honor a tradition – which has not always been respected – of not presenting an opponent to an extra-parliamentary leader who hopes to enter the National Assembly. The Liberals will obviously present a candidate in the riding if the Parti Québécois proposes a candidate other than the leader.
The Parti Québécois has not yet expressed itself on the upcoming by-election in Marie-Victorin. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon does not intend to announce his colors in the coming days. But Québec solidaire is already announcing its colors: it does not want to prevent citizens from expressing themselves. “Parliamentary traditions should no longer prevent citizens […] to have political options, ”said Gabrielle Brais-Harvey, the party’s communications coordinator, in a written response to Press.
Alternative to CAQ
In the morning, QS had not yet decided, but saw this by-election “as an opportunity”. “We are going to get to work, we will meet in the coming days, weeks to make our game plan in Marie-Victorin,” said Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.
We must believe that this reflection took place more quickly than expected. In the evening, QS was already announcing its colors. The left-wing party wants to take advantage of the “wind of freshness” which swept through several municipalities in Quebec on Sunday. “People want to be told about housing, the environment, public transit. This is what we will do in Marie-Victorin. The alternative to the CAQ is Québec solidaire, ”said M.me Harvey.
The Legault government does not intend to call this election in the very short term. It is argued that the citizens of Marie-Victorin have already gone to the polls in federal elections and have just done so in municipal elections. The triggering of a partial over the next few days would lead to a vote on December 13 or 20, which is not an option for Quebec. The decision will be made next year. The government has six months to call the by-election, but waiting until the last minute seems difficult since the general election will be held on October 3, 2022.
Elected under the PQ banner in 2018, Catherine Fournier had sat as an independent since leaving the Parti Québécois in March 2019. The Coalition Avenir Québec finished second. Québec solidaire and the Liberals took third and fourth place in 2018.
With Tommy Chouinard and Hugo Pilon-Larose