As the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) rose to first place in the polls in Beauce-Nord, its leader Éric Duhaime took the opportunity to point out that the local candidate of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ), Luc Provençal, considered changing team a few months ago.
In an interview with CHOI-Radio X, Éric Duhaime said that Luc Provençal was one of the deputies he had approached to have his party represented in the National Assembly before the elections.
“He was not happy with the measures of the Legault government and he flirted with us. There are organizers who went to see him, the steps were going well, except that things were shaking in the handle a little. […] Meanwhile, Claire Samson has arrived. »
Advance in Beauce-Nord
The Conservative leader recalled this anecdote as a new poll places his candidate Olivier Dumais ahead of Mr. Provençal in Beauce-Nord.
Mr. Dumais collects 45.5% of support against 40.5% for Mr. Provençal according to a telephone survey conducted for The sun and the FM93 with 402 respondents in recent days.
Asked about this by The duty, the Coalition avenir Québec confirms that “Mr. Duhaime had a conversation with Mr. Provençal” during the by-elections in Marie-Victorin. However, Mr. Provençal “told him that if he decided to run again, his heart was with the CAQ,” said a spokeswoman on Thursday.
This contradicts Mr. Duhaime’s version of the events according to which the exchanges had taken place a year earlier, before Claire Samson joined his party.
The local newspaper Beauce Media had already devoted an article to the rapprochement between Mr. Provençal and the PCQ last March. “I was approached by Mr. Duhaime’s organization, by people who contact me to see if I could run for the PCQ. Currently, that is not one of the contingencies. I closed the door to that, ”said Luc Provençal at the time.
Further details will follow.