Trade unionist and ex-journalist Jocelyn Desjardins will soon be confirmed as the Parti Québécois (PQ) candidate in the riding of Pointe-aux-Trembles, The Canadian Press has learned.
If he manages to remove the PQ nomination scheduled for July, he will face the minister responsible for the Metropolis, Chantal Rouleau, in the elections on October 3.
It is a sort of homecoming for Mr. Desjardins, who had already expressed his dissent and slammed the door of the Parti Québécois (PQ) in the early 2010s. Mr. Desjardins then harshly criticized the vagueness and softness of the PQ on sovereignty.
The independentist turn assumed by the party since the election of the new leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, may have contributed to his return.
Jocelyn Desjardins has worked in the communications and recruitment department of the United Steelworkers since 2012.
Previously, he had been a journalist and host at Radio-Canada for nearly ten years. During his time at Medical Newsit will publish an investigation into the financial scandals of the big boss of the MUHC, Arthur Porter.
In 2011, he founded with other personalities the New Movement for Quebec (NMQ) and became its president. The NMQ was a resolutely independentist group. It will lead to the founding of OUI-Québec, which brings together sovereigntist organizations.
Located in the east of Montreal, the riding of Pointe-aux-Trembles was a stronghold of the PQ for a long time until the Coalition avenir Québec won in 2018. The caquiste Chantal Rouleau had beaten a star PQ candidate, Jean -Martin Aussant, by less than 2000 votes.
Previously, the riding was the stronghold of PQ member Nicole Léger. The former leader of the PQ, André Boisclair, was elected there in a by-election in 2006 and in the general election the following year.
Simon Tremblay-Pépin will be Québec Solidaire’s candidate for the next election. The Liberals and Conservatives have not yet found a candidate for this constituency.