Provincial election 2022 | The PLQ and the PQ are lagging behind in the recruitment of candidates

(Quebec) The Parti Québécois (PQ) and the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) are still the furthest behind in recruiting candidates, about two months before the general election.

On Wednesday, the PQ had 48 candidates out of 125, and the PLQ, 62. These two parties are far behind Québec solidaire (QS) and the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ), which have so far presented 116 and 113 candidates respectively.

Acknowledging the “apparent delay”, the PQ’s communications director, François Leroux, asserts that the party is nevertheless “extremely confident” of being able to present 125 candidates by the end of August.

It is at this time that Prime Minister François Legault should trigger the electoral campaign, which must last between 33 and 39 days, according to what is provided for by law, to end on October 3.

“It is certain that our application approval process sometimes can slow down the number of applications that we can announce,” said Mr. Leroux in an interview, who denies that the PQ is having difficulty recruiting.

“No, we are really satisfied with the applications that we are able to get, sincerely. It’s not more difficult than usual at the moment, ”he insisted.

On the side of the PLQ, the leader Dominique Anglade wants to be just as reassuring.

“There are people who cannot announce themselves because they are employed, but I assure you that we will have our 125 candidates for the election,” she said Tuesday in a press scrum in Quebec. .

M^me Anglade was asked to comment on the latest Léger poll, which suggests that 22% of non-Francophones are now taking refuge with Éric Duhaime’s Conservatives.

” I’m confident […] that people will recognize themselves in the ideas that we put forward, she reacted. We, in (our) candidates, […] there will be no one who will be against abortion,” she blasted.

The Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ), for its part, maintains that it has the wind in its sails: the party will present seven other candidates on Thursday, for a total of 84.

But in the race for applications, no one has gone as fast as QS, which, with its 116 confirmed candidates, says it has never had such an easy time building a team.

“QS is fighting to solve the housing crisis, to finally face climate change. […] Our social project is clear, people know it and it attracts applications,” according to Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.

The QS co-spokesperson says he still receives messages today from people interested in wearing the party’s colors in the next election. “Unfortunately, there is almost no room left,” he says.