(Montreal) The victory of Québec solidaire in the by-election in Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne is a defeat for the “politics of division” of Premier François Legault, believes party spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
He believes that the election of Guillaume Cliche-Rivard on Monday evening is a sign that many Quebecers are opposed to the way of governing of the Coalition avenir Québec, and that they rather rally behind the unifying approach of his side.
“This victory is a breath of fresh air,” he commented at a press briefing. It is the confirmation that there is an opposition against François Legault in Quebec and that the most effective opposition is Quebec solidaire. Last night’s result is a good dose of hope for all these people, and many of them do not recognize themselves in the Prime Minister’s speech. »
His colleague and MP for Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques, Manon Massé, spoke for her part of an “alliance between the generations” which has borne fruit in the riding.
At the end of a campaign where a very tight fight was expected between Christopher Baenninger, who was trying to keep the riding in the Liberal fold after the resignation of leader Dominique Anglade, and the solidarity candidate, it was the latter who won with 44.5% of the vote.
A result that even Quebec solidaire, which was confident of winning, had not expected, said Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.
“The call for unity and unity that Guillaume and Québec solidaire launched during the election campaign was heard beyond our expectations,” rejoiced the MNA for Gouin. We expected a tighter result, but we welcome that with modesty, as an encouragement to continue to bring together all Quebecers. »
Housing priority
In a press briefing, Mr. Cliche-Rivard thanked his constituents and pledged to represent them all, regardless of their political allegiance. He attributed his electoral result to the political record of Québec solidaire and to the almost continuous work in the riding since the general election last October.
The new deputy, 12e member of the parliamentary team that he will soon be joining at the National Assembly, intends to make housing his number one priority in Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne.
I want to put in place quick and constructive proposals that will make a real difference on the ground. We have to make sure that the people of Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne are able to pay their rent and find housing.
Guillaume Cliche-Rivard
A lawyer specializing in immigration law, Mr. Cliche-Rivard also intends to be “a strong voice for inclusion” in the National Assembly.
“Guillaume will be the spokesperson for all those who are speechless, those on whom Mr. Legault likes to break sugar, underlines Mr. Nadeau-Dubois. What we are saying is that we can love Quebec and its language without pointing the finger at immigrants, without accusing them of being the source of our challenges. We will not build a country by dividing, by leaving people behind. »
The co-spokesperson would not confirm whether his new colleague would become an official critic on the matter. “It will weigh in the balance, he however hinted. Of course, Guillaume’s skills and experience will be taken into consideration when assigning him responsibilities. »
The newly elected has also confirmed his intention to enter the House without taking an oath to King Charles III, which would make him the first member of his party to evade this declaration of allegiance.
A campaign “more liberal than the liberals”
Monday evening, the Prime Minister posted a word of congratulations to Mr. Cliche-Rivard on Twitter. “I would also like to highlight the involvement and the campaigns of the other candidates, in particular that of the CAQ, Victor Pelletier. You can be proud of yourself! added the Prime Minister.
Although he congratulated the winner of the election and was delighted that his party, with 11% of the vote, obtained a better result than in the general election in October, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon s was more incisive towards Québec solidaire, during a press briefing on Tuesday.
“We see that Québec solidaire conducted a campaign characterized by unilingual English pamphlets,” the leader of the Parti Québécois pointed out bitterly. None of their communications mentioned the protection of French or independence, so in a way, Québec solidaire ran a more liberal campaign than the Liberals. »
Considered the big loser of the evening, the Quebec Liberal Party was more philosophical. Its interim leader, Marc Tanguay, announced that an assessment of the campaign would be made in the coming weeks.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Marc Tanguay
He does not consider this electoral defeat as a rejection of liberal values and congratulated his candidate who “led a campaign at all times”, even if “Québec solidaire won it on a regular basis”.
Defeat is not at the organizational level; nothing is perfect, but all the caucus colleagues were on the ground, the activists were there, all the resources were put into action. We don’t have to be embarrassed about our campaign.
Marc Tanguay
“But it’s a team result that brings us, in all humility and serenity, to see how we can do better next time,” he continued.
Some 57,500 electors were registered on the list of electors in Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne. By late Monday evening, Elections Quebec estimated the turnout at 31%.
Mr. Baenninger won 28.96% of the vote; the PQ candidate Andréanne Fiola collected 11% of the vote, against 9% for the CAQ member Victor Pelletier.
Holding a by-election costs approximately $600,000.
This dispatch was produced with financial assistance from the Meta Exchange and The Canadian Press for News.