The mayor of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Jonathan Lapierre, confirmed Monday the rumors about his affiliation with the Coalition Avenir Québec in the company of Prime Minister François Legault, who had visited the archipelago for the occasion.
A well-known figure in the municipal world, Jonathan Lapierre is vice-president of the Quebec Federation of Municipalities (FQM), where he negotiated with the government on the issue of regional air transport.
Very popular at home, he was re-elected mayor of the Islands for the third time in 2021, with 88% of the vote.
The CAQ, on the other hand, had not conquered many Madelinots in the last elections, collecting barely 9% of the votes in 2018. The PQ Joël Arseneau had then won in a snatch, against the Liberal candidate.
The Îles-de-la-Madeleine constituency is quite volatile, supporting the PLQ and the PQ alternately since the 1960s. ).
Two enthusiasts of municipal politics in the race
Rumors concerning the candidacy of Mr. Lapierre have been circulating for several weeks in political circles. Also in 2018, his name was mentioned as the election campaign approached. However, this time, he was attributed links with the Liberal Party, which had not been confirmed by a candidacy.
In addition to the outgoing deputy, Joël Arseneau (PQ), Mr. Lapierre will face one of his former colleagues: the former municipal councilor Jean-Philippe Déraspe (Québec solidaire). The Liberals will be represented by Gil Thériault, director of the Association des chasseurs de phoques intra-Québec.