The announcements of candidacies for the elections are multiplying as the start of the campaign approaches, scheduled for August 29 at the latest.
The Parti Québécois alone plans to do about twenty this week. It must be said that he still has a lot to reveal, with only 54 candidates announced out of 125. The party’s spokesman, François Leroux, nevertheless maintains that “all is well” and, that by including all the candidates already invested , they would be more like 90. To watch this week: several announcements in the Montreal area.
Conversely, Québec solidaire has almost no one left to present. With 120 confirmed candidates, the party is the most advanced in this regard.
The announcements also go smoothly to the Coalition avenir Québec. The CAQ presented 114 of its 125 candidates, including its new recruits announced Monday in Duplessis and the Magdalen Islands. Press conferences are also scheduled for Tuesday in Laval-des-Rapides and Sanguinet. And Wednesday will be the baptism of fire for former journalist Martine Biron as a CAQ candidate in Chutes-de-la-Chaudière.
The leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec, Éric Duhaime, was precisely in this riding on the South Shore of Quebec this Monday to present his candidate Mario Fortier, a former municipal councilor. His party is also well advanced: 105 candidates have been confirmed and at least 7 should be added by the end of the week, reports Conservative spokesperson Cédric Lapointe.
On the side of the Liberal Party, the announcements are progressing more slowly with 64 known candidates. Moreover, the official announcement of the candidacy of the outgoing MP for Saint-Laurent, Marwah Rizqy, would only be a formality. Dominique Anglade’s party has five unveilings on the program this week: one in Ungava on Tuesday, three in the greater Quebec City region on Wednesday and another in Papineau on Thursday.
A caquist star candidate in the Islands
The mayor of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Jonathan Lapierre, also confirmed Monday the rumors about his affiliation with the CAQ. The announcement was made in the company of Prime Minister François Legault, who was in the archipelago for the occasion.
A well-known figure in the municipal world, Mr. Lapierre is vice-president of the Quebec Federation of Municipalities (FQM). In particular, he held negotiations with the Quebec 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 won the hearts of the Madelinots during the last elections: the party had collected barely 9% of their votes in 2018. The PQ Joël Arseneau had then won in a snatch against his opponent liberal.
Rumors concerning the candidacy of Mr. Lapierre had been circulating for several weeks in political circles. His name had also been mentioned in the run-up to the 2018 election campaign. He was then given ties to the Liberal Party of Quebec, which did not result in a candidacy.
The next Quebec elections will be held on October 3; the campaign must be launched no later than August 29.