Three new candidates for the Liberals

(Quebec) A sign that the election year has well and truly begun, the Liberal troops are presenting three new candidates for the nomination in Bourget, Mercier and Soulanges. None of these ridings is held by the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ).

Fanny Levesque
The Press

Liberal leader Dominique Anglade has promised open nominations in a “good majority” of ridings in the province to “give power back to members.” These new candidates announced this Sunday are the result of this open process launched at the beginning of February.

Christina Eyangos, Catherine Boundjia and Catherine St-Amour will be candidates for the nomination in Bourget, Mercier and Soulanges respectively. They all have an activist background. M^me Boundjia, an engineer by training, also serves as president of the Liberal Association of Mercier. For her part, Catherine St-Amour is the political attaché of the deputy for Marquette, Enrico Ciccone.

The Liberals lost Soulanges in 2018 to the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ). The challenge will be tough in Mercier, acquired by Quebec solidaire since 2008, and in Bourget, a PQ bastion that went to the CAQ in the last election. It is in this riding that the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, will try to be elected.

“I want to live in a society where we do politics differently from what we are currently doing in Quebec with the Prime Minister […] who makes remarks that should not be made in an institution like the National Assembly of Quebec in 2022”, explains Christina Eyangos, community worker in the school environment.

Called to clarify her thoughts, the 25-year-old woman immediately quotes François Legault’s comment last Thursday, who called Quebec Solidarity MP Christine Labrie “Mother Teresa”, while her microphone was still open in the Blue Room. . This was hounding the government on the economic fate of women who cannot re-enter the labor market because they do not have a place in daycare.

In an interview, Mr.^me Anglade also denounced the comments of Mr. Legault. She also accuses him of having made mansplaining » during his responses in the House regarding Hydro-Québec rates. She believes that “these behaviors must change”, while it is still difficult to attract women in politics.

“What kind of leadership do we want to have? Do we want to have a leadership where we are told what to do, how to do and for whom to vote, or do we want a leadership that listens and brings people together? asks the Liberal leader.

Departures: an “established game plan”

These candidacies are in addition to that of the former mayor of Chelsea Caryl Green, who will seek the nomination in Gatineau. Dominique Anglade has also confirmed Chantal Gagnon in Anjou–Louis-Riel, which will be left vacant by former minister Lise Thériault.

The Liberals are preparing for the announcement of departures, while many veterans are casting doubt on their political future. This is the case of Christine St-Pierre, Kathleen Weil, Hélène David, Nicole Ménard, Pierre Arcand and Carlos J. Leitão. Not to mention Lise Thériault, Francine Charbonneau and Gaétan Barrette, who have already confirmed that they will not be on the starting line in 2022.

“There is a whole game plan that is established; it is certainly not left to chance”, specifies on this subject M^me England. While she is leveling off in the polls, the Liberal leader assures us that her work on the ground and her proposals “will eventually show through” in the voting intentions.

“Of course you want the needle to move, deep inside you. It’s not something easy that we’re doing, but once again, it’s exciting and we must never lose sight of it,” said Ms.^me England.

His party still collects around 20% of the voting intentions, according to various polls carried out since last fall.