The president of the Quebec Liberal Party Youth Commission (CJPLQ), Lina Yunes, as well as two other members of the executive, are resigning to support MP Frédéric Beauchemin and to encourage him to enter the leadership race and succeed Dominique Anglade.
“For our generation, the choice seems clear: if we want to aspire to a future that lives up to our ambitions, we must put an economic, responsible and forward-looking figure in charge. This person is Frédéric Beauchemin,” we can read in the letter from the three young Liberals, a copy of which was obtained by The Canadian Press.
The letter, addressed to the president of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ), Rafaël Primeau-Ferraro, is signed by the president of the CJPLQ, Lina Yunes, as well as two vice-presidents, William Baril and William Des Marais.
Stating that there is “strong pressure, even a consensus around the importance for members of the commission’s executive to remain neutral in the context of the next leadership race” of the PLQ, the three young Liberals say they are leaving their position in order to “evade any possible fears of bias.”
“In this vein, we obviously expect the same prudence from the members of the current and future executive,” it added.
“We will now focus our energy on making Frédéric Beauchemin not only an official candidate in this leadership race, but also the representative of the voice of young progressives and pragmatists,” the three young Liberals continued in their letter.
An announcement soon?
There is little doubt that Frédéric Beauchemin will enter the leadership race. He is expected to make his announcement by the end of the summer.
The Liberal MP for Marguerite-Bourgeoys wants to position himself as the candidate for budgetary rigour and better management of public finances. He has also received the support of the former Minister of Finance of Quebec, Carlos Leitão.
Before making the leap into politics with the Liberals in 2022, Frédéric Beauchemin was an executive and head of capital markets at Scotiabank.
Last October, the Liberal MP was the target of complaints of psychological harassment filed against him by the then president of the CJPLQ, Élyse Moisan. The complaints also targeted members of the youth wing’s executive, including Lina Yunes.
Mr. Beauchemin was excluded from the caucus while the matter was resolved. The complaints were settled in December after a mediation process and the member for Marguerite-Bourgeoys rejoined the caucus.
Two months later, Élyse Moisan resigned from her position as president. Lina Yunes succeeded her as head of the CJPLQ last March.
The race is taking shape
Two weeks ago, former Montreal mayor Denis Coderre became the first candidate to officially enter the race.
Last month, Charles Milliard — another candidate tipped to run for the PLQ leadership — announced that he was stepping down as president and CEO of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec to take a moment to reflect. At the party’s general council last May, 81 young Liberals gave him their support.
The support of young Liberals is important for the next leader, as they account for a third of the votes in the leadership race.
The mayor of Victoriaville, Antoine Tardif, is also being asked to get involved. He has not ruled out getting involved.
The name of the Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, continues to circulate as a potential candidate.
The race will begin in January 2025. Dominique Anglade’s successor will be chosen in the summer of that same year.
The next leader of the PLQ will have a lot to do to rebuild his party. His support rate among francophones is starving.