(Victoriaville) The PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon will clearly be one of the targets of the conservative leader Éric Duhaime during the partial in Arthabaska. The latter wants to take advantage of the chicane in the sovereignist family to reach out to the Blquisttes voters.
Thomas Laberge Canadian press
“I invite all the blquists who have just discovered that Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, it is a two-sided face because they consider them traitors to the sovereignist cause, to support the party which is in favor of the autonomy and prosperity of Quebec: the conservative party”, he launched on Sunday in Victoriaville in front of conservative activists during the launch of his campaign.
In the aftermath of the federal election, the PQ leader criticized the Bloc Québécois strategy and said he hoped that the party of Yves-François Blanchet “returns a little more to his independence roots”.
“While Quebec is facing the worst tariff crisis in its history with our American neighbors, the last thing we need is bibs with the rest of Canada,” said Éric Duhaime.
It was the former caquist Eric Lefebvre who won the district of Richmond-Arthabaska for the conservatives of Pierre Poilievre during the last federal elections. The Bloc Québécois finished in third place with 27 % of the votes.
In his speech to galvanize conservative activists, Mr. Duhaime has not spared the Legault government either and its management of public finances.
Photo Jacques Boissinot, the Canadian press
Supporters of Eric Duhaime gathered in Victoriaville
“We want to be present in the National Assembly to be the only ones to denounce the astronomical deficit of Quebec which mortgages the future of his children and protest against the shameful discount that Mr. Legault justifies by his convictions,” he said
Recall that the last budget provides a deficit of 13.6 billion.
During the provincial election of 2022, the conservative candidate Tarek Heldé finished second with 25 % of the votes in Arthabaska. On Sunday, he gave his blessing to his chief.
“It is a person of convictions, heart and action with whom I share the same values and the same ideas,” he launched to the crowd before Eric Duhaime goes up on the stage.
Baby-boomers
A few hundred conservative activists gathered in Victoriaville to hear their chief.
Mario Bergeron was in number. He campaigned for Tarek Heldé in 2022. Today, he sees a good eye that the party leader presents himself in his county.
“Young people are very conservative […] I think the conservative party has a good program that may interest several people, even baby boomers like me! He explains in an interview with the Canadian press.
Before making the decision to introduce himself, Éric Duhaime called the members of the constituency to try the pulse.
“It was appreciated and we could give our opinion. Mr. Duhaime has been present here for almost a year, ”adds Mario Bergeron.
Former city councilor in Montreal, Marius Minier thinks that Eric Duhaime makes the right choice to embark on this constituency, even if the 82 -year -old man does not live there. “I will come and help him if he needs help […] Arthabaska is a beautiful county for him, ”he says.
Although he supported leftist parties in the past, Marius Minier says he is a “right guy” in the bottom of his “heart”. He took the opportunity to emphasize being “practicing Catholic”, against abortion, against “euthanasia” and against drugs.
Resident in Longueuil, Michel Tétreault made the way to support the conservative chief. He would like other political parties to leave him free.
“Me, I want him to be represented in the National Assembly and if this is where it must pass, it’s so much the better. I would like the other parties to leave him a little space, ”he says.
A tight struggle
But the Parti Québécois (PQ) does not leave any chance to the Conservatives. Even if the PQ does not yet have a candidate, chef Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has already launched hostilities.
He opened his campaign premises on Thursday and he was at the maple festival in Plessisville on Sunday, at the same time that Mr. Duhaime made his announcement.
The PCQ obtained 13 % of the votes in the last elections, but did not have any deputy elected to the National Assembly.
The QC125 surveys aggregator provides for a very tight three race in the district of Arthabaska between the Coalition Avenir Québec, the PQ and the Conservatives.
Prime Minister François Legault has until September to trigger partial.
