He is not yet a candidate, but the specter of Karl Blackburn hangs over the Congress of the Liberal Party of Quebec.
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For the first time, all the declared aspiring leaders were gathered this weekend in Lévis for the high mass of liberal activists. Pablo Rodriguez, Denis Coderre, Charles Milliard, Frédéric Beauchemin and Marc Bélanger multiplied the handshakes, the happy hours and the press scrums.
But the one whose name everyone was whispering behind the scenes was the president and CEO of the Employers’ Council, Karl Blackburn.
Suffering from cancer, the former member of Parliament for Roberval and ex-president of the PLQ is currently recovering after surgery. But he has not completely given up on launching the leadership race, which will officially begin in mid-January. Everything will depend on his recovery.
Several Liberals, including many old hands and MPs, are waiting for his decision before committing to a candidate. If he is on the starting blocks, he could probably benefit from the services of star organizer Benoît Savard.
According to some, his arrival could further harm a candidacy like that of Charles Milliard, who has a similar profile. Two representatives of employers who are not Montrealers and who claim to be from the regions.
For others, the race has already unofficially begun. A late application could be at a disadvantage.
Less known to the general public than other contenders like Pablo Rodriguez or Denis Coderre, Karl Blackbrun is recognized as a champion “membership card seller”, an essential quality in a leadership campaign. If he ever gets started, we will have to see what is more important in the eyes of liberal activists to choose their next leader.
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