The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) has been making efforts to oust the Trudeau government since September, making a general election possible at any moment. Le Canada Français wondered how the parties in the Saint-Jean constituency are preparing. In the region, only the Bloc Québécois (BQ) and the PCC seem to be active and ready for a possible election.
French Canada contacted candidates who were not elected in the 2021 race to find out if they were thinking of running again in 2025.
” No way. It’s final […] I moved on,” says Jean Rioux, candidate for the Liberal Party of Canada (PLC) in Saint-Jean in 2021, and former Liberal MP for the riding from 2015 to 2019.
“I’m still at the starting line […] This is going to be my second attempt, and I think we’re going to have some surprises! » explains Serge Benoît, 2021 PCC candidate who plans to run again in 2025.
Only the former candidate of the New Democratic Party (NPD), Jérémy Fournier, did not call back French Canada to confirm whether or not he plans to run in the upcoming elections.
The PLC, the Green Party of Canada (PVC) and the NDP did not respond to requests sent to them to know who their candidate will be for Saint-Jean.
Present
Although she recently gave birth, the current member of Parliament for Saint-Jean Christine Normandin has already made it known on numerous occasions that she wishes to be a candidate in the next electoral race.
In June, the BQ even held an investiture meeting during which party members who reside in the riding voted on the candidate they wish to have as their representative in the next elections. Ms. Normandin was chosen.
At the time, the MP explained that she sees that “things are boiling on the side of independence […] We feel that our work is appreciated and we know that there is still a lot to do.”
In Saint-Jean, the party says it has no difficulty recruiting members, getting young people interested or even seeking donations.
Assets ?
The different opposition parties are not all active in the same way in the region.
On the PCC side, Mr. Benoît expresses that the members are still very present and numerous in Saint-Jean. The former candidate also says he maintains contacts with provincial and federal conservatives. He believes the CCP could make inroads in the region.
“It takes big changes, and throughout the political history of Canada, when things go badly, it has always been the Conservatives who bring financial and societal credibility back on track,” argues Mr. Benoît.
In Saint-Jean, the PLC no longer has a constituency electoral association representative and has also been absent from social networks since the defeat recorded in 2021.
On the NDP side, the NPD Saint-Jean Facebook account remained active until 2022, but no trace of the party since. As for PVC, it seems to no longer have a presence in the region since 2021.
Elections
Federal election periods can last from 37 to 51 days. Since federal electoral regulations do not require candidates to reside in the riding in which they are running, they can be parachuted by their party from other cities, other regions and even other provinces.
