(Quebec) The solidarity race to elect the person who will succeed Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois is officially launched on Friday.
Right now, four candidates are on the starting line, according to the Elections Quebec website. These are Sol Zanetti and Etienne Grandmont, the former regional public health director of La Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine Yv Bonnier Viger and the activist Geru Schneider.
Under the statutes of Québec Solidaire (QS), which have been updated recently, any person member – and not only men – can present themselves in this race.
Indeed, QS only specifies in its internal election policy that “one of the two posts is reserved for a woman”. In theory, QS could therefore have two female spokespersons, because the other post is provided by MP Ruba Ghazal.
Applicants must collect 500 signatures and make a deposit of $ 10,000 by September 14 to be officially in the race.
Aspiring spokespersons will be able to spend up to a maximum of $ 60,000.
If they wish to have the right to vote in the election, supporters of QS will have until October 9 to become party members.
It is currently the deputy of Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne, Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, who holds the position of interim spokesperson.
Photo Edouard Plante-Fréchette, the press archives
Guillaume Cliche-Rivard
The successor to Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois will be known on November 8 during a party congress.
The outcome of this race will be decisive for QS.
The last two years have been difficult for the Left Party, especially with the release of the punch book of ex-deputy Catherine Dorion and the resignation of Emilisle Lessard-Therrien only a few months after being elected spokesperson for the party.
Photo Edouard Plante-Fréchette, the press archives
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and Emilise Lessard-Therrien
The two women criticized the leadership of Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. The latter announced his departure last March, saying that he was “worn out” by the crises that rocked his party.
QS was also shaken by the controversy triggered by the solidarity deputy of Maurice-Richard, Haroun Bouazzi, who said that he saw “every day” in the National Assembly “the construction of this other” whose culture “would be dangerous or inferior”.
The solidarity did a starry score during the partial in Arthabaska which took place on Monday. The Pascale Fortin candidate obtained a meager 1.5 %. In 2022, she had managed to obtain 9 % and exceed the liberals.
According to the QC125 surveys aggregator, QS finds himself in fifth place with only 10 % of voting intentions. If elections were held today, political training could lose half of its deputation.
The next elections will take place in October 2026.
Note to readers: in a previous version, the Canadian press indicated that there were five candidates on the starting line, including Laurie Grand-Maison Lévesque. In fact, the Quebec election site indicates that Mme Grand-Maison Lévesque withdrew his candidacy on August 12. There are therefore four candidates in all currently.
