(Grande-Rivière and Fatima) Two days before the election, Dominique Anglade made the surprising choice to run in Gaspé and Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Two former Little Red Riding Hoods where fighting threatens both ways, but between the Parti Québécois and the Coalition avenir Québec.
Posted 9:00am Updated 9:06pm
Fanny Levesque The press
After focusing his efforts on Greater Montreal, where several Liberal strongholds are under threat, Dominique Anglade chose to end the campaign on the offensive by hitting the equestrian centers of Gaspé, Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Ungava visited. ” [Le message qu’on veut lancer, c’est qu’]We’re all over Quebec, we can carry that voice [libérale] everywhere”, launched the cook before her departure.
Accompanied by her team of candidates from the greater Montreal area, the Liberal leader wanted to put on a show of force before flying to Gaspésie and the Magdalen Islands on Saturday. She called for a vote, again contradicting her style with that of François Legault. “I’ll tell you frankly, it doesn’t even seem to appeal to him anymore,” she hissed at the head caquist.
“He seems fed up, he doesn’t seem to want to answer questions; I, I answered all your questions, we built town halls [assemblées de cuisine]… Honestly, we took risks, we pushed, we asked real questions there, asked no questions because we’re not afraid. The job, it excites us! ‘ she added on one flight, particularly felt.
PHOTO GRAHAM HUGHES, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Dominic Anglade
“We look forward to Gaspésie”
The game is far from won for Dominique Anglade’s Liberals in Gaspésie, where the traditional clashes between the Reds and the Blues give way to a CAQ-PQ duel this year. Hot clashes are brewing between the Coalition avenir Québec and the Parti Québécois, which is defending its last strongholds, according to projection site Qc125.
In 2018, the Liberals almost won in Gaspé, finishing behind Méganne Perry Mélançon (PQ), who obtained a majority of just 41 votes. The scenario was similar to that of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, where Joël Arseneault defeated his liberal opponent by just 15 votes. Four years after the defeat of the Couillard government, the liberal troops in Gaspésie are still building.
” [C’est] less strong,” admits activist Pierre Pelletier, who met in Grande-Rivière on Saturday.
The liberals are dormant for the simple and simple reason that for years the liberals have been called schemers, thieves… Nathalie Normandeau, that was ours, people were embarrassed to say they were still liberals and that’s where it wakes up.
Pierre Pelletier, liberal activist
Nathalie Normandeau, a former Liberal minister and former Bonaventure MP, was spattered by the Charbonneau Commission on Public Procurement in the Construction Industry. “That’s in the past,” says Mr. Pelletier now.
Does the liberal brand still bear the scars of that dark era for the party? “I think we’ve gone somewhere else, we’re looking ahead to Gaspé,” Dominique Anglade summed up briefly, together with his candidates Michel Marin (Gaspé) and Christian Cyr (Bonaventure). These two candidatures were confirmed after the elections were called in early September.
“Two or three more weeks for me as a candidate in the Gaspé region would have made a big difference,” said Michel Marin in a scrum. According to many, the final two weeks of the campaign have been better for Dominique Anglade. “It goes a long way towards rebuilding, restoring confidence in the Liberals,” adds Mr. Marin.
Legault “ignored” the Madelinots
In Fatima, former Liberal MP for the Magdalen Islands, Germain Chevarie, regrets that François Legault has “ignored” the Madelinots for four years. “It came recently after Hurricane Fiona and it came a few weeks ago, before the campaign. So we will say that he has not paid much attention to the Îles-de-la-Madeleine archipelago,” said Mr Chevarie.
A duel looms on the islands between Mayor Jonathan Lapierre, defending the CAQ banner, and outgoing PQ MP Joël Arseneau. “It creates a special dynamic that I don’t find very healthy,” said Liberal candidate Gil Thériault. “I think the local people see that, I feel like there are people who think it would be nice to elect someone who wants to work with everyone. »
According to Mr Chevarie, the liberal vote in the Magdalen Islands should not be underestimated, which “is rather secretive and does not usually appear in the media”. Liberals and PQ have traded power in the Magdalen Islands for years.