Uh yes. My title is not a bad joke. With the coming to power of Justin Trudeau, son of former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, in 2015, federal politics gave us a true Canadian political dynasty.
• Also read: It is impossible to get rid of Denis Coderre's politics
• Also read: A smug account of a father's son, Charest's son
With the arrival of Antoine Dionne Charest, son of former Prime Minister Jean Charest, Quebec politics now gives us a whole new political dynasty.
Who believes that in the wonderful world of party politics everything is not possible? However, Antoine Dionne Charest is a little more patient than Justin Trudeau.
For now, he is primarily an influential member of the Quebec Liberal Party's political commission in search of the Holy Grail of “renewal” for a party that has been abandoned by French-speaking voters.
He also says he is thinking about running in the 2026 election. And the leadership? Not at the moment, he swears. One thing is certain: young Antoine Dionne Charest is determined to win his place in the PLQ.
When Paul St-Pierre Plamondon arrived at the head of a PQ promised to the graveyard of the “old” parties, the misfortune clearly did not frighten him. At 35 years old, you have to say that time is on his side.
Like Justin Trudeau before and after his first election victory, he now reduces Antoine Dionne Charest to the son of a simple father.
Capable of differentiated thinking
This is a big mistake. It is true that, like Justin Trudeau, he was thrown into the political pot from the moment he was born. Not only his father was already a political beast, but also his grandfather.
However, as an academic, Antoine Dionne Charest is more inclined to think deeply about politics and politics. His first appearance this week as a “commentator” on the Zone info show on RDI confirmed this.
We saw there a completely liberal and passionate federalist, but at the same time capable of nuanced and well-documented analysis. And that in Quebec, in federal and international politics.
The man knows how to do his homework. His “communication style” is less inclined than his father to make jokes to lighten a debate, but also more serious and intellectual.
His positions also suggest a more centrist liberal, while Jean Charest governed, not always but often, as a classic economic neoliberal.
The aura of the name Charest
Inevitably, Antoine Dionne Charest also benefits from the aura that his father still enjoys in the PLQ. Uh yes.
Despite the persistent suspicions of corruption that hovered over the government of Jean Charest, the latter's popularity remains intact within the liberal troops for the three mandates that came with the power he gave them.
For this reason – and this is not insignificant – the name Charest is still a strong calling card in the PLQ.
In short, for the future of the PLQ, which has even been terribly weakened since the disastrous regime of the Couillard-Barrette duo, Antoine Dionne Charest will most likely remain there in party politics.
With the young and brilliant MP Marwah Rizqy, whose talent as a future leader is clear, Jean Charest's son is at the forefront of a succession the Liberals desperately need. And that's an understatement…
If he plays his cards right, Antoine Dionne Charest will one day make a name for himself.