By choosing Émillise Lessard-Therrien as co-speaker, members of Québec solidaire have laid the foundation for an “interesting dynamic,” says Jérémy Ghio, public relations director at TACT.
• Also read: Émilise Lessard-Therrien elected co-spokesperson of Québec Solidaire
In an interview with LCN, he commented on the election of a co-speaker who will not be elected to the National Assembly. This situation is not without precedent: the Parti Québécois recently experienced it with Paul St-Pierre Plamondon before he became an MP.
“Mr Nadeau-Dubois will have his ice time in the room. Madame Lessard-Therrien may be able to travel around Quebec and meet activists. “It will not go along with the parliamentary timetable,” explains Mr Ghio.
As the next provincial election approaches, Ms. Lessard-Therrien could travel to the regions where Québec Solidaire hopes to make gains and support the candidates, while her party’s deputies would remain in the National Assembly, the expert suggests.
Repair relationships
In the short term, Émilise Lessard-Therrien and Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois will be tasked with reuniting their formation.
“In races like these there are sometimes arguments. We have seen internal documents from Ruba Ghazal’s campaign published in the media: she was not always kind to Émilise Lessard-Therrien,” mentions Jérémy Ghio.
“To ensure that there are no internal rifts within Québec Solidaire, we need to repair these relationships,” he adds.
To watch the full interview, watch the video above.