MONTREAL – The new leader of the Quebec Liberals says he wants to make strengthening the province’s place in Canada a priority for the party.
Philippe Couillard won on the first ballot yesterday in a landslide with 58.5 per cent of the vote.
The former health minister replaces Jean Charest, who stepped down after the Liberals were defeated by the Parti Quebecois in last September’s election.
Couillard says he wants to unite Quebecers under the Liberal banner, whether they choose federalism out of passion, or out of reason.
The surprise second-place finisher, former cabinet minister Pierre Moreau, did better than expected.
In last-place was Raymond Bachand, the finance minister who was the architect of the tuition hikes that sparked student protests last year.
During the leadership campaign Couillard promised to work toward Quebec signing the Constitution — though not necessarily any time soon.
But one P-Q minister, Alexandre Cloutier, the point man on sovereignty, quickly criticized Couillard in a tweet, saying he wants to sign the constitution before laying out his demands for Quebec.
As the new head of the provincial Liberals, Couillard will lead the party into the next election, which could come sooner rather than later because the Parti Quebecois government only has a minority.
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