QUEBEC CITY – Rosemont MNA Jean-François Lisée announced Monday that he will run to replace Pierre Karl Péladeau as leader of the Parti Québécois (PQ).
READ MORE: Pierre Karl Péladeau quits PQ leadership, politics
He said he is running to get rid of the Quebec Liberals and to achieve Quebec independence by 2022, “with whom we will have discussed independence for the six previous years.”
“We have the bad habit of talking about independence between us, independentistes,” wrote Lisée on his blog.
“Our biggest challenge is to talk about it with all Quebecers in an interesting, ongoing, convincing way.”
Lisée called the current Couillard government “the most toxic we have ever known.”
First elected in 2012, Lisée was a senior cabinet minister in Pauline Marois’ minority government, responsible for international relations and the Montreal region.
READ MORE: Véronique Hivon announces she will run for PQ leadership
He was re-elected in 2014, when the PQ managed to win only 30 of the province’s 125 ridings.
READ MORE: Alexandre Cloutier enters Parti Québécois leadership race
Lisée, 58, dropped out of last year’s PQ leadership race before it even began, saying it was “politically over” with the presence of media mogul PKP.
Lisée would be the third candidate for the leadership, joining Véronique Hivon and Alexandre Cloutier.
READ MORE: As PKP quits politics, others jockey for Parti Québécois leadership
Martine Ouellet is also expected to announce her candidacy.
The next PQ leader will be elected no later than Oct. 15, while the next Quebec election is set for the fall of 2018.
— with files from The Canadian Press.