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Parti Québécois mulls name change after 2018 defeat, but few seem eager

Parti Québécois Leader Pascal Bérubé speaks during the party's Congrès national extraordinaire on Sunday, November 10, 2019, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

The Parti Québécois has reopened the debate over changing its name, but few of its members seem ready to take such a drastic step as the party seeks to recover from a 2018 election defeat.

Party president Dieudonné Ella Oyono has indicated that a name change is on the table as the party mulls its next steps in the coming months.

The party met in Trois-Rivières over the weekend as it seeks to rebuild after a disastrous provincial election last year that saw the party win only 10 of the legislature’s 125 seats.

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READ MORE: Parti Québécois says it will become more positive, renews focus on independence

The president of the party’s youth wing has indicated that the name could change if members ask for it, but interim leader Pascal Bérubé has indicated that it isn’t a priority and he prefers leaving the name as is.

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Harold LeBel, a legislature member for Rimouski, says he’s strongly opposed to dropping the Parti Québécois name.

LeBel says the name is part of Quebec’s history and people associate it with the hope for sovereignty.

Click to play video: 'Beleaguered Parti-Québécois trying to re-boot message'
Beleaguered Parti-Québécois trying to re-boot message

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